Ask the Naked Scientists

Do birds have a sense of smell? Are penicillin allergies permanent? How do vultures identify dinner? Does light travel forever? Is alcohol added to cooked food safe for an alcoholic? Do viruses have viruses that prey on them? How do bees track down my beer? Are some people genetically programmed to commit crime? Can two twins have different fathers? How did the power of speech first evolve? Dr Chr...

What makes dog poo turn white? Is water really wet, or does it just wet things? What was the nuclear impact of Fukushima? Where did my big ants go? Do microwaves alter water? Is the world changing shape? Where do corrugations in dirt roads come from? How did the Universe come by its water? Will my wife really end up looking like my mother-in-law? Join Dr Chris for another crop of top questions fro...

Are premium-priced fuels really worth the extra cost? Why are males born with nipples? Is a male contraceptive pill in the offing? Do all animals get the same number of heartbeats? Does any one organ failing cause death? Can aeroplanes run on diesel? Why does silver tarnish? What causes lightning? Is mental illness curable? Join Dr Chris for the answers to this week's crop of queries from South Af...

Why do I bruise more easily now I'm older? Why do some wind turbines spin in reverse? Are UV sunbeds worse for young skin? Ozone therapy, or quackery? Why do I want to eat chalk? Is blood the same in all animals? And alongside the answers to the best science questions 702 listeners have to offer, Dr Chris also reveals new radio-controlled cells... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting th...

What substances are in snake venom? Where is sea-level measured? Are any of my cells the original ones I was born with? Are we seeing the effects of global warming? How does planetary precession work? How do bullets do damage? How can you tell when a melon is ripe? Why are men so stubborn? Plus, how fossilised raindrops are shedding light on what Earth's atmosphere was like 3 billion years ago......

What causes jaundice in newborn babies? What is vitiligo? How do liquids behave in space? What causes cardiac arrests? What would happen if Earth span in reverse? What is Bell's Palsy? What are quarks? And how do hiccups occur? Join Dr Chris for this week's crop of questions from South Africa's Talk Radio 702 Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does alcohol affect men and women the same way? Do other animals menstruate? Does intensive training affect a woman's fertility? Is it bad for birds to drink from my swimming pool? Should I shower during a thunderstorm? What causes a febrile convulsion? What is photocatalysis? Who gets gallstones and what are they? Why do whales have horizontal tails? Join Dr Chris on Talk Radio 702 for this week'...

What does the genetic fingerprint of Ozti, the 5300-year-old Alpine iceman, reveal? Why do the bubbles in a glass of Guinness appear to be defying the laws of physics? Could we replace food with pills? Why did a dead bee still sting me? Is there any evidence that Voodoo does do anything? Why do balloons go bang? How do ducklings recognise their mothers? And why are planets round? Join Dr Chris for...

Can we grow a hamburger in a dish? What's the one meat that vegetarians can ethically eat? Do ants regard rival colonies as friends, or foes? What causes a cerebrospinal fluid leak and can it be repaired? Are flies the same everywhere? Why does beer freeze when you get it out of the fridge? And what could cause an itchy neck? Join Dr Chris for the answers to Talk Radio 702's top science questions....

Why is amputation necessary in cases of gangrene? What is aspartame and can it cause Alzheimer's? What's the basis of the Atkins Diet? How is melanin made and is neuromelanin the same stuff? Why do objects in the rear view mirror appear closer than they are? Are insecticidal deaths painful for insect victims? Why does booze cause a ruddy complexion? And at what age do babies begin to think? Join D...

What is freezing rain, do cats control their owners, how do accents arise, why does hair go grey, what is the origin of deja vu, why did my glass table spontaneously explode and is the world population becoming more or less genetically diverse? Dr Chris tackles this week's round up of the best science questions from South Africa.... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scienti...

This week we debate whether wounds should be left open or covered up, why toenails - but not thumbnails - ingrow, what is hydatid disease, whether we can tag people to track them for life, what causes ringworm, the difference between a TIA and a stroke and what happens to the solid fuel boosters jettisoned by the space shuttle during ascent. Plus, a look at jumping spiders' eyes! Join Dr Chris on...

How much water should you drink in a day? Can miscarriages be prevented? What's more efficient - leaving the hot water on constantly, or heating it only when needed? Why are some eggs double yolkers? What's the point of flies? And why do some people have more than five fingers? Join Dr Chris for another crop of South Africa's top science questions on Talk Radio 702... Like this podcast? Please hel...

Are cellphones safe? Why should cornflour make irradiated skin more comfortable? Why do dogs turn in circles before they lie down or defaecate? Are there any materials transparent to the eye but opaque to a camera? Is the Sun orbiting anything? How do they get the stripes in the toothpaste? Is blood donation an alternative to dieting? What do cows actually eat - grass, or bacteria? And why are bir...

What is the best way to manage autism? Do we swap molecules when we touch each other? Can my koi recognise my voice? Can methane be used for firing my pots? Are out of body experiences real? Are vitamin supplements a pill worth paying for? Join Dr Chris as he tackles this week's crop of questions from Talk Radio 702, South Africa, and also brings us news of the finding of the world's first fishing...

Is there any evidence for acupuncture? Compared with coffee left to stand, why does freshly-brewed make a different sound when stirred? Does disprin deal with cold sores? Why would blood pressure and cholesterol drop after a trip up Kilimanjaro? What conditions might make a man explode? How does the oral contraceptive pill work? Can it fool a pregnancy test? Why do planes ditch fuel before an emer...

On Ask! The Naked Scientists this week, an injection to combat obesity, and we debate whether pigeons can tell one another apart... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do more eggs means less water in an egg boiler? Does a hip replacement shorten a leg? Where do beetles go in winter? And why are planets round? Plus, how killing off aged cells improves vitality, why pollution is intensifying cyclones and how skin cells can see UV... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do electric clocks lose time, what's smaller than an atom, what is sickle cell disease, does ice stop a nose-bleed, can cartilage be replaced and where does sweat come from and are we all equally sweaty? Ask! this week comes from the British Society for Gene Therapy conference in Brighton which kicked off with a DNA fingerprinting race... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Nak...

This week, why does a bout of flu leave you with blocked ears? Can grapefruits be engineered to taste like meat? Why is genetic diversity highest in Africa? Why can't we tickle ourselves? And why does seeing someone else suffer make us experience pain ourselves? Plus, news of a treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, why antivirals might abate Alzheimer's and how seaweeds make corals seasick... Li...

Where do allergies come from? What "actually" is an itch? What is meant by matching a donated organ? Why do veins distend on a hot day? What causes floaters in the eye? Join Dr Chris for the answers to this week's fast and furious barrage of questions, as well as news of the origins of the plague... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do some things dissolve but others don't, what are the stains on the towels at the gym and how do astronauts keep their balance in the absence of gravity? Also, what causes meteor showers, can you sneeze in your sleep, what's the best way to dislodge a foreign body in the eye, what is pancreatic cancer and what causes sweaty hands and feet? The answers to this lot, plus news of how Earth came...

Why do onions make you cry and will a frozen onion have the same tear-jerking effect? What medicinal qualities does aloe vera possess? Is ice-crunching harmful? What's the best way to prop up metabolism as we age? What can I do about stress incontinence? Plus, news of what Tweets posted online can tell us about the population's collective mood, and a new way to tell who needs extra investigations...

Does cooking with gas taste better, why are yawns infectious, how does carbon dating work, what is spontaneous human combustion, why won't a nine year old blow his nose and how can contraceptives help ovarian diseases? Dr Chris takes on this week's slew of science from South Africa and also asks what fatherhod does for a man's testosterone levels. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting th...

Where does the energy come from that keeps electrons in orbit within an atom? Can cars and truck weigh themselves like lifts to prevent overloading? How long do some atoms or molecules last in the body? What causes croup? Why would electrolysed water go green? Can viruses trigger asthma, and what is reflex sympathetic dystrophy? Join Dr Chris for the answers to this week's round up of questions as...