The eLife Podcast

In this episode, the origins of our individuality, how synaesthetes' pupil size changes just by thinking of a colour, female chickadees expand the spectrum of cognitive abilities through non-monogamy, do any species thrive in urban settings, and the switch to DNA organisation that accompanies cancer... Get the references and the transcripts for this programme from the Naked Scientists website

This time, macho male gorillas trade stature for sperm count, how gambling machines use sound and light to take the sting out of losing, whether babies are born hard-wired to dance, the way bird eggs are adapted to altitude, and the effect of a fever on the stickiness of malaria-infected blood cells... Get the references and the transcripts for this programme from the Naked Scientists website

This month, a genetic sensor to self-destruct cancer cells, what fish with a gene mutation are revealing about brain blood vessel disease, evidence that hallucinogens like psilocybin put brain cells into a more plastic state to loosen the grip of depression, a new technique to spot the population immunity loopholes that flu might exploit, and why crabs walk sideways... Get the references and the transcripts for this programme from the Naked Scientists website

In this episode, how kangaroos alter their postures to store more energy in their Achilles tendons and boost movement efficiency, the moths that make a beeline when they hear plants "talking" to them, tracking how people pick up diseases from their surroundings, the contribution fingerprints make to touch sensation, and some forgotten female scientists are recognised at the Eiffel Tower, in France. Get the references and the transcripts for this programme from the Naked Scientists website

This month, compelling evidence for why some species keep their eyes closed for sometimes several weeks after birth, scientists prove that the "nocebo" effect is more potent than a placebo, researchers report what happens when fish eggs and mouse sperm mix, the signals that cells use to measure the lengths of their telomeres, and some clever physics reveals the workings of Darwin's "warm little pond"... Get the references and the transcripts for this programme from the Naked Scientists website