Question of the Week Podcast

Diana O'Carroll

What keeps the Olympic torch alight, in flight?  To keep the Olympic spirit burning, it must need to travel on aeroplanes, but how do you keep a naked flame burning, while keeping other passengers safe?  We find out from one of the designers of the Sydney Olympic Torch.  Plus, we ask why earplugs seem to amplify your internal noises, and they may have all died out, but just how long did a dinosaur live?

Diana O'Carroll

When will we run out of oil?  In the 1970s, it was predicted that oil wells would run dry by the year 2000, but new reserves were discovered.  So in this week's Question we find out how long we have left, and if rising oil prices will make difficult reserves more productive.  Also we ask how the Olympic torch stays lit in flight, and why do earplugs keep outside noises out, but make internal noises unbearably loud?

Diana O'Carroll

Should you turn off the TV in a thunderstorm? In this electrifying Question of the Week we find out if an attached aerial attracts lightning, or if it's safe to ride out the storm in front of your set.  Plus, we ask if we might find new reserves of oil, and how do we keep the Olympic torch alight mid-flight?

Diana O'Carroll

How long would you survive sealed in a compact car?  Is there enough oxygen to survive your journey, or should you just open a window to avoid suffocating on your own expelled gas?  Also, we ask if lightning should interrupt your television viewing - should you unplug your TV in a storm?  And we make an oil enquiry - how do we know that we'll run out of oil? How do we know we won't find more?

Diana O'Carroll

Should you drink wine in the desert?  Would an alcoholic drink dehydrate you faster than no drink at all?  If so, should you let the alcohol evaporate first, and how long would this take?  This is the subject of this week's answer, and we ask how long you could survive in a sealed car, and should you switch off your TV in a lightning storm?

Diana O'Carroll

For this week's Question, we find out why it is that although some people speak with a strong accent, this almost completely disappears when they sing.  Could it be that there are language lessons to learn from singing Karaoke?  Plus, we ask how long you could survive on the air in a sealed car, and if you're dying of thirst would drinking wine help, or finish you off?

Diana O'Carroll

On this week's Question of the Week, we plunge into a question about tides!  We find out how the tide times are worked out to the nearest minute, and why anyone would need such precision.  Plus, we ask why your spoken and singing accents may not match, and if you're trapped in the desert, is it better to drink wine than drink nothing at all?

Diana O'Carroll

This week, we tackle the hirsute - will clean, trimmed hair grow quickly?  Can you slow the growth with neglect?  We find out if cut hair grows back quicker and thicker, or if that's just an urban myth.  Also, we ask how tide times are so precise, and why people lose their accent when they sing...

Diana O'Carroll

Our question this week concerns caves - we find out if more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes caves to grow quicker.  Could an acidic atmosphere create cathedral-sized caverns?  Also, we ask if your hair gives you the 'cold shoulder' by growing slowly when not washed, and just how do they time the tides so accurately?

Diana O'Carroll

This week, we find out if our noses tell us the truth.  Does a strong smell mean a lot of odour in the air, or can we be tricked by small smells?  In short, does our sense of smell have a sense of scale?  Also, we ask if more carbon dioxide in the air leads to bigger caves in the ground, and can you slow the growth of your hair by not having it cut?