Ask the Naked Scientists

Why is our peripheral vision so good in the dark? Why do we have goosebumps? Do UFOs exist and is there life on other planets? We explore the answers to these questions as well as investigate how bacteria know where to infect us, how our TV screens work, why we set our clocks back in winter and reveal if covering our bodies in salt would make us shrivel up like a slug! Like this podcast? Please he...

Why do cameras use batteries so quickly? Why does warmth help a battery last longer? How do humans survive lightning strikes? We tackle these questions as well as reveal how steel ships protect themselves from erosion, whether stainless steel really is stainless, investigate the different types of salt and discover how lie detectors work! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked S...

Do Aliens Exist? Did Neil Armstrong really walk on the moon? What happens over the Bermuda Triangle? We take on these mysteries in this week's show as well as reveal if the earth is growing, why planes leave vapour trails and investigate whether deodorants are flammable. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do new elements enter the periodic table? How much does the earth weigh? Could Jupiter blow up? We tackle these explosive questions on this weeks show as well as reveal the workings of the internet and how it was created, investigate how the government could spy on our phone calls, and discover why our fingers go wrinkly in the bath! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Sc...

How do wasps reproduce? Do all spiders bite you? Why have some animals lasted many years without evolving? We take on these questions on this week's show as well as find out how helicopters fly, explain why kettles go silent before boiling, reveal how far radio signals can travel and discover how to get a boiled egg into a bottle! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientist...

How do glowsticks glow? Do mobile phones have limited frequencies? How do 3D films work? We tackle these questions on this weeks show, as well as discuss the causes of heart attacks, why it's less windy at night and find out why our accents aren't always reflected when we sing. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

You ask Dave Ansell whether parallel universes are possible, how moons are formed around Saturn, what's new for car batteries, the existence of wormholesand how one might go about building an artificial brain. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do astronauts feel weightless in space? What makes teenagers throw tantrums? Do mobile phones damage our health? We tackle these questions on this weeks show as well as reveal how jay birds find their food, how self-winding watches work and whether losing weight can help us avoide certain diseases. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

When do stars explode? How does shoe polish work? What happens if you float away from your spacecraft? Why can't we feel the Earth spinning? Dr Dave answers your questions in this week's ASK. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We take a turn around gyroscopes, find out if it's better to run through the rain, identify the origins of yeast, chomp our way through the make-up of white chocolate and ponder the future of telecommunications. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out why field mice aren't green, why the Earth isn't put off its orbit by the Sun's activity and how dogs have evolved alongside humans. We combat these conundrums in addition to: why does my radio keep playing after I've switched off the mains and why is my reflection in a spoon upside down? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How big can aeroplanes get? Will we ever teleport? And When we lose weight, where does it go? We take on all these brainteasers and more in this Ask the Naked Scientists Podcast. Plus, Did dogs evolve from wolves? Why do roads need resurfacing after an accident? And what are clouds made of? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does helium make our voices higher? What are hiccups and how can we get rid of them? How contagious is swine flu? We take on these questions on this weeks podcast as well as find out how beta blockers slow our heart rate down, why food sticks to the bottom of a pan when it burns and how sewage waste is moved round an aeroplane. Plus, we look into the role of the prostate in men and the conditi...

Are Orion's stars shrinking? What are wormholes and do they really exist? What is our universe expanding into? We tackle these cosmic conundrums on this weeks show, as well as find out why light travels faster than sound, if everything spins in space, why TV adverts sound so loud and we investigate the existence of the Bermuda Triangle! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Sci...

How has laughter evolved? Why can'we tickle ourselves? Why do hot and cold water sound different? What is smell and why do things have a smell? We tackle these chalenges on this weeks show, as well as investigate if blood pressure varies in different sized people, why mouthwash makes water taste colder, investigate why we shouldn't breed with relatives and discuss the causes of vertigo. Like this...

Can we break glass using sound? Is glass a liquid? Can we use GPS to navigate galaxies? Will climate change make the UK colder by affecting the Gulf stream? We tackle these questions on this weeks show as well as reveal how submarines stay at a fixed depth,why toothpase is better with fluoride in it, how sunlight can be converted into energyand we investigate whether we could ever create a time ma...

How would astronauts cope in a solar wind? Why did dry moon dust hold a footprint? Why does wine age well but beer go off? And should you eat mould? We find out in this week's Ask the Naked Scientists. Plus, what happens if you exceed the speed of light, and what's going on at the centre of the Earth? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do cameras work? What are the Herschel and Plank probes hoping to find out? How are messages sent to computers and mobile phones? We tackle these questions on this weeks show. We also find out if blood gets thinner as you get older, why newspapers are easier to tear vertically than horizontally, and investigate if it's safe to take aspirin and anti-inflammatories at the same time. Like this po...

How strong is spider silk? Why are some people scared of spiders? How vast is space and does it have an end? How are skyscrapers built? We answer these question in this week's show. We also discuss swine flu, investigate how good aluminium is as a lining material, uncover what causes allergies to cats, work out the speed of heat and electricity and reveal if it's possible to reverse gravity! Like...

Why do we get spots on our bottoms? What is Jogger's Nipple? What is Gangrene? Why do we have different languages? We tackle these questions on this week's show, as well as find out how our hearts work and how a pacemaker can control it. We also find out what an aneurism is, analyse the conditions in which moss grows and discuss the treatment options for arthritis. Like this podcast? Please help u...

This week, we ask how water can be both sticky and slippery, what causes static shocks and if Solar storms can take down aeroplanes. Plus, we find out why 240 volts may be better than 110, and how your body can act as a radio aerial! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do painkillers work and which ones are available to us? Why doesn't the plastic on ready-meals melt in the oven? How can we donate platelets instead of blood? How can we ease the pain of arthritis? We take on these questions in this week's show. We alsoreveal why omega oils are so good for us, look into how the International Space Station keeps itself movign over earth and investigate the demi...

Can horses feel electric shocks through their fur? Can we create lightning artificially? How do we send electric signals via cables to America? Can frozen nitrogen conduct electricity? We tackle these sparky questions on this weeks show. We also learn about the northern lights, reveal why rain falls heavier than snow and investigate if it really is dangerous to pour hot water into a glass. Like th...

Are identical twins clones of each other? Can parents with brown eyes have children with blue ones? Is it possible to have blonde hair and brown eyes? How do conjoined twins form? We answer these questions on this week's show. We also find out why our dreams don't always reflect reality, investigate if it is safe to re-heat food in the microwave, reveal how boils are formed and discover how washin...

How much does it cost to run an electric car? Why does shaken champagne not explode if you wait a while before opening it? Would a car filled inside with helium run for longer? Is man the only mammal to have racial features? We dig into these questions on this week's show, as well as reveal if hyper-space travel is possible, explain how a memory stick works and investigate if a compass would work...