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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

00:03:57

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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00:05:43

How do parasites know they are in the right place?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/11/29

Parasites have to come up with all sorts of tricks to evade the immune system of their hosts. But Kate wants to know, how do they know they've found the right place? James Tytko took her question on with help from Catherine Merrick, professor of parisitology at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:59

Why are plane and boat propellers in different places?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/11/22

Thanks to Cambridge University's Andy Wheeler for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:36

Why do geese honk while flying in formation?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/11/15

Rick wants to know why the Canada geese he's been observing, who are preparing to migrate for the winter, are honking so incessantly while flying in formation. Viola Ross-Smith from the British Trust for Ornithology was on hand to help James Tytko with the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:42

Are multi cancer screening tests worth the money?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/11/08

Van writes in with, 'A friend is encouraging me to take a cancer screening test that screens for many different cancers. A review of one test says: "While overall it picks up 90% of stage 4 cancers, it only detects an average of 17% of stage 1 cancers. Yet it is being touted as a test that can detect cancer early." Are these tests worthwhile?' James Tytko took on the question with the help of Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, Founding Director of the Early Detection Institute at the University of

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00:05:05

Could man have thrived if dinosaurs still roamed?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/11/01

If dinosaurs hadn't been wiped out by a mass extinction event, would there have been room for humans to grow into the successful species we are today? That's what Colin wants to know, and James Tytko has promised to find the answer. He spoke with Dr Charlotte Kenchington from the University of Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:50

What is the spread of chemical isotopes on other...

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/10/25

Pamela wants to know whether the distribution of chemical isotopes is the same on other planets as it is on Earth. Take carbon, for example, 99% of which is carbon-12 on Earth while 1% is carbon-13? To find the answer, James Tytko asked Xander Byrne from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:38

Do spiders have to learn how to make their webs?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/10/18

David wants to know whether the intricate and varied spiders' webs seen in nature are a product of arachnid instinct, or something that is cultivated across their life. To get to the truth, James Tytko sought out spider expert Professor Sara Goodacre from the University of Nottingham... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:37

When I scratch part of my body, why do I tingle...

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/10/11

Jim writes in to say, 'Sometimes when I pinch near my knee, I will feel a tingling or tickling sensation behind one of my shoulder blades. What's up with that?' James Tytko found him an answer, with help from neuroscientist Dr Mark Hoon from the NIH... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:03

Do snails get dizzy?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/10/04

Oscar asks whether the snail stuck on the inside of his car wheel while he went for a drive would have felt the effects afterwards. Jon Ablett from the Natural History Museum helped James Tytko with the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:27

Can dead animals poison the food chain?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/09/27

Akori wants to know whether it is safe to eat vegetables and herbs grown where animals have been buried in the past. James Tytko sought the help of Professor Malcolm Bennett at the University of Nottingham's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:39

Do wind farms have an effect on the weather?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/09/20

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

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00:04:26

Is there a cure for musical anhedonia?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/09/13

This week, Carl writes in to ask whether he can be cured of specific musical anhedonia. This is a condition whereby a person can hear and distinguish between different types of music and the emotion they convey, but doesn't feel moved in the same way most people do. James Tytko took on Carl's conundrum with the help of Malinda McPherson, Assistant Professor at Purdue University's Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked

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00:04:17

What is the shutter speed of our eyes?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/09/06

When listener Suzy is taking pictures of the night sky, she makes use of longer shutter speeds to capture more light to get better images of stars. That got her thinking, do human eyes also have a shutter speed? James Tytko took up the question... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:01

What if the Moon had never formed?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/08/30

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

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00:04:42

Why does spider silk feel so weird?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/08/23

In this week's Question of the Week, listener James writes in to ask, is it just him, or does spider silk feel really strange? James Tytko took on the question with Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Genetics at the University of Nottingham, Sara Goodacre, and entomologist at Western Sydney University, Eleanor Drinkwater... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:03:46

What are the carbon emissions of wildfires?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/08/16

This week, Jon wants to know, in the wake of wildfires across the world in recent years, should we be concerned about their carbon footprint? James Tytko asked Jim Dale from British Weather Services for the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:24

Do I need to keep taking probiotics continuously?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/08/09

Christine emails in with this message: 'Does bacteria contained in probiotics become part of the microbiome; in other words can one stop taking probiotics after 30 days of taking probiotic-containing capsules?'James Tytko sought to find the answer with the help of Alex Almeida, microbiologist at the University of Cambridge. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:28

If the Universe is expanding, what is it expanding into?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2024/08/02

Anne writes in with this question, which James Tytko took on 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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