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PODCAST

Question of the Week, from the 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 life sciences

All Episodes

00:06:33

How would the world differ if we rotated the landmass?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/05/09

Will wants to know what the implications would be for our world if the landmass was rotated 90 degrees, so current day Mexico was nearer the South Pole. Trying to wrap his head round all of the possible implications, James Tytko enlisted Dr Alex Farnsworth, Senior Research Associate from the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol, to help come up with an answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:21

How would an AI converse with another AI?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/05/02

Brian wants to know, if 2 AI's were to have a conversation with one another, what would they talk about? James Tytko put this query to the test, and asked Mike Pound, professor of computer vision at the University of Nottingham, to help make sense of it all... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:06:12

Could the measles virus treat autoimmune diseases?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/04/25

Thanks to John Maher for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:33

How do some animals understand human commands?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/04/18

Kiran wants to know how animals like dogs are able to follow commands from humans. James Tytko asked Nicky Clayton, Professor of Comparative Cognition at the University of Cambridge, to help with the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:14

How do animals adapt to a changing magnetic field?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/04/11

Alan writes in, acknowledging that many animals use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation purposes. Given the shifts in poles and field intensity we experience due to convection currents in the Earth's core, how do they stay on course? James Tytko asked Miriam Liedvogel, professor of ornithology, to help find the answer... James - The best supported ideas include the presence of a tiny compass needle of magnetic iron oxide in the beaks of some birds. Or there's the radical pair hypothesis, which

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00:04:52

Do we know what the Wow! signal was?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/04/04

In 1977, astronomer Jerry Ehman detected a narrowband radio signal, far stronger than any that have been recorded before or since, using Ohio State University's Big Ear telescope as it was pointing in the direction of the Saggitarius constellation. Listener to the show, Donald, wants to know if any consensus has been reached as to the origin of the signal, which James Tytko sought to find out with the help of former BBC science editor, David Whitehouse. Like this podcast? Please help us by

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00:03:40

Should elderly people use trampolines?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/03/28

Thanks to John Travers for the answer!Listener Francisco asked: I have been told that jumping on a trampoline is healthy for humans. It is considered as a good exercise; and also to better coordinate brain and body. I am 73 and wonder whether it is advisable for me to jump on a spring board?John - My work in reversing frailty and building resilience in older adults has made me a big advocate for resistance exercises like trampolining. This should be combined with consuming sufficient protein to turn

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00:05:33

Is it safe to burn plastic?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/03/21

Silke is writing all the way from French Polynesia, asking what's best to do with all the plastic rubbish she picks up from the beach, and whether burning it is advisable. James Tytko asked Richard Lampitt from the National Oceanography Centre to help find an answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:17

Does thalidomide alter DNA?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/03/14

Listener to the show, Elaine, wants to know whether her mother, who was a thalidomide baby, might have passed on effect of the drug to her children. Thalidomide was a treatment for morning sickness which caused severe birth differences in children born to mothers who used the drug. James Tytko sought an answer, with help from Neil Vargesson, Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Aberdeen... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:55

How do skin creams penetrate the skin?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/03/07

Garth wants to know, given the skin can block water from passing through it, how do certain skin creams allege to permeate into our body? James Tytko took on the question with help from Richard Guy, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Bath... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:19

Why does the distribution of lactose intolerance vary?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/02/28

Garth writes in wanting to know why the prevalence of lactose intolerance is nearly 100% in countries like South Korea, but down in the low single digits in countries like the UK. James Tytko asked Mark Thomas, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at UCL, for the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:50

If I hadn't had any vaccinations, would I be here?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/02/21

Dan wants to know what the likelihood is of him being here if neither him, his parents, nor his grandparents had had any vaccinations. James Tytko sought to provide an answer, with the help of Helen Bedford, Professor of Children's Health at UCL... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:38

How does the sun stay burning in space?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/02/14

Thanks to Philippa Browning for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:29

Can bone conduction headphones damage your hearing?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/02/07

Bill sends his question in all the way from Australia. A regular listener, he enjoys our programme through bone conduction headphones. But what are these devices, and does listening to loud sounds through them predispose a person to damaging their hearing in the same way as traditional headphones? James Tytko seeks the answers, with help from audiologist Roger Lewin... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:34

What will happen to petrol when we all drive electric...

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/01/31

Kevin wants to know, assuming many of us will be driving electric cars in the future, what will happen to the vast quantities of petrol currently refined from crude oil? Will we scale back production? Or can industry adapt? To help James Tytko with the answer, we hear from Professor Nilay Shah, Director of the Centre for Process Systems Engineering at Imperial College London... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:26

Did chewing gum cause my tinnitus?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/01/24

George writes in to ask whether his gum-chewing habits are related to his tinnitus, or whether it's just a coincidence that it comes back when he gets back into the habit. James Tytko investigates, with help from ear, nose and throat doctor Malcolm Hilton... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:23

Why might dreams change at altitude?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/01/17

In our Question of the Week, Andrew wants to know why many people may experience dreams differently when holidaying in the mountains. To find out what might be behind the 'high-definition' dreams associated with high places, James Tytko sought the help of Andrew Murray, Professor of Metabolic Physiology at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:32

What was the global ocean like at the time of Pangea?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/01/10

Damian wants to know, if at one stage all of the continents were joined together, what was on the other side? Was it all just water? James Tytko investigated whether this was the case, and what the consequences would be for conditions on Earth of one giant global ocean... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:03:57

Can we harness nuclear energy without steam?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/12/13

Dave writes in wanting to know whether there is any way to get nuclear energy onto the grid without heating up water to turn a steam turbine. A great question that sees James Tytko dip his toe into the uranium heated waters of nuclear engineering... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:24

How long does it take to create a galaxy?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/12/06

David wants to know, after looking at distant galaxies in the night sky, how long it took to create them. James Tytko took on the question with the help of the University of Cambridge's Public Astronomer, Matt Bothwell... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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