Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists
Each week we set out to solve one of the world's weirdest, wackiest, funniest and funkiest scientific puzzles. And along with the answer there's a brand new question to think about for next time...
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 4 minutes
- Episodes
- 629
- Years Active
- 2008 - 2025
What happens to celebratory bullets?
In some parts of the world, some groups will fire guns directly into the air in celebration. Mike wants to know what happens to these bullets, and if they have the potential to be dangerous. To help …
00:05:06 |
Fri 05 Sep 2025
What would you find at the centre of Saturn or Jupiter?
Maddie wants to know what a daring adventurer might find if they journeyed to the centre of one of our Solar System's gas giants: Juptier and Saturn. James Tytko took on her question, with the help o…
00:05:07 |
Fri 29 Aug 2025
Do recent experiments prove a quantum interpretation?
Iain wants to know whether recent experiments have gotten us any closer to deciding which interpretation of quantum mechanics is most likely. This branch of physics describes the as yet unexplained i…
00:05:39 |
Fri 22 Aug 2025
Can a dog and a fox produce viable offspring?
Girts sends a question about which animals can mate to produce viable offspring. How is it that different breeds of dogs can come together to produce puppies, but add a different animal into the equa…
00:06:41 |
Fri 15 Aug 2025
How are our cells different at the genetic level?
Jon wants to know, how do the cells in the human body, in all their variety, differ at the genetic level? James Tytko took his query on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Sc…
00:04:23 |
Fri 01 Aug 2025
Will AI help to reduce environmental harms?
Geoff has written in asking whether AI will offset its vast energy appetite by facilitating environmentally conscious initiatives. James Tytko took on the challenge of finding out, with help from res…
00:07:44 |
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Can nuclear reactors power Mars missions and our towns?
Laurie writes in, wanting to know whether the nuclear reactions which power Mars rovers means small nuclear reactors could power our towns and cities. Diving into this atomic adventure, James Tytko s…
00:06:39 |
Fri 18 Jul 2025
How do you catch Lyme disease?
Leonard is asking how one acquires Lyme disease, and how doctors diagnose it. James Tytko asked Jack Lambert, Professor and Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Mater Misericordiae University Hospita…
00:05:15 |
Fri 11 Jul 2025
Will green technology stop climate change?
Simon wants to know, since we saw a dip in greenhouse gas emissions during the pandemic, why haven't we seen climate change slow down? Is green technology part of the problem? James Tytko took on his…
00:03:48 |
Fri 04 Jul 2025
How long does a lap of the water cycle take?
Thanks to Jess Neumann for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
00:05:18 |
Fri 27 Jun 2025
Why do clouds move in a different direction to the wind?
When Tony is cycling around, he notices that the clouds above him are not always moving in the same direction as he feels the wind blowing him down on the ground. Why might this be? James Tytko took …
00:04:59 |
Fri 20 Jun 2025
Do photons have a size?
Donald wants to know, 'how big is a photon?' Marushka Soobben took on his query with help from Ben Allanach, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge... Like this podcast? Plea…
00:04:04 |
Fri 13 Jun 2025
How much brain capacity do our senses take up?
David wants to know, 'How much do the senses take up in brain capacity and what sense occupies the largest part of the brain (I would guess it would be sight?)' James Tytko took on his query with hel…
00:05:09 |
Fri 06 Jun 2025
Do lower oxygen levels in planes contribute to jet lag?
This time on Question of the Week, Mark wants to know what effect lower levels of oxygen in aeroplanes might have on how we feel after a flight, and what impact the smoking ban might have had. As a f…
00:05:12 |
Fri 30 May 2025
Why hasn't light from the earliest galaxies gone past us?
Darren wants to know, 'Why can we see the light from the first galaxies. Why hasn't that light already passed us if it is from so long ago when the universe was smaller.' Strap in for a mind bending …
00:04:49 |
Fri 23 May 2025
What happens when you are injected with your own stem cells?
Joao wants to know what happens when stem cells of our own, which have been cultivated outside the body, are reintroduced to the bloodstream. This got James Tytko thinking about autologous stem cell …
00:04:56 |
Fri 16 May 2025
How would the world differ if we rotated the landmass?
Will wants to know what the implications would be for our world if the landmass was rotated 90 degrees, so current day Mexico was nearer the South Pole. Trying to wrap his head round all of the possi…
00:06:33 |
Fri 09 May 2025
How would an AI converse with another AI?
Brian wants to know, if 2 AI's were to have a conversation with one another, what would they talk about? James Tytko put this query to the test, and asked Mike Pound, professor of computer vision at …
00:05:21 |
Fri 02 May 2025
Could the measles virus treat autoimmune diseases?
Thanks to John Maher for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
00:06:12 |
Fri 25 Apr 2025
How do some animals understand human commands?
Kiran wants to know how animals like dogs are able to follow commands from humans. James Tytko asked Nicky Clayton, Professor of Comparative Cognition at the University of Cambridge, to help with the…
00:05:33 |
Fri 18 Apr 2025
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