Naked Scientists Roundup: MND Risk in Elite Sport, MOFs Chemistry Nobel, Exoplanet Atmospheres with JWST, Immunology Nobel, Birds at the 2024 Solar Eclipse, and Quantum Computing Nobel

In this week’s Naked Scientists roundup, experts explore the uncertain links between high-performance sport and motor neurone disease, celebrate the 2025 Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, Medicine, and Physics, and delve into JWST-driven insights into exoplanet atmospheres. The program also examines immune tolerance via regulatory T cells, birds’ responses to the 2024 solar eclipse, and the climate implications of heat pumps on urban heat islands. Highlights include new large-scale studies in MND, groundbreaking MOF chemistry, exoplanet interior-exterior coupling, T cell regulation, macroscopic quantum tunneling in circuits, and practical questions about urban energy systems.

Motor Neuron Disease and Elite Sport

The Naked Scientists explore how professional sports like rugby may relate to motor neurone disease (MND). Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody shared his diagnosis at 47, illustrating the personal impact of MND and the emotional burden on families. Mike Rogers, Director of Research and Innovation at the MND Association, outlines what MND is—degeneration of motor neurons that disrupts movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing. The condition is typically fatal, with about half of cases dying within two years of diagnosis, though progression varies. While most risk factors remain unclear, researchers are examining possible links with extreme endurance exercise and traumatic brain injury. Importantly, evidence for a firm causal link to sport remains absent, with studies often small and observational. A recent Sheffield-led study suggests that a small subset of men engaging in extreme exercise may experience genetic changes affecting protective pathways, potentially increasing risk in that subgroup. Additional research includes footballer death certificate analyses in Europe and blood-based studies of repeat contact-sport trauma to map possible mechanistic pathways. A large-scale trauma analysis by Willie Stewart indicates a stronger association between traumatic brain injury and subsequent MND diagnosis within two years of injury, though this could reflect early symptoms rather than causation. The episode closes with optimism about rapid advances in understanding MND, while noting the need for more extensive research to clarify sport-related risk and actionable prevention or treatment strategies.

"it's never me that I feel sad for, it's the sort of sadness around having to tell my mum" - Lewis Moody

MOFs Win the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to three scientists for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs): Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa, and Omar Yaghi. MOFs are 3D cages formed from metal nodes linked by organic connectors, creating porous materials with enormous internal surface areas. Robson’s initial concept enabled crystal frameworks with cavities that can capture gases such as hydrogen, while Kitagawa introduced flexible, responsive pores that open and close to guest molecules, enabling advanced sensing and separation. Yaghi’s work on reticular chemistry forged a path to building extensive, tailor-made MOF networks, including MOF-5 with extraordinary surface area. The prize highlights MOFs’ potential in gas separation (PFAS and CO2 capture), catalysis, drug delivery, and environmental remediation. The panel notes MOFs’ scalability from laboratory concept to real-world impact, with tens of thousands of MOF varieties now accessible for problems like carbon capture, water purification, and energy storage.

"With this technology, MOFs could operate at scale and potentially solve real world problems." - Alice Archer

Exoplanets, Atmospheres, and JWST Insights

Oliver Shortall from the Institute of Astronomy discusses exoplanetary atmospheres revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The study of worlds beyond the Solar System now moves beyond mass and radius to atmospheric composition and interior structure. By weighing a planet via stellar wobble and combining this with transit spectroscopy, researchers can infer density and atmospheric constituents, linking exterior observations to interior states. The conversation emphasizes the diversity of exoplanets, from rocky bodies to gas-rich worlds, including those intermediate between Earth and Neptune where atmospheres might hide vast oceans or magma oceans. The new framework calls for cross-disciplinary work, combining JWST data with Earth-based experiments under extreme pressure and temperature to test interior-atmosphere interactions and climate dynamics. The aim is to refine our understanding of habitability and planetary evolution across a broad spectrum of planetary types.

"Are these planets a bit bigger than Earth, or are they something completely different like Uranus or Neptune?" - Oliver Shortall

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Regulatory T Cells

The Medicine prize recognizes Mary Bronco, Fred Ramsdall, and Shimon Sakaguchi for revealing regulatory T cells (Tregs) as the immune system’s peacekeepers, enabling peripheral tolerance. Sakaguchi identified CD25+ T cells with suppressive activity; later work connected FOXP3 to Treg development, and Bronco and Ramsdall showed how FOXP3 governs a master switch for these cells. This work reframes immune tolerance as an active, ongoing process rather than a thymic elimination event, with implications for autoimmune disease, cancer, and organ transplantation. The prize underscores how manipulating Tregs can enhance immunotherapy by boosting tolerance or, conversely, dampening suppression to fight cancer. The prize is celebrated as a major advance in understanding immune regulation and translating it into therapeutic strategies.

"immune tolerance is an active ongoing mission carried out by these elite cellular guardians." - Mary Bronco

Birds, Eclipse Day, and Behavioral Shifts

During the 2024 Great American Eclipse, researchers captured how birds across North America altered their vocal behavior in response to rapid light changes, using a citizen-science app and passive recording units. Data indicate that many species increased movement and vocal activity following the eclipse, with nocturnal species like barred owls showing heightened vocalization during the temporary darkness. The study highlights that light pollution and sudden light transitions can disrupt daily cycles, with broader implications for breeding timing and energy budgets in urbanizing environments. While some species showed little response, others exhibited notable sensitivity, illustrating how light regimes influence avian behavior and ecology.

Nobel Prize in Physics: Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling

The Physics prize recognizes John Clarke, Michelle Devere, and John Martinez for macroscopic quantum tunneling and energy quantization in superconducting circuits. Their work, spanning SQUID sensors, circuit quantum electrodynamics, and the Sycamore processor, brings quantum computing closer to practical reality. Clarke’s readout device, Devere’s design of robust superconducting qubits, and Martinez’s leadership at Google in achieving quantum supremacy with a 53-qubit processor demonstrate the progression from quantum concepts to scalable hardware capable of outperforming classical supercomputers on specific tasks.

"The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics has been won for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in an electrical circuit." - Alice Archer

Question of the Week: Heat Pumps and Urban Heat Domes

In the closing segment, the discussion turns to urban heat domes and how air source heat pumps may influence city temperatures. Bob Kritov explains the refrigeration-cycle analogy, noting that heat pumps move heat from outside to inside, achieving a coefficient of performance around 3 in typical systems. While heat pumps reduce net city heat when replacing fossil fuels, summer electricity use can still contribute to warming when city cooling demands rise. The key takeaway is that solar-powered cooling could mitigate the heat island effect, but broader urban energy strategies are essential to break the cycle of increased waste heat in warmer months.

Conclusion and How to Engage

The Naked Scientists summarize the rapid pace of discoveries across health, chemistry, space, immunology, and physics, and invite participation for listener questions and ongoing coverage of science breakthroughs.

"Transitioning to air source heat pumps will moderately reduce urban heat dome intensity overall" - Bob Kritov