Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists

Astronauts have to put up with living in zero gravity, so how might they go about avoiding its ill effects? Find out in this body-bending QotW. Plus, we ask if humans have whiskers. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Black holes emit Hawking radiation and gradually reduce in size, so is there a critical mass at which a black hole can no longer support itself? Find out in this QotW. Plus, we ask how much gravity can keep a human healthy. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Human excrement burns quite well, so why not use it to power a house? But how could this be done? Find out in this fragrant QotW. Plus, we ask why black holes don't explode. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does being pregnant mean you have to breathe for two? Find the answer in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask if poo power really is possible. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Certain foods seem to complement each other while others grate; why is this? Is it a matter of personal taste, or is there some science behind it? Plus, we ask if pregnancy makes breathing harder work. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If babies are born by caesarian and modern medicine allows many more people to survive to adulthood, will the human gene pool be affected? We explore this huuuge question in a very concise Question of the Week. Plus, we ask why it is that wine and cheese complement each other so well. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Calculators are rather speedy at subtracting, sums and deriving standard deviations. But how do they do it? We find out in this QotW. Plus, we ask if modern medicine is affecting the human gene pool. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If you've ever returned from taking the dog for a walk through rain, you'll probably be very aware of the terrible way it smells! But what is it that makes wet dogs smell so awful? We tackle this whiffy question. Plus, we ask how the blazes calculators work! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Given that photons are massless, how do solar sails get pushed along by light? We explore the reasoning in this Question of the Week! Plus, we ask why wet dogs always seem to smell so appalling. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do bubbles act like insulation on the surface of your bath? Will it prevent the need for that toe-burning hot water top up? Find out in this QotW! Plus, we ask how solar sails stay aloft on simple sunlight... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why is it, that when you take photos of footprints in sand, they can sometimes appear raised? We tackle this holiday illusion in Question of the Week! Plus, we ask if bubbles in your bath can keep it warmer for longer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Ever wondered what all that junk in your DNA trunk is doing? Find out in this QotW! Plus, we ask: what's the point of two sets of organs? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is it true that there are more earthquakes now than in the past, and that they are more intense? We explore the problem in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask if non-coding DNA has a purpose. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Have you ever noticed how leaving bits of leftover breakfast cereal uneaten causes it to harden like cement to the side of the bowl? Why is this? We explore the science of cereal cement, with additional commentary from Dominic Ford. Plus, we ask if earthquakes are becoming more commonplace. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

So you've felt those cold winds robbing you of your heat, but how fast do you have to go before they give it back? And why do planes stay cold when shuttles are hot? Find out in this QotW! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does a full fuel tank waste cash? Is there an optimum level to which you should fill your car's petrol tank so it doesn't just use the excess energy simply to carry the petrol around? Do vehicle manufacturers make the capacity of the petrol tank the perfect size with this in mind? Plus, passenger jets arrive cold, but spacecraft burn up - when does wind chill give way to frictional heating? Like t...

If you've been to a whale acrobatics display at a tourist centre, you probably noticed some very loud music being played. But does it actually annoy the whales? Plus, we ask how much petrol is the optimum amount to fill the car with each time you visit the pump. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week: what methods does our body use to keep itself warm? What does shivering actually do? Plus, we ask if whales like music. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Giraffes have very long necks indeed so how do they go about barfing? We find out how they revisit their dinner. Plus, we ask how the human body keeps warm. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Eye circles plague many of us at one time or another. Some of us have them all our lives! But what causes them? We have the answers... or a few of them. Plus, we ask if giraffes find it tricky to vomit... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How did you go about heating the water for this morning's shower? Did you leave the boiler on all night or just heat what you needed? Find out which is the most energy efficient in this Question of the Week! Plus, we ask why people get dark circles around their eyes. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Where do you have to go on the Earth to find the strongest pull of gravity? And where might one go to find the weakest? Plus, we ask which is the most efficient method of heating water: keeping a tank-full warm or just heating what you need. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the absence of a giant ruler, how does one go about measuring how far the Earth is from a star? Simon Singh explains in this QotW. Plus, we ask where in the world gravity feels strongest. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Potato peelers are the staple of the kitchen drawer, but why don't they ever seem to need a good honing as ordinary knives do? We have the answer(s). Plus, we ask how the distance to a star is calculated. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week, how do painkillers locate the bits that hurt? Do they have an inflammatory sat-nav or do they just numb your entire body? Plus, we ask why potato peelers never need sharpening. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists