Aspirin's Anniversary

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

🗓️ 6 March 2011

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From anti-ague to anti-Alzheimer's agent: over the 112 years since it was first trademarked, Aspirin has evolved from popular painkiller to powerful preventative against heart attacks, strokes and even cancer. In this week's show we trace its history from the extraction of aspirin-like chemicals from willow bark to the creation of the drug itself. Plus, in the news, how the chemistry of life could have come to Earth in a meteorite and why we need to be careful with stem cells: a new study finds they have an above-average mutation rate. Also, a new technique to etch graphene sheets with... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Stripping down science, the naked scientists.
0:07.0	The Naked Scientists with me Chris Smith. Hello it's Sunday the 6th and March.
0:22.6	Welcome to the naked scientist with me Chris Smith.
0:24.8	And with me Dr. Katani.
0:26.8	It was on this day in 1899 that the German Pharmaceutical Company Bayer
0:32.1	trademarked what's become one of the most important drugs of all time.
0:36.6	It's literally saved millions of lives.
0:39.5	That drug was aspirin, so we're taking a look at how it's gone from being the world's most popular painkiller
0:44.4	to a powerful preventative against heart attacks, strokes, cancers, and even Alzheimer's.
0:50.0	Happy birthday aspirin.
0:51.7	Plus, we've got news of a new discovery suggesting that the chemistry of life could have hitched
0:56.0	a ride to Earth in a meteorite.
0:58.1	And why we need to be careful with stem cells and new studies found that they have an above average chance of carrying cancer
1:04.8	causing genetic changes.
1:06.8	Thank you, Kat.
1:07.8	And talking of aspirin.
1:09.8	Hi, I'm Andrew McCluskey from Ed and Borough Scotland Scotland and I was wondering how pain relief drugs target pain
1:15.5	and why we don't go numb in random parts of our body.
1:18.7	The answer to how painkillers hit pain just where it hurts is also on the way.
1:22.1	Meanwhile if you'd like to
1:23.4	contact us on Twitter you tweet at naked scientists via Facebook you can get
1:28.4	there by going to naked scientist.com forward slash Facebook or drops an email the email addresses
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr Chris Smith, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dr Chris Smith and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.