Ask the Naked Scientists

How do humans generate body heat, how does rice fix a waterlogged phone, how does a thermos flask store hot water without expanding from the steam, why don't airplanes gain height when flying strait, why do people lose consciousness if the cabin pressure is lost on a flight, does a slipstream ever help the lead cyclist, why don't people bleed out if their leg is amputated and what causes corrugati...

Why do we get nosebleeds? Can you use a sonic boom as a weapon? Is it healthy to sleep under a blanket? What will happen when the sun dies? Why does staring at light help you sneeze? Can a loss of memory cause hearing problems? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are intelligent people more prone to depression? Will we ever exceed the speed of light? What can survive inside a human stomach? Can rhymes help you to learn new things? How is the brightness of a light measured? How do bikes steer? Are balding men more prone to prostate cancer? Plus, eye drops that can treat cataracts. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does the placebo effect work? Why do we get goosebumps? Why does scratching relieve itches? How can you fix bad breath? Why is it hard to wee if someone else is there? How long does food stay in the stomach? Plus, why screams are scary. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do tall people swim faster? Why is Cholera so difficult to kill and get rid of? If there's so much cell regeneration in our bodies, why do we get old and die? Does food affect your mood? Plus, new research into medical marijuana. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are polarised or non-polarised sunglasses better for your eyes? How high can a fly fly? Can botox make my face more symmetrical? Why aren't we equally hairy across our whole body? Are you more likely to get ill in cold weather? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What is the Earth made from? Has the Voyager 1 spacecraft reached the edge of our solar sytem? Why do you lose your appetite when you feel unwell? How does lemon juice affect urine? Does the day on which you are born make a difference? How do we communicate in space? What are the origins of sceintific morality? How does castor oil affect your digestive system? Plus, the mass of the smallest exopla...

Does Botox harm your face? Why is the speed of aircraft limted? Does the cause of death determine the rate of decomposition of the body? Do only green plants produce chlorophyll? Can we create false gravity in space using centrifugal force? What happens to ashes when they are buried? Do children inherit palm prints from only one parent? Plus, 75 million year-old dinosaur cells... Like this podcast...

What happens when you swallow gum? Can we use animal blood for donation? Is there intelligent life out there? Can you eat glass safely? Would you decompose in space? Is there a link between blood groups and illnesses? Plus, your virus infection history. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If it's only female mosquitoes that drink our blood, what do male mosquitoes feed on? How do we know how old human remains are? What is truth serum and how does it affect the brain? Should we keep onions in the fridge? And why do people have accents? Plus, the latest breakthrough in artificial intelligence. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What would happen if I ate glass? Can you stop epileptic fits by removing a section of the brain? When we lose weight, where does the fat go? If we remove our thonsils, will this stop us snoring? Why don't babies come out the womb laughing, as opposed to crying? Plus, how a new drug that could cure obesity. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientist answered listeners' weird and wonderful questions including: why babies tummies look swollen; why we vomit if others vomit; and how effective are sleeping tablets. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do we develop allergies? Which tectonic plates caused the Nepalese earthquake? Could we use a car to generate electricity? Why can't my cat catch my cold? Plus, the effects of radiation in space on astronauts' brains... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Where are mosquitoes during the winter? Does light therapy work? Can you get 20:20 vision back? Why can't I whistle as I get older? Why do I cough every time I eat popcorn? Plus, a new treatment for MS... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will we ever be able to record dreams? Why did our brains grow over time? How much water do you need to boil an egg? How does seedless fruit reproduce? Can a damaged chromosome be repaired? Can we synthesise water? Does whiskey make soft drinks better for you? Plus, how cracking your knuckles works... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do photons have mass? Can you control someones dreams? Can you get your kidney back after donating it to someone? What determines the colour of the sea? Plus, how the moon was formed... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chris Smith and Victoria Gill appear at 702 in the flesh to answer questions from the audience and to conduct some illuminating experiments... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What causes goosebumps? How close does lightning need to be to hurt you? Where is Voyager? What causes yawning? How do we perform automatic behaviour? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What causes thunder and lightning? Are some people resistant to HIV? Are vitamin supplements good for children? What does crystal meth do to your brain? Why do phones only give you nine minutes to snooze? Can you compress light? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do satellites stay in orbit? Why do my fingernails grow at different speeds on each hand? What is the sun made of? Where did the liquid in my cans go? Why do some children turn mute after trauma? Plus, why people smell their fingers after shaking hands... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is it safe to feed livestock to meat? What happens to the rubber that wears off from car tyres? Does water go down the drain in different directions? Can you rewind the radio? Why is the ocean salty? Can candles give you cancer? Plus, the ancient Homo jaw bone... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do I get a stitch when I exercise? What determines our body temperature? How quickly do fruit and vegetables lose nutrients after they are picked? Why do ropes get tangled up in knots? Can you get stuck together during sex? Plus, news of an edible gene therapy to control insect pests... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does stress give me knots in my stomach? Why don't I gain weight when I eat? How does sun cream work? Why does wheat give me gas? If we were to compress air to the pressure of water could we then swim in air? Do any planets stay still? Plus the science of popcorn. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can we manufacture water? Should women eat uncastrated meat? Can animals predict the weather? Is there a loss of vitamin content in tinned food? If you're in an aeroplane traveling at the speed of light, could you walk to the front of the plane? What causes chronic flatulence? Plus, counting chickens! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do we get brain freeze? What happens to your arm when it goes to sleep? Why do clouds form? Do we really only use 10% of our brain? If we evolved from apes how come there are still monkeys? Plus, how to "unboil" an egg. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists