Ask the Naked Scientists

What's better to injest after antibiotics treatment, yoghurt or probiotics? What makes milk and snow so white? Why does being exposed to cold water make one breathe so heavily? Is time really a human construct? This and more are the subject of Lester and Chris' weekly science QnA session... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why chainsaw's blunt over time, planet rotation, Star Trek's on the money with scientific accuracy, mathematical conundrums, sneezing in your sleep, the kinetic energy of a sneeze and our perception of flavour. Lester and Dr Chris have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Consumption of energy in the brain; the role of my adam's apple; seed anatomy; why there are so many planets; body components that suck oxygen from the air; NASA predicts the number of stars in our universe; why do flowers bloom in spring; measuring the milky way; the chemical properties of bromine; pursuing the origns of life; if the moon isn't cheese, what is it made of? Dr Chris Smith joins 567...

Soap on the bathroom mirror with a hot shower running; sedatives acting unusually; coffee reduces tiredness but also provides a lick of energy; does a glass of sherry warm you up on a cold night; how do you contract shingles; asian flush; water density experiment for you to try at home; is the conflict in Ukraine speeding up climate change. Dr Chris Smith joins 567 Cape Talk's Lester Kiewit to tal...

The Platinum Jubilee; aerodynamics and physics of tailgating vehicles; why planets and the moon are all in the same orbital plane; how ants lead their nest-mates to a food source; animal extinction; how light can reveal what something is made of; do transplant recipients inherit genetic diseases from their donors; and would someone with an arm transplant leave a different DNA fingerprint with thei...

What are stars made of? How do ants breathe? How does a person catch chickenpox? Why are sunsets and sunrises red? What are planets made of? How many bones in a human body? How do Earthquakes occur? IF the Earth's round, why don't we fall off? Why doesn't sand dissolve? How does a bird fly? This week Lester and Dr Chris are with the kids at the AKA snapshot study group to find out what they want t...

Shortages of cooking oil, risks of being hit by lightning and can lightning travel through your plumbing; why boats have round portholes; what's the memory capacity of a human brain; can we measure happiness; do animals feel happy and sad like we do; what gives farts their unique characteristics, and why do stars twinkle? Lester and Dr Chris have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by...

Why do some animals sleep standing up? And do fish sleep? Why are elderly voices higher pitched than younger voices? Why does the outside temperature drop just before the sunrise? Why do I feel pain in my ears during a plane takeoff, and why does chewing gum help? Do cats and dogs recognise their siblings? Why is yawning contagious? Do dogs get depressed? And why doesn't our own snoring wake us up...

Can trees produce more than 1 type of fruit? Why do some flowers only have a scent at night? What makes fruit taste sweet? How does the Google search engine work? How do motorcycle tyres grip the road? How are some children geniuses? What is myasthenia gravis? What's the difference between a sickness, a disease, an illness, an affliction, a malaise and a disorder? How does reverse swing work on a...

Why are humans still born with bits we don't need - will evolution do away with them? Did an onion make me cry less because it was cold from the fridge? Do animals get diabetes like humans do? What is the physics of a rainbow? Where does lightning come from? What did cloning Dolly the Sheep mean for me? And is Covid-19 nature redressing the balance? Dr Chris Smith and Relebogile Mabotja have the a...

Nominative determinism; can cold showers ward off coughs and flu; what's von Willebrand's Disease; if smoking causes cancer how does it cure salmon; why can some people roll their tongues; what's "Agent Orange"; in television, how does a green screen work; do crocodiles age more slowly than we do; what is Helicobacter pylori? Chris and Lester have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us b...

Is it better to keep the tank topped up to full, or should I drive around on half empty: what's better for my car and fuel consumption? Why might althletes take an ice bath after exercise? If I go out with wet hair, will I really catch a cold, or is that a myth? Do babies sleep better in a cooler room? What's the difference between an electrical blackout and a brownout? Is the expensive face cream...

What happens, genetically, when a black and a white human partner have children? And if a pair of genetically identical twins marries another pair of identical twins, are their kids genetically brothers and sisters? Do birds have ears? And if you lose one of your special senses, do other senses strengthen to compensate? What's the reason for human handedness? And does a blood transfusion recipient...

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...