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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

3:50

Why do ant bites hurt so much?

Question of the Week ·

2021/12/14

Sally Le Page answered this head-scratching question with the help of insect venom expert, Sam Robinson, from the University of Queensland... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:34

How do we prevent space collisions?

Question of the Week ·

2021/11/22

This week, Matt contacted us asking "With three space missions currently converging on Mars how do the nations avoid orbital collisions? Do they share data, do they have transponders or space traffic control etc?". Katie King spoke with Chris Bridges, academic at Surrey Space Centre in the University of Surrey to find out how we keep our spacecraft from colliding.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:58

Is dark matter in lumps or like sand grains?

Question of the Week ·

2021/11/10

This week, listener Rob emailed us to ask "Is dark matter in large lumps or like grains of sand?" Iacopo Russo got some help from the Little Prince story, as well as from Physics professor Francesca Day at Durham University and physicist Jacques Pienaar from the University of Chicago, to find the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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5:02

Do shop or garden tomatoes produce more CO2?

Question of the Week ·

2021/11/08

To answer this juicy question, Julia Ravey asked environmental scientist at the University of York Samarthia Thankappan... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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5:16

How is eye colour passed down?

Question of the Week ·

2021/10/18

Teacher Ellie was recently asked a question by her Year 9 pupil in Manchester that she couldn't answer: "I have one blue eye and one brown eye, when I have kids, will they have one blue eye and one brown eye like me?" Eva Higginbotham put the question to eye colour expert David Mackey from The University of Western Australia... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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6:09

Would a body left in space decompose?

Question of the Week ·

2021/10/12

Daniel has been dreaming of the stars, but his dreams have been rather eerie. Now, he's on a one way journey to gain some scientific insight. He got in touch to ask 'If a crew on a mission to mars had a death on board, and if that body was released into space, would it ever decay?' Matthew Bothwell, public astronomer at the University of Cambridge, spills the beans on what would happen to human remains if they were ejected out into infinity and beyond... Like this podcast? Please help us by

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3:20

Why do we keep catching the same diseases?

Question of the Week ·

2021/10/05

This week, listener Rick emailed us to ask "Why do we acquire lifelong immunity against some pathogens but not others?" Sally Le Page asked author and infectious disease researcher at Imperial College, London, John Tregoning, to jog our memories... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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5:01

Do frogs get itchy?

Question of the Week ·

2021/09/20

Margaret got in touch to ask The Naked Scientists: "Science has now identified actual nerve endings that humans and other mammals have that send that itchy feeling to the brain. Do snakes and other amphibians have these same nerve types? Have frogs been seen scratching an itch?"Harry Lewis dived deep to find an answer and Gerhard Schlosser from the National University of Ireland Galway was on hand to tell him more... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:41

What happens to light's lost energy?

Question of the Week ·

2021/09/13

Listener Mark was curious to know: "Since the Universe is expanding, and light coming across it stretches as it does so, becoming more red, what happens to the lost energy when the shorter wavelength, higher energy light towards the blue end of the spectrum is shifted into lower energy, red wavelengths?" Cameron Voisey went off to figure it out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:17

How long before the food I eat becomes 'me'?

Question of the Week ·

2021/09/06

Listener Martin wanted to know: "How long does it take the food I eat to become part of me?" Eva Higginbotham set off to find out the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:27

What proportion of the brain stores memory?

Question of the Week ·

2021/08/16

Dave got in touch with The Naked Scientists to ask, "How much of the brain is memory?" This week Harrison Lewis only just remembered to get in touch with Amy Milton from the University of Cambridge. Thank goodness he did, as Amy has extensive experience wrapping her head around this brain teaser... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:03

Why do ladybirds have varying spot numbers?

Question of the Week ·

2021/08/09

Listener Ruomei wrote in to ask "Why do ladybugs have different numbers of spots on their backs?"Eva Higginbotham spoke with ladybird enthusiast Helen Roy from the Uk Centre for Ecology and Hydrology... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:13

Is lava wet?

Question of the Week ·

2021/08/02

Listener Henk wrote in to ask "Is lava wet?" Sally Le Page spoke with magmanimous geologist Brooke Johnson from the University of Oxford... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:46

Why don't dogs get hairballs when cats do?

Question of the Week ·

2021/07/19

Beth wrote in to ask "My dog is always licking her fur but never gets a hairball. Why don't dogs get hairballs?" Sally Le Page spoke to three animal aficionados: Nick Sutton, Science Communications Advisor at The Kennel Club; Justine Shotton, Junior Vice President at the British Veterinary Association; and Ann Hohenhaus, Staff Doctor at NYC's Animal Medical Center for the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:50

If heat rises, why is it colder up mountains?

Question of the Week ·

2021/07/12

Wayne got in touch to ask: "We've always learned that heat rises but it's normally cooler in the mountains. Shouldn't their higher elevation make it warmer there?" Sally Le Page reached out to atmospheric physicist Simon Clark for the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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4:33

Could bagpipes help you recover after Covid?

Question of the Week ·

2021/07/05

Paul got in touch to ask "If one is recovering or has recovered from covid, would playing bagpipes help to expand the lungs and be beneficial or detrimental?". Adam Murphy reached out to John Dickinson from the University of Kent and Michael Steiner from the University of Leicester for the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:55

Why do crocodiles have such bumpy skin?

Question of the Week ·

2021/06/23

Johan aged 5 got in touch to ask: "Why are crocodiles' skin so bumpy and not smooth?" Sally Le Page reached out to James Hennessy from Ireland's National Reptile Zoo for the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:45

Will a can in the ocean float or be crushed?

Question of the Week ·

2021/06/14

This week, Phil Sansom has been thinking deeply - or rather, sinking deeply - about this question from listener Richard. "Will a can of soda dropped in the ocean sink until it implodes, or float once it reaches equilibrium?" Here's the answer, with help from the Cambridge Science Centre's Mia Foulkes... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:50

Is every snowflake unique?

Question of the Week ·

2021/06/07

This week, Charlotte Birkmanis is chilling out, as she answers Alan's cool question: "I have heard it said many times that no two snowflakes are the same. Given the billions and billions of them that have fallen to Earth, this really does seem unlikely. Since nobody has looked at them all, would you agree with me that the only thing to be said with any certainty, is that no researcher has ever found two the same?" Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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3:18

Can overcooking junk food make it healthy

Question of the Week ·

2021/05/24

This week, we're turning up the heat, as Adam Murphy's been looking into Kelvin's question: "We are told not to overcook our vegetables because this kills the nutrients. Now if that's the case, why don't we just overcook the food we enjoy and not run the risk of putting on weight?" Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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