Boldly going where no science show has gone before.

The Naked Scientists.

Hello, welcome to this week's naked scientists with me Chris Smith,

and also with Helen Scales.

Hello.

Now coming up this week,

how scientists have used a stomach parasite

to retrace the first human footprints in Australia and New Zealand, who were the first

people to get there, how did they get there, and when, those are the big questions.

Also how scientists have discovered an important role for the DNA in our genomes that we previously

written off as just rubbish.

Actually turns out to have a very important job to do.

And also, why, when the stakes are raised and males are forced to compete with each other they increase their sperm count

and they also produce larger and faster sperm at least if they're a fish and we'll

be finding out why shortly Helen.

Thanks Chris and this week we're looking at the science of smart materials

including substances that can repair themselves when they get damaged

surfaces that can harness the energy in light to destroy bacteria and

we'll also be finding out why the glass up the new St. Pancras

station in London should never need to get cleaned. There is a coating on the

outside surface of the glass and it's a chemical called titanium dioxide. But one of the neat features of this

is it works from the bottom of the dirt outwards and so it loosens the dirt on the material's

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