Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists
567 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★ - 1 ratingEach 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
Can fingernails stop rhino poaching?
September 23, 2019 01:02 - 4 minutes - 4.45 MBJohn asked, "I'd like to know if enough people in the world donated their finger and toe nail clippings, could enough keratin be produced to satisfy the demand and thus stop the poaching of wild animals in Africa?" Mariana Marasoiu spoke with Jon Taylor from Save the Rhino International and Simon Hedges from Asian Arks about whether rhino horn alternatives can help save them... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why does pasta water boil over?
September 16, 2019 11:19 - 3 minutes - 3.33 MBThis week's question is a curious cooking query from Anthony. "When pasta or rice is added to boiling water, there is a sudden surge of the boiling water to the point that the pot boils over with bubbles. Why is this?" Phil Sansom got in touch with Phillip Broadwith, business editor of the magazine Chemistry World... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why is wildlife around Chernobyl thriving?
August 19, 2019 04:07 - 3 minutes - 3.44 MBThis week, a question from Bill. "My question is about Chernobyl and why it is that wildlife seems to be thriving there and yet we understand that humans still can't survive there. Why is this?" Phil Sansom spoke to someone who's actually been there - Victoria Gill, a science correspondent for BBC News... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Will climate change affect monsoons?
August 04, 2019 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.6 MBSaugat asked "what is the exact cause of monsoon rain, and how will it be affected because of global warming?" Ruth Geen, from the University of Exeter, works with modelling the effect of climate change on monsoons and helped Emma Hildyard pour some insight into this... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
QoTW: Can you tell if its sunrise or sunset?
July 28, 2019 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.47 MBThis week, Manik from Canberra asked if it's possible to tell whether it's sunrise or sunset from looking at a photo or a painting. Ankita Anirban spoke to painter James Gurney and physicist William Livingston to shed light on the situation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can a huskys fur keep it cool in summer?
July 14, 2019 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.54 MBThis week we are answering a question from Alex: "Are huskies (or dogs in general) able to insulate themselves from the cold of winter and from the heat of a hot summer's day as well?"Matthew Hall asks Christof Schwiening from Cambridge University's Department of Physiology... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can a transfusion change your blood type?
July 07, 2019 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.41 MBThis week we are answering a question sent in by Mark: "is it possible to have so many blood transfusions that your blood type changes?" Emma Hildyard asks Cedric Ghevaert, from the Department of Haemotology at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do candles really clear nasty smells?
May 19, 2019 23:00 - 5 minutes - 4.73 MBPatrick sent us this question: "My wife wants me to light a candle after doing my number two, to get rid of the smell. Does this actually do anything?"Phil Sansom has been sniffing out an answer, with the help of Kit Chapman from Chemistry World. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How long after eating is that carbon exhaled?
May 12, 2019 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.4 MBGreg asked, "When I exhale, my breath contains carbon atoms. How long ago were they in my food or drink?" We were hungry for answers, so Ruby Osborn asked Fred Warren from the Quadram Institute Bioscience to break it down... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How to see faint stars
April 28, 2019 23:00 - 4 minutes - 4.23 MBSean asked "Why is it that when you look directly at a small faint star it disappears, but when you look at a point near it, you can see it again?" Ben McAllister has been searching far and wide for the answer to this cosmological conundrum... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can purple carrots turn your skin purple?
March 31, 2019 23:00 - 4 minutes - 3.77 MBWe received this question from Aidan, "Consuming orange carrots in high excess can turn your skin orange, because of the beta-carotene. What about purple carrots?" Jack Tavener and Katie Haylor have been crunching through some research to get to the root of this question.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Plus, for more podcasts by The Naked Scientists head to nakedscientists.com/podcasts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do socks disappear in the wash?
March 18, 2019 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.56 MBWe received this question from Chani... "My socks never stay together in the wash. One always disappears. Is there a scientific explanation for where those socks go? Why are they so unhappy in monogamous relationships?"Izzie Clarke asked Rob Eastaway, mathematician and author of "How Many Socks Make A Pair", to sort out the odds. For more podcasts, head to nakedscientists.com or like and subscribe to The Naked Scientists or Question of the Week on your favourite podcast app. Like this podcas...
Effect of ethanol on brain?
March 04, 2019 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.54 MBDonald asked us what specific effects ethanol has on the brain and why certain regions are more impacted than others when we have a drink. This week, Joe Galea, from the University of Birmingham, helps us to distil the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why can some people imitate accents?
February 18, 2019 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.36 MBLia asked us why some people seem to be naturally good at imitating voices and accents. To get the last word, Adam Murphy got an answer from Jonathan Goodman, from the Language Sciences Department at Cambridge University... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do candles smoke and smell?
February 04, 2019 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.48 MBRichard was wondering why do candles make more smoke and smell after they've gone out. Jenny Gracie has been sniffing out an answer from Duncan Graham at the University of Strathclyde and Ricky Carvel from the University of Edinburgh to help shed some light on the question... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
QotW - What language do deaf people think in?
January 28, 2019 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.57 MBBree asked: If a person is born completely deaf and can't hear a thing, what language do they think in? We asked Dr Mairead MacSweeney, director of the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre at University College London... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do plants eat dirt?
January 21, 2019 00:00 - 3 minutes - 2.86 MBMarcus was wondering how trees, such as giant oaks, can grow so huge and not make a hole in the ground. Where does their mass come from if not from the dirt? Jenny Gracie has been digging deep to find an answer, with help from Andrew Weatherall from the National School of Forestry at the University of Cumbria... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why doesnt old soap make suds effectively?
January 14, 2019 00:00 - 4 minutes - 3.82 MBWhen a bar of soap gets used a lot and gets smaller, it seems to struggle to form suds properly. Is something other than just a smaller surface area going on? Eva Higginbotham has been scubbing up to answer this question with the help of Phillip Broadwith, Business Editor at Chemistry World, and Paul Dauenhauer from the University of Minnesota... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What happens to bubbles in space?
December 17, 2018 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.34 MBThis week, Malcolm's been watching the science fiction film, Passengers. He wanted to know what happens to air bubbles in water if gravity was suddenly turned off. Adam Murphy spoke to Stuart Higgins from Imperial College London, and to David Kinahan from Dublin City University, to get an answer to this weighty question... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can dogs recognise each other as dogs?
November 26, 2018 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.7 MBDo we know if a Great Dane meeting a Chihuahua recognises it as another dog? We asked Professor Donald Broom from Cambridge University and Dr Charlotte Duranton to help us sniff out the answer to Dotty's question. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do you fly in a hurricane?
November 19, 2018 00:00 - 4 minutes - 3.78 MBThis week, Daniel wants to know why hurricane researchers seem to use propeller-driven planes when flying into the eye of the storm. Eva Higginbotham spoke to Dr Anna Young of the University of Cambridge's Whittle laboratory, to find out what's 'up' in the field of aeroplane engines. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
When did we become modern day humans?
November 12, 2018 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.32 MBWith the help of Cambridge University's Professor Robert Foley, Sam Brown took a trip back in time to answer Stuart's question: If you could bring a baby from the past to grow up in the present, how far back could you go before people would notice that this was a time travelling baby? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do wombats produce cube-shaped poo?
October 29, 2018 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.2 MBPoo comes in many shapes and sizes. We are used to seeing it on the street or accidentally stepping in different forms including tubes from dogs, pellets from rabbits or big splats from cows, but I have never come across cubic poo. Tamsin Bell asked Dr Louise Gentle from Nottingham trent University to help us out with this stinker... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Is second hand smoke more dangerous than smoking a cigarette?
October 21, 2018 23:00 - 4 minutes - 3.97 MBIs it true that second hand smoking or passive smoking is more likely to give you cancer than smoking a cigarette? Tamsin Bell put this to Stefan Marciniak from the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do I feel the pressure of wellies in water?
September 30, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.45 MBWhen standing barefoot in water, we don't feel the water pressure on our feet. But when wearing Wellington boots, we do feel a pinching - why? We asked Colm-cille Caulfield, Professor at Cambridge University, to help us wade through the science of Daniel's question... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why is Blu-Tack sticky?
September 23, 2018 23:00 - 2 minutes - 2.63 MBTom asked us "Why is Blu-Tack sticky?" Adam Murphy spoke to Jennifer Gaughran, researcher at Dublin City University, to see if she could help with a question that had us stuck... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could we terraform the Moon?
September 16, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.1 MBChad asked us "Is it possible to terraform the Moon, so that humans could live there long-term?". Tamsin Bell spoke to David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University, to see what he had to say... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do wild animals get allergies?
September 02, 2018 23:00 - 2 minutes - 2.82 MBOn Twitter, Andrew asked us: "Do wild animals suffer from allergies, and if so, does this occur at the same rate as in humans?" We spoke to Wild Immunologist Andy Flies, from the University of Tazmania, to sniff out an answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Are there more stars in the sky or grains of sand on the earth?
August 19, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.29 MBAre there more grains of sand on Earth or stars in the sky, and who counted them? We search heaven and Earth to answer Jeff's question, recruiting astronomer Michael Merrifield from Nottingham University to help out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do Non-Stick Pans Work?
August 05, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.34 MBMartin asked us "What's the science behind non-stick pans? What prevents the sticking?"; To help out with this sticky situation, we spoke to Jess Wade, a materials scientist at Imperial College London, to get her take... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What is the minimum land area required to sustain one human being?
July 30, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.6 MBCharlie asked us to field the question, "what is the minimum area required to sustain one human being in terms of oxygen and food?" Marika Ottman brought this cultivation conundrum to Marco Springmann, the Senior Researcher on Environmental Sustainability and Public Health at the University of Oxford... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Brain Response to Audiobooks
July 15, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.38 MBTuomo asks, "Does your brain respond differently when you're listening to an audiobook compared to when you're reading a book? And does this affect how much information you can retain?". Isabelle Cochrane put this to Dr Matt Davis, Programme Leader in Hearing Language at Cambridge's MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do humans get bored?
July 01, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.51 MBTheo and Simon Hall asked Why do humans get bored? And what is the evolutionary advantage of boredom? Adam Murphy put this question to Dr. Brian Little at the University of Cambridge to get his less than boring answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do astronauts weigh things in space?
June 24, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.55 MBChris Taylor wonders how astronauts can weigh things in space. Marika Ottman asks Michael Foale, a former NASA Astronaut and Commander of the International Space Station, to weigh in and assess the gravity of the situation... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could We Eat Alien Life?
June 03, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.02 MBEamonn asked us to chew over this alien question: If some-day we managed to travel to another planet and discovered aliens, what is the likelihood that we could eat them?We turned to Gareth Corbett, gastroenterologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, to see if he had any food for thought... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why does my nose drip in cold weather?
May 20, 2018 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.2 MBListener Mike asked us to sniff out an answer to cold conundrum... When I cycle my bike in cold weather my nose runs, it doesn't happen in warm weather and is their anything I can do to help with it?We took this snotty situation to Ears nose and throat specialist, Neil Donelly, from Addenbrookes hospital. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How does size affect death from falling?
March 05, 2018 00:00 - 4 minutes - 4.06 MBMatt asked how big an animal or human has to be before a fall would kill it. Katie Haylor put this perilous pondering to physicist Stuart Higgins from Imperial College London... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do lobsters feel pain?
February 12, 2018 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.57 MBSwitzerland has now banned boiling lobsters live. Do they experience pain; how do we know? Georgia Mills asked Professor Bob Elwood from Queen's University, Belfast, for his take on this hot topic. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Is it better to walk or run in the cold?
February 05, 2018 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.01 MBIzzie Clarke's been chilling out with this Question of the Week from Trent... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why does fresh pasta rise during cooking?
January 29, 2018 00:00 - 4 minutes - 3.81 MBMartin wanted to know why fresh pasta rises to the surface of the pot when it's ready. We asked Dr Chris Brock from London South Bank University. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do fish yawn?
December 18, 2017 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.4 MBThe Waite family wanted to know if fish yawn, so Heather Wark spoke to Iain Barber from Nottingham Trent University, to find out. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could a space rocket be launched from a gun?
December 11, 2017 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.71 MBAnthony wanted to know if firing space rockets out of giant guns would be a better way to blast off. Heather Wark spoke to Dr Stuart Grey of Strathclyde University to find out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do people pick their noses?
November 20, 2017 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.19 MBThis week we answered the sticky query, Why do people pick their noses?. Lewis Thomson put it to Liverpool GP Dr Laura Wark. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What happens if your car is struck by lightning?
November 06, 2017 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.56 MBElizabeth wanted to know whether she'd be safe if her car was hit by lightning or whether the engine would cut out. Izzie Clarke spoke to Philip Garsed from Cambridge University to spark up the debate on this electrifying question. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How long can we survive for without a head?
October 30, 2017 00:00 - 3 minutes - 3.45 MBIn the 1940's there was a chicken who survived for 18 months without a head, how long can humans survive for without a head? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Is it safe to live near a cell phone tower?
October 22, 2017 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.56 MBJayson wanted to know if living near a cell phone tower could be affecting his and his family's health. Stevie Bain spoke to physicist Tony Kent from the University of Nottingham to shed some light on the situation. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Are flies easier to swat if you move slowly?
October 08, 2017 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.16 MBJon wanted to know whether approaching a fly slowly would make it easier to swat. With the help of animal vision specialist Kate Feller from Cambridge University, Michael Wheeler's been swotting up on swatting flies. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Does cooking remove alcohol?
September 24, 2017 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.65 MBZettie wanted to know how much alcohol stays behind in food when you cook with it. Alexandra Ashcroft asked Vayu Maini Rekdal, from Harvard University, to turn up the heat on this question... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How smart is your pet dog?
September 17, 2017 23:00 - 3 minutes - 3.17 MBDavid wanted to know how our pet dogs compare to other animals, such as primates and dolphins, when it comes to intelligence. Stevie Bain spoke to Ben Ambridge from the University of Liverpool, and author of 'Are You Smarter than a Chimpanzee?', to find out more. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why Do Clothes Dry Below 100 Degrees Celsius?
September 10, 2017 23:00 - 4 minutes - 4.13 MBThis week, we aired out Norm's question: if water is a solid, as ice, below 0 degrees Celsius, a gas above 100 degrees Celcius and a liquid between this range, why does washing dry when the air temperature is below 100 degrees Celsius. Alexandra Ashcroft asked Dr Thomas Ouldridge, from Imperial College London, to hang Norm's question out to dry... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists