Alzheimer's fingerprick test, and space debris sonic booms

The Naked Scientists Podcast

Dr Chris Smith

Science Radio, Engineering, Naked Scientists, Natural Sciences, Technology, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness, Medicine, Science

4.6 • 957 Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, a blood finger-prick test has been developed to detect Alzheimer's disease before symptoms arise. But how accurate is it? Plus, tracking space debris reentry from their sonic booms with earthquake-detecting seismometers, what happens in our noses when we are infected by the common cold, and the plants that use heat to get pollinated by beetles... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0	All engine running.
0:03.7	Absolutely genius.
0:04.6	Welcome.
0:05.4	Welcome.
0:06.4	This is the show where we bring you science.
0:08.2	What that essentially means is discovery is advanced.
0:11.0	Research.
0:12.0	Technology.
0:12.9	Unbelievable.
0:13.9	Without further ado, this is The Naked Scientists.
0:17.4	Hello, welcome to The Naked Scientist podcast.
0:20.3	This is the program that brings you the biggest breakthroughs
0:22.5	and also talks to the major movers and shakers in the worlds of science, technology and medicine.
0:27.3	I'm Chris Smith.
0:28.1	And coming up, testing a finger prick test for Alzheimer's disease,
0:32.5	how sonic booms can help us to keep tabs on space junk,
0:36.1	and scientists recreate the nose in a lab dish in pursuit of a cure for the common cold. Music to my ears this week.
0:51.4	First this week, Alzheimer's disease is one of the leading causes of cognitive decline worldwide.
0:57.5	Doctors estimate that, as we're now all living longer, as many as 30% of the population might be at risk.
1:03.2	The anticipated costs of care, if that happens, will most likely be unsustainable.
1:08.0	On the plus side, we have seen in recent years the development of the first
1:11.2	generation of drugs that do appear to be able to really slow down Alzheimer's disease. And
	...

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