Does thalidomide alter DNA?

Loading player...
Listener to the show, Elaine, wants to know whether her mother, who was a thalidomide baby, might have passed on effect of the drug to her children. Thalidomide was a treatment for morning sickness which caused severe birth differences in children born to mothers who used the drug. James Tytko sought an answer, with help from Neil Vargesson, Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Aberdeen... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
13 Mar English United Kingdom Science

Other recent episodes

Are snakes tamed by breast milk?

Sva writes in, asking whether stories of snakes being tamed by human milk have any grounding in science. James Tytko took on the question with the help of herpetologist Fortunate Mafeta Phaka, and Angela Julian of the Amphibian and Reptiles Group of the UK. Like this podcast? Please help us…
12 Sep 5 min

What happens to celebratory bullets?

In some parts of the world, some groups will fire guns directly into the air in celebration. Mike wants to know what happens to these bullets, and if they have the potential to be dangerous. To help answer this question, James Tytko spoke with neurologists Yousef Hayder and Luis Rafael…
5 Sep 6 min

What would you find at the centre of Saturn or Jupiter?

Maddie wants to know what a daring adventurer might find if they journeyed to the centre of one of our Solar System's gas giants: Juptier and Saturn. James Tytko took on her question, with the help of University of Cambridge astrophysicist, Xander Byrne. Like this podcast? Please help us by…
29 Aug 5 min

Do recent experiments prove a quantum interpretation?

Iain wants to know whether recent experiments have gotten us any closer to deciding which interpretation of quantum mechanics is most likely. This branch of physics describes the as yet unexplained interactions of very small particles. Here to help Rowan Berkley explore Iain's question is Maria Violaris, quantum research scientist…
22 Aug 5 min

Can a dog and a fox produce viable offspring?

Girts sends a question about which animals can mate to produce viable offspring. How is it that different breeds of dogs can come together to produce puppies, but add a different animal into the equation and you don't get the same result? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting…
15 Aug 7 min