Ask the Naked Scientists

How do phantom limbs work? Can power stations affect local weather? Plus, how to avoid jet lag and the snails that have weaponised insulin. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Should I let my child run up and down stairs? Is crocodile bile deadly? Why don't animals in the wild bleed to death during child birth? Will there come a time where we stop breaking any new sport records? Is there such a thing as a "baby brain"? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can we make longer lasting phone batteries? Is there a cure for vertigo? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do chameleons change colour? Why do pigeons bob their heads when they walk? How do railguns work? Can you freeze dry a body? What causes localised hair-loss? What's the best way to cool down beer? Plus, an update on Ebola... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does scribbling on paper get a pen to work? Why can't mules reproduce? How soon will they be able to lessen the effects of Multiple Sclerosis? When you burn wood, where does the weight go? How do touch screens work? Plus, why feeling your age might be bad for you... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do birds make eggs? Why do we cry for both happiness and sadness? Can neutrinos go faster than the speed of light? Why is it so hard to lose stomach fat? Why do some babies smile in their sleep? Can you get oxygen from the water you drink? Plus, how life began, and the science of opera singing... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can you feel two pains at the same time? How can bottled water freeze instantly? Can a migrant dog understand his new neighbours? What is the pith inside an orange? Does eating the in-flight meal alter an aeroplane's weight? Why do skins of bananas blacken faster after you peel them? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What is the latest on Ebola? Which human sense was the strongest in more primitive times? Can comets tell us about the future? How did our ancestors discover that the Earth is round? Why are electric kettles so loud? How can grey hair go black again? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is it possible to regrow brain cells? Why can't spiders fly? Can you survive with three kidneys? What causes a migraine? Plus, why lightning is striking twice... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do my fingernails grow quicker than my toenails? Why are yawns contagious? Do people with longer legs use less energy to run? What causes cataracts? How important is your sense of smell? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can a new stomach be grown in a dish? Are Ebola survivors immune from future infection? Why do injuries seem to hurt more later? Are there homosexual dolphins? How do muscles make energy? How do ants home in on food? Can dogs judge human character? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do people talk to themselves? Can cats cut your risk of a heart attack? Does salt help water boil quicker? Do women have an Adam's Apple? Plus, an update on Ebola and a rapid paper-based test for the virus... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do I sneeze in bright light? Can the radio control my dreams? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why did dinosaurs grow so large? Do flies have blood? Can chemotherapy get into the brain? Why do scorpions glow in UV light? Did we interbreed with Neanderthals? Plus, news of how your sense of smell can indicate how long you have left to live... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How is sea-level defined? What makes some people sleepwalk? How are barometers calibrated? What is an acquired taste? How much of the body is water? Do we really use only 10% of our brain? Why does red wine stain your lips? Why to I talk in my sleep? What happens if you drink petrol? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do people catch ebola? Why do brothers and sisters look different if they have the same parents? Can we mine the moon for fuel? Why should you not re-freeze meat? What causes birth marks? What is a curve of pursuit? Can you be born circumcised? Dr Chris answers more of your questions, on Talk Radio 702... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can we rear people in a germ-free environment? Can you be born with only one kidney? Why does spaghetti always break into 3 pieces? What exactly is temperature? When you add more water to the bath and then pull the plug - what water goes down the drain first, the new or the old? Why do birds live longer than their size would suggest? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scient...

Why does running water make you need the loo? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can you get sunburnt through a glass window? What are white holes? If everything is made from atoms, and atoms are largely empty space why can't we phase through walls? Can chlorophyll help body odour? What causes ringing in your ears? Can you train a child to be ambidextrous? Plus, an update on Ebola. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If you fall asleep with the radio playing what effect would this have on the brain? How do marine mammals stay hydrated? If you fall off a certain height do you die before you hit the ground? How come children spit all the time? How accurate are dinosaur reconstructions? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What's causing the ebola outbreak in northwest Africa? Is our sun unique? Why did we make clocks tick the way they do? Does altitude affect my blood pressure? Would the passengers remain conscious aboard an aircraft hit by a missile? Where does the iron on Earth come from? Are maps accurate? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Should my air-conditioning be fresh or recycled air? Is the International Space Station in geostationary orbit? What causes plane vapour trails? Is it alright to drink water on an empty stomach? Why do we have blood groups? Why do we boil our food? Why do some wines give you a worse headache? Plus, why beef is off the menu for a sustainable world... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting...

Are there extra types of water? Do plants give off carbon dioxide at night? Why does huddling together keep you warm? What is the origin of belly-button fluff? What causes nightmares? And how does the magnetic field around Earth affect us? Plus, news of how dental plaque can show us what our ancestors ate... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How does a gastric bypass work? How do spaceships land safely back on earth? What makes humans so successful? Are new species still appearing? Is the sea getting saltier? Plus, news of biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do e-cigarettes work? Could a blind chameleon still change colour? Do sightless people pick up on things most of us miss? Can the hydrogen be extracted from water? How are hurricanes named? How do birds navigate? How do vaccinations against bacteria and viruses work? Join Dr Chris for the answers to South Africa's top science questions, as well as news of a solar power breakthrough based on a...