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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

00:06:25

What leads a guided missile to its target?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/10/03

Bhavesh wants to know how guided missiles find their target. James Tytko took on his question with help from Dr David Galvao Wall, Head of the Air Platforms and Weapons Group at Cranfield University... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:53

How do gravitational waves keep their energy?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/09/26

In response to our programme celebrating 10 years since the first detection of gravitational waves, listeners got in touch with fascinating questions. Here, James Tytko takes on a couple, with help from Ben Allanach, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:41

Why do leaves change colour at different rates?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/09/19

Trent wants to know why trees of the same species, in the same geography, seem to change the colour of their leaves at different rates. He's even noticed differences on branches of the same tree! James Tytko sought to provide an answer, with help from Charles Shi, botanical horticulturalist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:01

Are snakes tamed by breast milk?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/09/12

Sva writes in, asking whether stories of snakes being tamed by human milk have any grounding in science. James Tytko took on the question with the help of herpetologist Fortunate Mafeta Phaka, and Angela Julian of the Amphibian and Reptiles Group of the UK. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:06

What happens to celebratory bullets?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/09/05

In some parts of the world, some groups will fire guns directly into the air in celebration. Mike wants to know what happens to these bullets, and if they have the potential to be dangerous. To help answer this question, James Tytko spoke with neurologists Yousef Hayder and Luis Rafael Moscote-Salazar... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:07

What would you find at the centre of Saturn or Jupiter?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/29

Maddie wants to know what a daring adventurer might find if they journeyed to the centre of one of our Solar System's gas giants: Juptier and Saturn. James Tytko took on her question, with the help of University of Cambridge astrophysicist, Xander Byrne. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:39

Do recent experiments prove a quantum interpretation?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/22

Iain wants to know whether recent experiments have gotten us any closer to deciding which interpretation of quantum mechanics is most likely. This branch of physics describes the as yet unexplained interactions of very small particles. Here to help Rowan Berkley explore Iain's question is Maria Violaris, quantum research scientist and science communicator... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:06:41

Can a dog and a fox produce viable offspring?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/15

Girts sends a question about which animals can mate to produce viable offspring. How is it that different breeds of dogs can come together to produce puppies, but add a different animal into the equation and you don't get the same result? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:23

How are our cells different at the genetic level?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/08/01

Jon wants to know, how do the cells in the human body, in all their variety, differ at the genetic level? James Tytko took his query on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:07:44

Will AI help to reduce environmental harms?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/25

Geoff has written in asking whether AI will offset its vast energy appetite by facilitating environmentally conscious initiatives. James Tytko took on the challenge of finding out, with help from researchers at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:06:39

Can nuclear reactors power Mars missions and our towns?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/18

Laurie writes in, wanting to know whether the nuclear reactions which power Mars rovers means small nuclear reactors could power our towns and cities. Diving into this atomic adventure, James Tytko sought help from research associate at the energy policy group at Cambridge University, Simon Taylor... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:15

How do you catch Lyme disease?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/11

Leonard is asking how one acquires Lyme disease, and how doctors diagnose it. James Tytko asked Jack Lambert, Professor and Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, for help to find an answer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:03:48

Will green technology stop climate change?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/07/04

Simon wants to know, since we saw a dip in greenhouse gas emissions during the pandemic, why haven't we seen climate change slow down? Is green technology part of the problem? James Tytko took on his question with the help of Shaun Fitzgerald, Director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:18

How long does a lap of the water cycle take?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/06/27

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

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00:04:59

Why do clouds move in a different direction to the wind?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/06/20

When Tony is cycling around, he notices that the clouds above him are not always moving in the same direction as he feels the wind blowing him down on the ground. Why might this be? James Tytko took on the question with help from Paul Williams, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:04

Do photons have a size?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/06/13

Donald wants to know, 'how big is a photon?' Marushka Soobben took on his query with help from Ben Allanach, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:09

How much brain capacity do our senses take up?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/06/06

David wants to know, 'How much do the senses take up in brain capacity and what sense occupies the largest part of the brain (I would guess it would be sight?)' James Tytko took on his query with help from Holly Bridge, professor of neuroscience at the University of Oxford... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:05:12

Do lower oxygen levels in planes contribute to jet lag?

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/05/30

This time on Question of the Week, Mark wants to know what effect lower levels of oxygen in aeroplanes might have on how we feel after a flight, and what impact the smoking ban might have had. As a follow up, he wonders about jet lag and whether it's possible to suffer its consequences after a long haul flight to somewhere in the same time zone. James Tytko asked Malcom von Schantz, Professor of chronobiology at Northumbria University, for help with the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by

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00:04:49

Why hasn't light from the earliest galaxies gone past...

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/05/23

Darren wants to know, 'Why can we see the light from the first galaxies. Why hasn't that light already passed us if it is from so long ago when the universe was smaller.' Strap in for a mind bending journey across the universe with James Tytko and Daniel Whiteson, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. Be sure to check out Daniel's podcast: 'Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe.' Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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00:04:56

What happens when you are injected with your own stem...

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists ·

2025/05/16

Joao wants to know what happens when stem cells of our own, which have been cultivated outside the body, are reintroduced to the bloodstream. This got James Tytko thinking about autologous stem cell transplants, used as a treatment for some forms of blood cancer. He asked Tania Dexter, haematology registrar, and senior medical officer at the Anthony Nolan Institute, to help explain... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

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633 results

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