Belly fat, BRCA gene and synthetic opioids

The hottest science news, stories and analysis from Dr Chris and the Naked Scientists. In this episode a new vaccine to build immunity and scientists have found their first rocky planet with an atmosphere, around a nearby star.

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. This week, as AstraZeneca acknowledged that their COVID vaccine is linked to a rare blood clotting side effect, we find out more about it. Plus how scientists are getting closer to cracking nuclear fusion, and how adding bacteria could be key to breaking down plastic. We also discover how zero gravity affects the body, and how science is looking at the future impact of long journeys away from Earth ahead of further exploration into space. Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.In this week's programme: scientists give mice a rat's sense of smell; we find out why some of China's biggest cities are sinking; and 14 years after disaster struck in the Gulf of Mexico, how laser-treated cork may be able to help us to clean up oil spills in future.Plus, a special look at ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as we find out what it is, who's got it and how science can help us to better manage it.

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team discover: Why we need stricter smoking and vaping controls and will they work? The remains of what’s believed to be the largest reptile to have roamed our Severn Seas. A tribute to the BA pilot who saved his air passengers from a volcanic ash cloud – so why are volcanoes so disastrous for jet engines? Finally, a look at how food production will cope with climate change in the future.

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs. In this week's episode….Scientists invent artificial platelets to help us clot blood better, why it might be time to reappraise the peace loving nature of Bonobos, why the moon apparently turned itself inside out in the past. Plus as a special tribute to the revered British Scientist Peter Higgs who died this week aged 94, his friend Lyn Evans tells us about the 40 year search for the Higgs boson particle that provides some answers to life, the universe and everything…Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs, In this week's episode we discuss why our belly fat could be key to helping people with spinal injuries, a breakthrough in understanding why the BRCA genes lead to breast cancer in some people and we look at the new breed of synthetic opioids making their way on to the streets of Britain, and find out why they’re so deadly. Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientists look at what's behind a spike in whooping cough cases occurring across the UK and Europe.

Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs, In this week's episode……four years after they declared COVID 19 a global pandemic, we speak to the World Health Organization to get their recollections and perspectives. A surprising finding about the particles shed from the brake pads on our cars, we look back at the remarkable life of Paul Alexander, the man in the iron lung, who’s died aged 78. And we look at the long term effects of COVID 19.Get the podcast from the BBC Sounds app.

Off the back of cyber-attacks on the British Library and Cambridge University, Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist look at the how they happen, who is responsible, and how can we protect against them. Plus the team find out why a gene might be responsible for a Labrador's weight, how early springs are affecting migratory birds, and hear from the Cambridge team who have found the oldest known dead galaxy in the universe.

The team discuss the gene that turns Labradors into gluttons, migratory birds and the oldest known dead galaxy.