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
How long after eating is that carbon exhaled?
Greg asked, "When I exhale, my breath contains carbon atoms. How long ago were they in my food or drink?" We were hungry for answers, so Ruby Osborn asked Fred Warren from the Quadram Institute Biosc…
00:03:37 |
Sun 12 May 2019
How to see faint stars
Sean asked "Why is it that when you look directly at a small faint star it disappears, but when you look at a point near it, you can see it again?" Ben McAllister has been searching far and wide for …
00:04:31 |
Sun 28 Apr 2019
Can purple carrots turn your skin purple?
We received this question from Aidan, "Consuming orange carrots in high excess can turn your skin orange, because of the beta-carotene. What about purple carrots?" Jack Tavener and Katie Haylor have …
00:04:02 |
Sun 31 Mar 2019
Why do socks disappear in the wash?
We received this question from Chani... "My socks never stay together in the wash. One always disappears. Is there a scientific explanation for where those socks go? Why are they so unhappy in monoga…
00:03:47 |
Mon 18 Mar 2019
Effect of ethanol on brain?
Donald asked us what specific effects ethanol has on the brain and why certain regions are more impacted than others when we have a drink. This week, Joe Galea, from the University of Birmingham, hel…
00:03:46 |
Mon 04 Mar 2019
Why can some people imitate accents?
Lia asked us why some people seem to be naturally good at imitating voices and accents. To get the last word, Adam Murphy got an answer from Jonathan Goodman, from the Language Sciences Department at…
00:03:34 |
Mon 18 Feb 2019
Why do candles smoke and smell?
Richard was wondering why do candles make more smoke and smell after they've gone out. Jenny Gracie has been sniffing out an answer from Duncan Graham at the University of Strathclyde and Ricky Carve…
00:03:42 |
Mon 04 Feb 2019
QotW - What language do deaf people think in?
Bree asked: If a person is born completely deaf and can't hear a thing, what language do they think in? We asked Dr Mairead MacSweeney, director of the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre…
00:03:48 |
Mon 28 Jan 2019
Do plants eat dirt?
Marcus was wondering how trees, such as giant oaks, can grow so huge and not make a hole in the ground. Where does their mass come from if not from the dirt? Jenny Gracie has been digging deep to fin…
00:03:02 |
Mon 21 Jan 2019
Why doesnt old soap make suds effectively?
When a bar of soap gets used a lot and gets smaller, it seems to struggle to form suds properly. Is something other than just a smaller surface area going on? Eva Higginbotham has been scubbing up to…
00:04:05 |
Mon 14 Jan 2019
What happens to bubbles in space?
This week, Malcolm's been watching the science fiction film, Passengers. He wanted to know what happens to air bubbles in water if gravity was suddenly turned off. Adam Murphy spoke to Stuart Higgins…
00:03:33 |
Mon 17 Dec 2018
Can dogs recognise each other as dogs?
Do we know if a Great Dane meeting a Chihuahua recognises it as another dog? We asked Professor Donald Broom from Cambridge University and Dr Charlotte Duranton to help us sniff out the answer to Dot…
00:03:57 |
Mon 26 Nov 2018
How do you fly in a hurricane?
This week, Daniel wants to know why hurricane researchers seem to use propeller-driven planes when flying into the eye of the storm. Eva Higginbotham spoke to Dr Anna Young of the University of Cambr…
00:04:02 |
Mon 19 Nov 2018
When did we become modern day humans?
With the help of Cambridge University's Professor Robert Foley, Sam Brown took a trip back in time to answer Stuart's question: If you could bring a baby from the past to grow up in the present, how …
00:03:32 |
Mon 12 Nov 2018
How do wombats produce cube-shaped poo?
Poo comes in many shapes and sizes. We are used to seeing it on the street or accidentally stepping in different forms including tubes from dogs, pellets from rabbits or big splats from cows, but I h…
00:03:24 |
Mon 29 Oct 2018
Is second hand smoke more dangerous than smoking a cigarette?
Is it true that second hand smoking or passive smoking is more likely to give you cancer than smoking a cigarette? Tamsin Bell put this to Stefan Marciniak from the Cambridge Institute for Medical Re…
00:04:15 |
Sun 21 Oct 2018
Why do I feel the pressure of wellies in water?
When standing barefoot in water, we don't feel the water pressure on our feet. But when wearing Wellington boots, we do feel a pinching - why? We asked Colm-cille Caulfield, Professor at Cambridge Un…
00:03:40 |
Sun 30 Sep 2018
Why is Blu-Tack sticky?
Tom asked us "Why is Blu-Tack sticky?" Adam Murphy spoke to Jennifer Gaughran, researcher at Dublin City University, to see if she could help with a question that had us stuck... Like this podcast? P…
00:02:46 |
Sun 23 Sep 2018
Could we terraform the Moon?
Chad asked us "Is it possible to terraform the Moon, so that humans could live there long-term?". Tamsin Bell spoke to David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University, to see…
00:03:17 |
Sun 16 Sep 2018
Do wild animals get allergies?
On Twitter, Andrew asked us: "Do wild animals suffer from allergies, and if so, does this occur at the same rate as in humans?" We spoke to Wild Immunologist Andy Flies, from the University of Tazman…
00:02:59 |
Sun 02 Sep 2018
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