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PODCAST

Question of the Week

Naked Scientists

Each 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...

science

All Episodes

4:22

Can frogs survive in a sealed terrarium?

Question of the Week ·

2020/04/06

Listener Jon sent us this question: "I just purchased some dart frogs which need to live in high humidity conditions. In order to attain this we basically sealed off the terrariums. The question is whether a really sealed terrarium could provide enough oxygen for the frogs through plant photosynthesis alone. Who would win: the frogs or the plants?" Phil Sansom got the answer to this 'pet peeve' from plant scientist Stephanie Smith... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked

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3:47

How much power can we get out of fusion?

Question of the Week ·

2020/03/16

Fusion could be the most sustainable source of energy in the future. But how much can we get out of it? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:39

Are big dogs smarter than small dogs?

Question of the Week ·

2020/03/02

Dogs come in all sizes, from tiny Chihuahuas to giant Great Danes. Their head size is hugely different, as must be their brain size. Does this mean that a Great Dane is massively more intelligent than a Chihuahua? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:55

Should I be microwaving my kitchen sponges?

Question of the Week ·

2020/02/24

Is a kitchen sponge full of bacteria, and will a microwave kill them? We tested this at home and asked an expert! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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2:59

Can a weak immune system worsen sunburn?

Question of the Week ·

2020/02/10

Listener Robin asks: "I heard on the podcast, that the reason why we get a sunburn, is that the body is trying to fix cells that are damaged by UV radiation. So if one person is sunburned longer than another, does that mean their immune system is worse?" To find an answer to this burning question, Adam Murphy spoke to dermatologist Jane Sterling... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:45

Will the poles switching cause problems?

Question of the Week ·

2020/01/27

Listener Ray asked us: " The Earth has apparently reversed its polarity fairly regularly, and is perhaps overdue for the next instance. Is anything known about how this will happen, and the effects? How will it affect our reliance on technology?" We put Ray's question to Richard Harrison, Head of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and he gave us a flipping good answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:36

Why don't women's bodies reject sperm?

Question of the Week ·

2020/01/20

Jure asked us "Why doesn't a woman's body reject sperm as a foreign object?" Phil Sansom sought out the answer, by speaking to doctor and sexual health consultant Graham McKinnon... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:02

QotW - Why does my phone coverage vary?

Question of the Week ·

2020/01/13

Listener Derek got in touch with this question - "I can sit at my work desk, with my phone by my side, and the signal strength display goes from saying "no service" to 4 bars out of 5, within a couple of minutes, for no obvious reason. It varies like this all day, every day. I can understand why some places have good coverage, and others have bad coverage, but why should it vary so much in one place?" We asked signal expert Ramsey Faragher from Focal Point Positioning and Cambridge University to

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4:47

What is the best way to heat my home?

Question of the Week ·

2019/12/16

Tim says: "The experts at the Energy Saving Trust and British Gas say it's cheaper to heat your home only when you need it. But my heating control panel says that it uses less energy to keep a background temperature when the room is unoccupied, than it does to allow the dwelling to chill too much. I'm confused! Which advice is correct?" We put Tim's question to Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth. Also helping us out is Lewis Tyronney, an engineer with British

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4:06

QotW - Do hairs grow out grey, or turn grey?

Question of the Week ·

2019/12/09

Elizabeth got in touch to ask: "do hairs grow out grey, or do hairs that have colour eventually turn grey?" We asked hair expert Desmond Tobin, director of the Charles Institute of Dermatology, University College Dublin... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:09

Why isn't sea level rise the same worldwide?

Question of the Week ·

2019/11/25

Listener Geoff asks, "How is it that there are rising sea levels impacting some island nations such as the Maldives and Kiribati, yet 1000 kilometres in any direction there is no discernible sea level change at all?". To answer this question, Nadeem Gabbani spoke to Dr. Rob Larter of the British Antarctic Survey... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:41

Do mosquitoes prefer certain blood types?

Question of the Week ·

2019/11/18

Vinny asked us: "I have read mosquitos have a preference for blood type and prefer people with Type O blood over those with Type B, or prefer Type B over Type A. Is this true, and how do they know the difference between types?" To seek out an answer to this one, Adam Murphy got in touch with Immo Hansen, from New Mexico State University to find out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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2:55

Why does my watery windscreen turn to ice?

Question of the Week ·

2019/10/28

Mike got in touch to say: "When the outside temperature is hovering around the freezing mark, the condensation or dew on my automobile windshield is in a liquid state. But if I wipe the windshield, the liquid water changes to ice. Why is that?" To help, Adam Murphy spoke to Liz Thomas from the British Antarctic Survey... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:38

Could you eat a dinosaur?

Question of the Week ·

2019/10/21

Dan got in touch to ask whether most animals are edible, including dinosaurs! Mariana tucked into this question.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:36

Will SpaceX's satellites clog up the sky?

Question of the Week ·

2019/10/14

Listener Pete asks, "SpaceX has launched the first 60 of what is to be a mesh of some 12,000 satellites. Two questions: how will this completed mesh impact 1) ground based optical and microwave astronomical observations, and 2) the ability of future space missions, manned and otherwise, to navigate through the cloud of objects?" To answer this question, Phil Sansom got in touch with two experts: UCL's Ingo Waldmann, and ESA's Holger Krag... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked

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3:22

When should you refrigerate cooked chicken?

Question of the Week ·

2019/09/30

Julie wrote in with this question for us: "I have received such conflicting advice from TV food cooks. Some say that cooked chicken should be allowed to cool down to room temperature before refrigeration whilst others say to put the hot cooked chicken into the refrigerator immediately. Which is right?" Mariana Marasoiu nibbled away at this question with Paul Wigley from the University of Liverpool... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:51

Can fingernails stop rhino poaching?

Question of the Week ·

2019/09/23

John 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

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3:40

Why does pasta water boil over?

Question of the Week ·

2019/09/16

This 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...

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3:45

Why is wildlife around Chernobyl thriving? - Naked...

Question of the Week ·

2019/08/18

This 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...

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3:50

Will climate change affect monsoons? - Naked...

Question of the Week ·

2019/08/03

How does climate change affect monsoons?

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