Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists

We discover why delicious chocolate is deadly for dogs. Why should they be denied the pleasure? Plus, we ask how countries measure their carbon dioxide output accurately. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out what would happen if you tried to use a stun gun on an elephant. Would you live to tell the tale? Plus, we ask why dogs need to avoid chocolate... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out how one makes more seedless grapes, bananas, oranges and watermelons when they don't have any seeds! Plus, we ask what would happen if you had the audacity to Taser(tm) an elephant... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week's question is all about the cell-zapping power of radiation. Just how much does a standard medical scan expose you to? How does that compare to the levels radiation workers are limited to receiving? Plus, we ask how seedless fruits manage to reproduce. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why is it that we serve white wines and red wines at different temperatures? Does this really affect the bouquet? Plus, we ask how many x-rays are too many. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out why it is we see red skies at all and the meteorology behind, Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning. Is it true? Plus, we ask why different wines are served at different temperatures. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out how many children a sperm donor will father. Is there a limit to the number? Plus, we ask whether red skies at night really do delight shepherds. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why is it that, when your mum asks you to move the TV aerial to a better position, the signal improves while you move it about and then degrades as soon as you let go? We find out what it is that makes the signal improve when you're holding a TV aerial. Plus, we ask how many offspring a sperm donor is likely to generate... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out what vitreous floaters are and how they can be removed. Will a coil of wire do the trick? Plus, we ask why holding a TV aerial can improve the picture. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do spiders make such perfect webs? Are they expert architects, mathematical geniuses or natural engineers? Plus, we ask what the floaters in our eyes are, and if we can pull them out of the way... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out why we were told as kids not to sit too close to the television. Is there any scientific basis to the warning? Plus, we ask how it is that spiders manage to build such intricate and regular webs without geometry equipment. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out how sharks, proud owners of cartilaginous skeletons, make red blood cells without the aid of bone marrow. Plus, we ask whether it's safe to get up close and personal with your television set. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Just what is the point to all those ridges and furrows set into our fingers, toes, palms and soles? We do some detective work on the answer. Plus, we ask how sharks make blood when they have bones made from cartilage. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We discover what it is that makes fewer or more waves crash against the shore each minute. Is it the tides, the sun or the number of surfers? Plus, we ask, why do we have finger prints? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out if and how plants might combat little nasties like bacteria and viruses. Plus, we ask what defines the frequency of ocean waves. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out why tattoos can hang around for a lifetime. Plus, we ask if plants have an immune system. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out how pacemakers keep your heart in check, even if you go running after a bus. Plus, we ask how tattoos manage to stay under your skin for so long. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out what it is that makes rice-based cereals so noisy. Plus, we ask how does a pacemaker know to keep step with a human heart? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out how developing bird embryos get their oxygen whilst trapped inside an egg. Plus, we ask what makes breakfast cereals go, "snap, crackle and pop?" Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this Question of the Week, we ask if we sneeze in our sleep? What stops us from 'atchoo'ing while we're snoozing? Plus, we ask how oxygen gets into a developing egg. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

On this Question of the Week, we askif it makes environmental sense to trade in an old car for a new one, asthere's so much embodied carbon in a car. Find out how efficient your new car would need to be to render the old one ungreen! Plus, we ask why we never sneeze in our sleep... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We clean up the science of washing powders, how they work and why stains rather than dyes are removed by them. Plus, we ask whether it is better for the environment to continue driving an old car or have a new one made. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We ask if the Earth rains outwards and loses water to space! Plus, how does laundry detergent target stains but avoid dyes? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Where would be the best place for an asteroid to strike the Earth? Would deep ocean, land or polar ice cap be the least destructive? We weigh up the options on this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask if the Earth leaks water into space. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out how sunflowers follow the sun as it moves from east to west and whether the bloomshave the same attraction to the moon. Plus, we ask where the best place would be for an asteroid to land. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists