Ask the Naked Scientists

Why does my kiddie object to wearing shoes? What is spacetime and how does time dilation work? What is entanglement, otherwise known as spooky action at a distance? Are my feet ageing faster than my head? When a person dies, does their energy pass into their offspring? How does hyperloop technology work? Relebogile Mabotja and Dr Chris Smith have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by...

How does the James Webb Space Telescope work, and what will it reveal to us? How do spring and neap tides work, and what determines the times of tides? What causes hot flushes and night sweats? And why park the James Webb Space Telescope out in space - why not on the dark side of the moon? Lester Kiewit and Dr Chris Smith are back in action! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Nake...

What's the best shaped ice cube, the study suggesting a pan-coronavirus vaccine might be on the cards, why a temperature of 30 degrees C feels hot despite being below human body temperature, what effect have wars had on human population, where has the flu gone to in recent wnters? Join Dr Chris to find out! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why cockroaches invariably are found dead on their backs; what happens to old and previous Covid-19 variants; why do I see myself differently in photographs compared with when I look in the mirror; how do chickens produce eggs; what powers deep space probes; why do some people snore, especially after a few drinks; and why is yawning contagious? Dr Chris Smith and Lester Kiewit have the solutions!...

Why, after a dose of Covid-19, am I left with a new taste sensation resembling rotten onions? Why does bleached hair look blond, not white, and does salt water decolour the hair of surfers? How do I get rid of unwanted facial hair? Why is the hole my dog digs bigger than the dirt or sand that came out of it!? Why do mosquitoes prefer me to my wife? Does lighting a match do away with the smell of p...

What boils fastest, a glass or plastic kettle? Do animals adapt to their surroundings? Why do I feel sleepy when I take a trip to the coast? What's an itch? Why can I hear my husband snoring, but not me doing it myself? Can we artificially insert memories into the brain? Why do the colour of the sea vary in different locations? Why is entropy not a force? What is in it for a virus? Like this podca...

This week, what's the bottom line on sanitising surfaces against Covid-19? Why, wonders Lester, am I so sluggish for the first few hours of the day? And can you train your chronotype to be a better morning person? Does it make a difference if you sleep on your left or your right? Why is gambling addictive and is addiction a genetic trait? Can pornography be addictive? And will resorting to apps li...

The chemistry of fireworks, can I safely eat one year old Christmas cake, why we don't fall out of bed at night, what the Universe is expanding into, the reason we have to remove laptops from bags at airports, why the spinal cord won't spontanteously regenerate, sleep apps, and the science of forgetfulness all go under Lester and Dr Chris's microscope for analysis this week! Like this podcast? Ple...

This week we join young learners at Christel House school who ask us about the duration of immunity to Covid-19 post-vaccine and post-infection. Also, menstrual synchrony and whether it's fact or fiction, craniofacial abnormalities and the developing baby, the threat humans face from Artificial Intelligence (AI), why we're conscious and why we sleep. Dr Chris Smith and Lester Kiewit have the answe...

What gases are present in lava? What happens when hot magma meets cold water in the sea? How different is an animal's brain to my own? How much of my intelligence is down to genes, and how much is the environment in which I grew up? Do photons weigh anything? Is there a cancer pandemic? And will a spoon in the neck of the bottle keep champagne fizzy? Dr Chris and Lester Kiewit tackle your burning...

This week, James Croll and Mulitun Milankovic's contributions to planetary climate cycles; what it takes to knock a planet off-axis; where do clouds falling off Table Mountain go; does a discharged battery weigh less than a charged battery; the cheese reaction and bad dreams; why some foods go through undigested; why are planets round; birds recognising their own flocks; Captain Kirk heads to spac...

This week, where Vitamin D comes from, if lab-grown protein is vegan-friendly, how mammals evolved to dive deep underwater, how genes can be used to track evolution, how chillies create a burning sensation in the mouth, whether feet change shape as we age, what makes a battery rechargeable, and why tropical seas tend to be blue and clear. Dr Chris Smith and Lester Kiewit have the answers... Like t...

What makes a virus mutate? Why does bladder control become so much harder to achieve the closer I get to a toilet? How does sneezing work? How are vaccines quality controlled and assured around the world? What happens to Covid-19 vaccines if the cold-chain is broken? Dr Chris and Africa Melane have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week it's time to join another local school to answer their burning science questions including can we bring back extinct species from the dead; is the Universe infinite; can we replace cells and tissues in the body; will science solve Alzheimer's Disease; are humans getting taller; how do viruses like Covid-19 evolve and change; why do black holes matter; and, an easy one to finish on: what'...

What causes r-rolling difficulties otherwise known as rhotacism? Also, why do we have to stay still in an MRI scanner, why is calcium a metal, what makes water hard and how does a water softener work, what is the impact of a caesarian birth on health and why, what's the reason dementia affects short but not long term memory, and how does gravity work? Join Lester and Dr Chris for the answers to th...

This week we ask whether we're about to start spoiling other planets with our space forays, if there is antimatter in the human body, what causes cluster headaches, whether microwaving can ripen avocado, what causes long-sight, how atomic clocks operate, the basis of entropy and thermodynamics, why heat wipes out a magnet, and whether cleaning surfaces is a good idea for combating Covid-19... Like...

Is there such a thing as a true circle? Can two light rays collide with one another? What makes the sky look blue? Have aliens ever visited Earth? Will time travel ever be possible? What's the perfect pH for seed germination? Would a truck full of birds weigh less if all the birds took off? What's at the bottom of a black hole? Why is poo brown despite the fact we all eat different foods? This wee...

Why do I shiver when I wee? How does carbon dating work? What can I not tickle myself - is that similar to why I mind my own farts less than someone else's? Does breath-holding block tickle sensations? How does "the cloud" work in computing? Why are sunsets red, and what is the green flash? Why would a telegraph pole by the road vibrate of its own accord? Dr Chris and Lester have the solutions! Li...

Can you be allergic to one part of an animal but not another? What's the point of dreaming? What happened before the Big Bang? What's in wine that causes hangovers, and is this an allergic reaction? Are we seeing into the past when we detect light from far away in space? Why does driving through a long tunnel or across a bridge make me feel giddy? Lester and Dr Chris make your head spin with the a...

How do African animals withstand extreme cold in the Kalahari? Does the data we're all generating and storing weigh anything? How does relativity relate to the real world? Why do we run Olympic races in the direction we do? Is the ozone hole disappearing now? Were left handers less able to defend themselves back in history? Is a germinating seed making new matter? And will volcanoes eventually emp...

Why do some forms of heater seem to warm a room up faster? What's the different between Alzheimer's Disease and dementia? Are aluminium cooking utensils a risk factor for Alzheimer's? Can magic mushrooms control dementia, or other mood disorders? How do we know what's inside the Earth, and did we collide with another planet during Earth's past? Are microwaves a risk for cancer? Is there a limit to...

In this week's show, recorded before the Euro 2021 final, Dr Chris explains why Inuits survive on polar fare with impunity but Shackleton's crew developed nutritional deficiency when they were stuck in the Antarctic. Also, why laser beams are bad for goalkeepers, if energy drinks are dangerous, why squinting sharpens vision, if there humans with better senses than average, and what is meant by the...

Can electric eels power the national grid? What does 5% alcohol in a beer really mean? Does alcoholic hand cleanser ruin your fingerprints? Why does warm water on cold feet feel scalding hot? Is behaviour genetic - do I inherit my mood from my dad? Join Dr Chris and Azania Mosaka as they unravel the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, what happened to the Wankel Rotary Engine; why does air become thinner at altitude and thicker at depths; and why do I need to blow my nose vigorously when I first wake up but not at other times of the day? Also, what are the best pollinators, what's the evidence for macro-evolution, why do many great discoveries get discovered at the same time by independent workers, and what happens i...

Which is better, male or female? Why does one nostril sometimes seem to work better than the other? Why do some birds hop but others waddle? What's monosodium glutamate and what does it do to food? Why are other people's farts harder to tolerate? What causes multiple pregnancies? Why do we sometimes feel cold? And why don't professional sportsmen, like tennis players, not end up with one massive d...