Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists
563 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsEach week we set out to solve one of the world's weirdest, wackiest, funniest and funkiest scientific puzzles. And along with the answer there's a brand new question to think about for next time...
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Episodes
What language do the profoundly deaf think in?
April 19, 2024 00:26 - 3 minutes - 3.66 MBThanks to Bencie Woll and Victoria Mousley for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How far can electrons get away from their atom?
April 12, 2024 01:31 - 3 minutes - 3.51 MBThanks to University of Cambridge's Ben Allanach for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Will eating sugary foods last avert glucose spikes?
April 05, 2024 10:10 - 4 minutes - 4.06 MBSteve has written in to us to ask whether the order in which one eats their food makes a difference to whether or not they experience glucose spikes. We thought this was an interesting question for Cambridge Professor Giles Yeo to sink his teeth into... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do babies have such a strong grip?
April 02, 2024 03:28 - 4 minutes - 3.78 MBThanks to Andrew Bremner for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How did the ancient Romans multiply their numerals together?
March 22, 2024 12:48 - 3 minutes - 3.62 MBThanks to Ems Lord for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do radiators have two sides?
March 15, 2024 01:04 - 2 minutes - 2.59 MBThanks to Dr John Bissell for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do you ever run out of sperm?
March 08, 2024 12:42 - 2 minutes - 1.98 MBThanks to Rod Mitchell for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could I undergo a full body transplant?
March 01, 2024 09:43 - 4 minutes - 4.21 MBWill Tingle takes on this head scratcher from listener David with the help of Professor Adam Taylor of the University of Lancaster... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do volcanoes or farts contribute to climate change?
February 23, 2024 01:08 - 4 minutes - 4.46 MBThanks to UCL's Mark Maslin for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Would wearing mirrors keep me cool?
February 16, 2024 03:10 - 3 minutes - 2.9 MBFor this Question of the Week, Lotus wants to know whether wearing mirrors could help us keep cool in the sun. James Tytko took on the challenge of answering... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How has sex education evolved?
February 09, 2024 02:14 - 3 minutes - 2.8 MBThanks to Michael Reiss for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How languages evolve
February 02, 2024 04:50 - 3 minutes - 3.2 MBWill Tingle took on this linguistic query from listener Satya with the help of David Crystal... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why might stollen go floppy in the toaster?
January 26, 2024 11:26 - 3 minutes - 3.32 MBTaking on this week's question, James Tytko kneaded help from baking expert Nicola Lamb... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why might cataract surgery affect biometric logins?
January 19, 2024 01:22 - 3 minutes - 3.32 MBThanks to ARU's Nikita Thomas for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Who cooked the food in the Palaeolithic?
January 12, 2024 02:35 - 3 minutes - 2.81 MBThanks to Dr Emma Pomeroy for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could we turn space junk into a moonbase?
January 05, 2024 02:49 - 3 minutes - 2.94 MBThanks to Dr David Whitehouse for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What if Santa didn't have magical reindeer?
December 22, 2023 12:59 - 2 minutes - 2.37 MBJames Tytko took on this festive themed Question of the Week with the help of the University of Cambridge's Ems Lord... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could you destroy Jupiter with enough nukes?
December 15, 2023 02:23 - 3 minutes - 3.31 MBThanks to Matt Bothwell for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What is a black hole made up of?
December 08, 2023 01:08 - 3 minutes - 3.51 MBThanks to Cambridge University's Ben Allanach for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why does my nose run in cold weather?
December 01, 2023 03:45 - 2 minutes - 2.06 MBCharlene wrote in to ask, 'Why does my nose run in cold weather? What are the physiological benefits of this?' To answer it, Rhys James enlisted the help of consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon, Neil De Zoysa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How healthy are seeds?
November 24, 2023 11:45 - 3 minutes - 3.59 MBJames Tytko took on this question from listener Fraser with the help of nutritionist Sarah Berry... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why isn't it possible to go faster than light?
November 17, 2023 01:38 - 3 minutes - 3.6 MBThanks to Tony Padilla for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What's the magnifying strength of my marble?
November 10, 2023 12:56 - 4 minutes - 3.98 MBJames Tytko took on this question with the help of the University of Glasgow's Richard Bowman... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could you deflect a laser around the Moon?
November 03, 2023 01:33 - 4 minutes - 4.21 MBThanks to Professor Michalis Zervas and Professor Simon Hooker for the answers! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why are there salty and fresh bodies of water?
October 27, 2023 11:42 - 4 minutes - 3.73 MBJames Tytko took this question on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Am I manufacturing a mosquito master race?
October 20, 2023 10:35 - 3 minutes - 3.11 MBJoanne sent in this question, which James Tytko posed to Laurence Hurst from the University of Bath... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How did people in the past find water?
October 13, 2023 09:21 - 2 minutes - 2.7 MBThanks to Dr Ellen Arnold for her help with this question! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why don't new species suffer inbreeding problems?
October 06, 2023 01:25 - 4 minutes - 4.56 MBThis week's question involves the evolutionary process of speciation. James Tytko asked the University of Sheffield's Roger Butlin... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why are car wing mirrors so attractive to spiders?
September 29, 2023 00:54 - 4 minutes - 4.16 MBThanks to Geoff Oxford for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Will tattoos protect skin from sun damage?
September 22, 2023 10:27 - 4 minutes - 3.7 MBThanks to Cecilio for sending in this question. James Tytko asked University of Leeds Professor of Dermatology, Julia Newton Bishop, for assistance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can you freeze hot water faster than cold water?
September 15, 2023 01:31 - 4 minutes - 4.36 MBWill Tingle took on this chilling conundrum, with the help of Imperial College London's Henry Burridge Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What are the odds of this lyrical coincidence?
September 08, 2023 01:17 - 4 minutes - 4.48 MBJames Tytko spoke with David Spiegelhalter to help solve listener John's musical mystery... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could you time travel to before the Big Bang?
September 01, 2023 10:08 - 5 minutes - 5.02 MBJames Tytko took this cosmic conundrum on with the help of Toby Wiseman, theoretical physicist from Imperial College London... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can animals catch Covid?
August 25, 2023 01:09 - 4 minutes - 4.04 MBChris Smith took on this week's question from listener Kala... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why does sugar dissolve faster in hot liquid?
August 18, 2023 01:08 - 6 minutes - 6.2 MBTaking on this question from listener Christie, James Tytko enlisted the assistance of Chemistry World's Philip Broadwith... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why does my right brain control my left side?
August 11, 2023 03:13 - 4 minutes - 4.18 MBThanks to Marc de Lussanet for the help with the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Are rockets contributing to climate change?
July 28, 2023 06:32 - 4 minutes - 4.03 MBJames Tytko enlisted the help of the University of Cambridge's Xander Byrne to help with this question from Frank, who asks: "Have there been any studies on the effects of rocket launches on the greenhouse effect respiratory issues or general carcinogenic properties?" Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do all whales come from the same ancestor?
July 21, 2023 00:44 - 3 minutes - 3.3 MBThanks to Dr Ellen Coombs for the answer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do tennis players have favourite balls?
July 14, 2023 01:12 - 3 minutes - 3.28 MBRegular listener, Mike, asked: "When tennis players are about to serve, they get a selection of balls. They seem to look at them and then select two to serve with. Now these are all new and good quality balls, how do they select the ones they like to use? Do they recognise them? Do they have favourites?" Very topical, Mike. Rhys James travelled to meet the tennis coach, James Hoad in Bury St Edmunds: Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do we track lightning strikes?
June 30, 2023 10:13 - 4 minutes - 4.43 MBListener Derek asked us how weather presenters know about the number of lightning strikes and the process of recording them. James Tytko got in contact with the Met Office's lightning scientist, Dr Graeme Marlton... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What decides where nipples are on mammals?
June 23, 2023 10:40 - 3 minutes - 3.24 MBWhy is it that some mammals with small broods have the baby feeding apparatus near the upper limbs like humans and elephants and some near the lower limbs like cows and horses? As it turns out, this is a very good question. What dictates where the teats are on a mammal? The short answer is, well, no one is really sure, but that's not going to stop us from a bit of deductive reasoning and speculation. And one man who is up to the task is Queen Mary University of London's Chris Faulkes.Chris - ...
Could a time traveller start a pandemic?
June 20, 2023 06:40 - 3 minutes - 3.3 MBCould someone travelling into the future potentially take a pandemic disease with them, or bring back something similar upon their return? James Tytko enlists the help of Cambridge University immunologist Brian Ferguson... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can gas be compressed into a solid?
June 09, 2023 11:11 - 3 minutes - 3.13 MBAkula writes in to ask, 'Can we compress gas into a solid?' James Tytko seeks to provide the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do we reduce emissions from fertilisers?
May 27, 2023 09:34 - 5 minutes - 4.83 MBThis week, are biofertilisers an answer to solving the use of chemical fertilisers? Are they more advantageous in any way? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How quickly does evolution work?
May 05, 2023 00:38 - 3 minutes - 3.21 MBWhat is the speed of evolution and, apart from reproduction, what are the factors that affect this? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do we think clearer after taking a break?
April 28, 2023 00:55 - 3 minutes - 3.26 MBListener Jo asked: "Why is it so I can sit with a sudoku until I have no idea what to do next, so I leave it. When I go back to it later I always find new possibilities straight away." James Tytko spoke to Alejandro Lleras Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why are black holes at the centre galaxies?
September 12, 2022 01:50 - 6 minutes - 5.73 MBListener David wrote this cosmic conumdrum into the Naked Scientists "How are black holes formed? And why are they often at the center of galaxies?" Otis Kingsman spoke to astrophysicist and author of the book "A Brief History of Black Holes", Dr Becky Smethurst... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Should I drink cola after swimming in river?
August 22, 2022 01:05 - 4 minutes - 3.98 MBListener Ed wrote to the Naked Scientists with this particular question. "Why is it recommended to drink cola after swimming in a river? And does it really reduce the risk of getting an upset stomach?" Otis Kingsman splashes around in the science of this river rumour with Dr John Tregoning from Imperial College London... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How can drugs change our salt concentration?
August 15, 2022 05:10 - 5 minutes - 5.2 MBListener Kandi wrote into the Naked Scientists to explain the science behind this major medication method. "I have Hyponatremia as a result of a medication. How does a drug stop your body from using/absorbing the salt you consume?" Otis Kingsman spoke to Gerogetown University's professor of medicine, Joseph G Verbalis to find the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can cat and dog poop be used as fertiliser?
July 25, 2022 00:03 - 5 minutes - 4.88 MBListener Lara wrote into the Naked Scientists to ask "Is there a biological benefit for cats and dogs to bury their faeces? Can it help plants grow similar to horse manure?" Otis Kingsman spoke to the primary medical care director of the veterinary medicine company Linnaeus, Dr Simon Hayes, about this question on the fascinating function of faeces... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists