Naked Oceans, from the Naked Scientists

We venture out into the big blue to check out the latest developments in Marine Protected Areas - or MPAs - those areas of the ocean set aside to let wildlife recover and thrive. Hot off the press, a new report launched in Nagoya tells us how many MPAs there are globally, where they are, and how much of the ocean they cover. Have we reached the 10% target yet? Plus we find out about a new generation of MPAs soon to appear around the UK coast and track down bottlenose dolphins and a gaggle of sea birds in a marine reserve off the Welsh coast. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

This month we submerge ourselves in the science of tracking sharks. How do we follow them, where do they go, and what do they get up to when we're not watching? We catch up with Ecocean's Brad Norman to find out how he was inspired by the stars to help track the biggest fish in the seas. Mahmood Shivji from the Guy Harvey Research Institute tells us about how cutting edge genetic tools are helping to track the trade in sharks fins. And Boris Worm chooses our Critter of the Month. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

To launch this brand new podcast series, Naked Oceans ventures beneath the waves to investigate the impacts of oil spills on the marine environment. We hunt down the hidden world of microbes in Louisiana wetlands, trace the fingerprint of oil in the open oceans, and discuss the likely fallout from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And 14 years on, we meet some of the survivors of the Sea Empress Oil Spill in the Welsh coast. And we invite Carl Safina to choose our first Critter of the Month. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Is ambergris whale vomit or whale poo? We find out in Naked Oceans this month as we dive into ocean treasures, old and new. Last month we explored some of the ways we pollute the oceans by using them as a dumping ground for too much rubbish. And in this episode we look at the variety of things we've taken out of the ocean, from prized perfumes to inspiration for new medicines. Christopher Kemp tells us all about the mysterious stuff, ambergris - the subject of his new book. And at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, we call in on some researchers who are putting glowing critters to good use. And in Critter of the Month, Emmett Duffy tell us, if he was a marine creature, which one he'd be and why. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

The bid to create the world's largest marine reserve, diseases threatening corals in the Caribbean, what is the best way to conserve coral reefs in Fiji, and why fish microbes matter too. Plus news of DNA sequences extracted from a 400,000 human ancestor in Spain, contraceptive pills for men, pain-free injection patches and the brain basis of dyslexia... For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy