Ask the Naked Scientists

Can atomic bombs cause changes in our climate? Can understanding the Amazon help control the greenhouse effect? Are we likely to find life in outer space? We take on these question in this week's show. As well as find out about Bell's Palsy, reveal why people have fits, learn how to identify animals by their DNA and learn how to help control diabeteswith our diets. Like this podcast? Please help u...

How do mobile phones work on planes? Is flying more environmentally friendly than driving? What is rocket fuel? Can we see the International Space Station with the naked eye? These are just some of the questions asked in this week's show. We also investigate whether we can use our bodies as aerials, reveal how computer animated characters are created in films and find out if we can steam our eggs...

How does the Earth rotate? Why do we not fall off the Earth as it spins? Why is there a periodic table? Why is Oxygen written as O2? We tackle these questions in this week's show. We also find out about the causes and symptoms of diabetes, investigate how our bodies generate heat, and reveal how to create a perfectly straight object! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scient...

What experiments can be done with snow? why is snow white yet ice is clear? How can ice be made without refrigeration? And how do Jet engines work out in space? We tackle these questions in this week's show. We also find out about the Ares-V rocket being built by NASA, investigate why underarm hair hasn't been lost through evolution and reveal how someone's smell could reveal if they're your perfe...

What is phantom Limb Syndrome? Why don't birds get electrocuted when they land on power lines? Why can a tooth filling give us electric shocks? We tackle these questions on this week's show. We also find out why bears and penguins feet don't freeze on ice, look into the world of dreaming to find out why we each dream differently, reveal why waves are white when they break against the shore and dis...

Do energy saving lightbulbs give you headaches? How do LED lights work? How do CD's show us the spectrum of light? Can we see magenta in the spectrum? We tackle these question on this week's show. We also find out how trrains stay on their tracks and whether it's possible to communicate when tarvelling faster than the speed of sound! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scient...

Why do we see stars in the sky? Why do stars twinkle? Why can't we tickle ourselves? And how do stinging nettles sting? We tackle these question in this weeks show. We also find out whether eyesight can improve with age, how fibre optics work, why water doesn't burn and we reveal what hypermiling is! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How does Solar heating work? What is Sciatica? What's the point of space exploration? We tackle these challenges in this week's show. We'll also be finding out why we get headaches, whether we can duplicate stem cells using their DNA and explain why it's possible for humans to land on the Moon, but not Mars. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Would a matchbox spark in space? How do re-igniting candles work? How does an energy-saving lightbulb work? Does the sun rotate like the earth? We answer these questions this week, as well as reveal how mobile phone charms work, investigate why New Zealand has mainly non-deciduous trees and find otu if rainwater is safe to drink. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do we have Adam's Apples? Do other primates have them? When we find new species are they due to evolution? Why do we get sleep in our eyes? We tackle these questions on this week's show. We also reveal the healthiest type of olive oil, investigate spinal surgeries and look into the rare condition of Morgellons Disease. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will gravity ever pull our moon into a collision with earth? Why are planets round? How big is the black hole at the centre of our galaxy? We solve these mysteries this week on Ask the Naked Scientists. We also find out how superglue works, investigate how it is possible to have volcanoes under the sea and reveal how our years are getting longer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the...

How do spy satellites work? Is it true the US Military can control our GPS? How do we know the centre of the earth is so hot? How can we identify counterfeit money? We answer these questions on this week's Ask the Naked Scientists. We also investigate why venus doesn't rotate like the planets in the rest of our solar system, reveal why some technology is so reliant on remote control and we also re...

What would happen if we didn't have tides? If our moon continues moving away from us, will it affect our tides? Why doesn't tea flow out of the bag if the bag is lifted out quickly? We tackle these questions on this week's Ask the Naked Scientists, as well as find out about giant geysers on a moon of Saturn. We also investugate if chillis can be used to cure a cold, find out how people speed read...

Can time ever stand still? could we look back in time with a telescope? Could we see and stop a meteor in space? We tackle these questions on this week's Ask the Naked Scientists. We'll also be finding ou how decaffeinated coffee is made, if guns need oxygen to fire, and why oil makes paper translucent. Plus we'll reveal how to drop bread without it landing butte-side down and how to get an egg in...

Why do sea levels vary around the world? Why are there 2 tides? What is Autism? How were the colleges of Cambridge built along the river? We answer these questions on this week's Ask the Naked Scientists. We'll also reveal how people are brainwashed,explain howdigital radios work and look into why loud music can make some people become aggressive. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting th...

Why are stars and planets round? Could a helium balloon ever continue into space? Is the moon bombarded with asteroids? Is it possible to create a flying saucer? We answer these questions on this week's Ask the Naked Scientists. We'll also investigate the future of our evolution, reveal why spiders don't stick to their webs, andfind out why soap stings our eyes so much! Like this podcast? Please h...

How are gemstones formed? Why do we get brain freeze when eating Ice Cream? What is Renault's disease? We find out in this week's Ask the Naked Scientists, as well as discover how helicopters hover in one place, how some people avoided death during the plague, if fireworksare damaging to our environment and why we get body odour. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is it possible to make a car go 1000mph? Should we believe our cars or our Sat-Navs when calculating our speed? Why can we sometimes see both the Sun and the Moon in the sky? We solve these mysteries on this week's Ask the Naked Scientists, as well as find out if wejump higher when the Moon is above us, reveal the world's oldest known vegetables, investigate the flu vaccine and discover how to cre...

Why are some clouds dark? Why don't bees stick to their own honey? Why is UV light good for skin conditions, when we know it damages the skin? All these questions and more can be found in this week's Ask the Naked Scientists! Plus, why archaeologists think TB arose as a result of people coming together to live in early villages, and how meteorites lock away the secrets of the solar system. Like th...

Why are Geckos feet so sticky? Can it snow on mars? Is it possible for someone to spontaneously combust? We answer these questions this week on Ask the Naked Scientists. We also find out why lemons float more than limes, reveal the correct terminology for the himalayas and how thisregion can control weather conditions on the rest of the planet,uncover what will happen when the sun stops burning an...

What is fusion? Can we achieve cold fusion? How useful is nuclear power and is it safe? We look into these questions on this week's Ask the Naked Scientists. We'll also be finding out how sailing ships avoid the wind andwhy venomous snakes don't poison themselves, plus dig into how carbon dating works and reveal why ducks don't sink in water. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Nak...

What colour will the end of the universe be? How can the moon look orange? Why can't we fly individually with jetpacks? We answer these questions on this weeks Ask the Naked Scientists. We also find out if bigger brains means dumber people, if the use of polystyrene in our soils can poison our food and reveal how to move a tin can without touching it! Like this podcast? Please help us by supportin...

Red tongues, intestinal bacteria, appliances on standby and gut-busting stress levels all go under the microscope for Dr Chris's examination in this weeks Ask the Naked Scientists, when we'll also find out why an alternator connected to an electric car is a non-starter and what on Earth is nuclear fusion? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What is the Large Hadron Collider? How can a particle accelerator simulate the big bang? What are our options for energy in the future? Dr Dave tackles these questions on this weeks Ask the Naked Scientists. We also find out why the moon doesn't rise and set like the sun, how ships can carry heavy cargo without sinking and why melting icebergs won't actually change our sea levels. Like this podcas...

Could you stop yourself ageing by travelling at the speed of light? Why aren't we full of someone else's DNA after a blood transfusion? How do trees drink? All these questions and more will be answered this week on Ask the Naked Scientists! We'll also be finding out why the expanding universe is like a balloon and how you can lose weight (but not mass) in space. Like this podcast? Please help us b...