15th Mar 2010
- Do subliminal learning CDs work?
We find out if it's possible to revise for exams, become a mechanic or pick up a new language in your sleep! Do those CDs really work? Plus, we ask how many calories our bodies actually absorb from the food we eat.
|
8th Mar 2010
- How is money made?
In this lucrative Question of the Week we find out how paper notes and metal coins are minted and printed in the money making factories of the UK. Plus, we ask if and how subliminal CDs work...
|
1st Mar 2010
- Why does white clothing become see-through when wet?
We find out about the physics behind wet T-shirt competitions! Why is it that pale clothing becomes transparent with the addition of water? Plus, in a totally unrelated question, we ask how money is made...
|
22nd Feb 2010
- Does ploughing snow cause global warming?
In this seasonal Question of the Week we explore how removing the lovely white reflective stuff might cause the whole world to warm up. Plus, we ask how wet T-shirt competitions work (the science behind it, that is)!
|
15th Feb 2010
- Can you make a phone call from a black hole?
Got an urgent call that needs to overcome virtually infinite gravity? This Question of the Week explores if mobile calls from black holes are possible. Plus, we ask if ploughing up the snow can worsen global warming.
|
8th Feb 2010
- Did the dinosaurs have the same seasons as we do?
We discover whether life in the Cretaceous period was as seasonal as it is today. Did dinosaurs put up with leaves on the line too? Plus, we ask whether it's possible to make a call from a black hole.
|
1st Feb 2010
- Will the washing dry outside in the winter?
We find out if evaporation works in cold weather too! Is it worth using the tumble dryer, after all? Plus, we ask if the seasons have always sat in the same part of the solar year...
|
25th Jan 2010
- Can a tanker pull birds off-course?
We find out whether a giant hulk of steel can disrupt a bird's navigation system. Would a 350,000 ton tanker do the trick? Plus, we ask how cold it can be before hanging out the washing becomes pointless.
|
18th Jan 2010
- Do pets look like their owners?
We find out if the old adage is true - do pets really look similar to their owners? Or is it just that we only tend to remember those that do look similar? Plus, we ask why pigeons like settling on oil tankers...
|
11th Jan 2010
- How do countries add up their CO2 emissions?
In this environmentally-themed QotW we find out how nations across the globe add up their greenhouse gas contributions. Does everyone do CO2 accounts in the same way? Plus, we ask why it is that pets look like their owners.
|
21st Dec 2009
- Why is chocolate poisonous to dogs?
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.
|
14th Dec 2009
- What would happen if you 'Tasered' an elephant?
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...
|
7th Dec 2009
- How do you propagate seedless fruit?
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...
|
30th Nov 2009
- How much radiation are you exposed to during a medical x-ray?
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.
|
23rd Nov 2009
- Why serve white wine chilled?
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.
|
16th Nov 2009
- Do red skies at night mean shepherd's delight?
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.
|
9th Nov 2009
- How many offspring does the average sperm donor create?
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.
|
2nd Nov 2009
- Why does holding the TV aerial improve the picture?
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...
|
26th Oct 2009
- What are floaters?
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.
|
19th Oct 2009
- Are Spiders Expert Architects?
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...
|
11th Oct 2009
- Is it dangerous to sit too close to the TV?
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.
|
4th Oct 2009
- How do sharks make blood?
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.
|
20th Sep 2009
- Why do we have fingerprints?
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.
|
13th Sep 2009
- What dictates the frequency of the waves?
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?
|
7th Sep 2009
- Do Plants have Immunity?
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.
|
2nd Aug 2009
- The Lifelong Tattoo
We find out why tattoos can hang around for a lifetime. Plus, we ask if plants have an immune system.
|
27th Jul 2009
- Setting the Pace
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.
|
20th Jul 2009
- Snap, Crackle and Pop!
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?
|
13th Jul 2009
- Egg Ventilation
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?"
|
6th Jul 2009
- Night Sneezing
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.
|
On this Question of the Week, we ask if it makes environmental sense to trade in an old car for a new one, as there'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...
|
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.
|
15th Jun 2009
- Raining Out Into Space
We ask if the Earth rains outwards and loses water to space! Plus, how does laundry detergent target stains but avoid dyes?
|
8th Jun 2009
- Safest Sites for Asteroid Impact
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.
|
1st Jun 2009
- Sunflowers Doing the Twist
We find out how sunflowers follow the sun as it moves from east to west and whether the blooms have the same attraction to the moon. Plus, we ask where the best place would be for an asteroid to land.
|
25th May 2009
- Will the Dumb Out-Breed the Clever?
This week, we ask if the human race is evolving to be less intelligent, as those with more education tend to delay breeding and have fewer children. Plus, we ask how sunflowers follow the Sun, and whether they re-set overnight!
|
How did the waggle dance - the complex dance that honeybees use to describe the whereabouts of good food - evolve in small steps? We find out in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask where human evolution is taking us...
|
11th May 2009
- Jumbo Aerobatics
This week's question jet propels us into the blue skies thinking on passenger jet manoeuvrability. Can a large airliner perform barrel rolls and loops? We also ask, how did bee dances come about?
|
4th May 2009
- Night Time Weight Loss
In this Question of the Week, we ask if the positions of the Sun and Moon influence your weight - Is night time your light time, what do you weigh at midday? Diana O'Carroll finds out. Plus, we ask if it's possible to do aerobatic stunts in large passenger aircraft!
|
27th Apr 2009
- Can Magnets Descale your Pipes?
In this Question of the Week, we find out if a magnetic field can stop pipes from clogging up with limescale? Many manufacturers would like us to believe that simply clamping a magnet to your plumbing is all you need for clean, free flowing water, but is the science on their side? Plus, we ask if the planets and stars align to make you weigh less at night!
|
20th Apr 2009
- How Do Fish Sleep?
As they can't close their eyes, how do fish sleep? We find out in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask if magnetism can really stop limescale from sticking to your pipes...
|
30th Mar 2009
- Deadly Snakes
This Question of the Week is about getting to the root of toxic snake bites. Why do Aussie snakes have such a venomous reputation? Plus, we ask what goldfish get up to at night...
|
22nd Mar 2009
- Chameleon Food
In this week's QotW we find out what food to eat if you want to turn orange. Plus, we ask why Australian snakes are, on the whole, more toxic than their global counterparts.
|
16th Mar 2009
- Do Humans Grow a Warm Winter Fur Coat?
On this Question of the Week, we ask if humans grow a winter coat, and then moult in the winter, as so many other furry animals do? Plus, if Flamingoes are pink because of their diet, can we eat to change colour?
|
9th Mar 2009
- The Biology of Burns
In this Question of the Week, we discover the biological basis of burns - just what does happen to your cells when you touch something hot? Plus, we ask if humans undergo seasonal moulting - do we lose more hair when it's warmer?
|
2nd Mar 2009
- Google Power
This week, we search our own databanks to find out how much energy it takes to search for something on Google. Plus, we ask what happens at a molecular level when we touch a hot object...
|
23rd Feb 2009
- The Many Shapes of Leaves
In this special Question of the Week, we explore the reasons why trees, even when closely related an in the same environment, can have such diverse leaf shapes. Plus, we ask how much energy it takes to search the internet for answers!
|
16th Feb 2009
- Musical Milk
Why should milk 'change it's tune' when it's being steamed? In this Question of the Week, we find out why the sound of steaming milk changes abruptly at around 60°C (140°F), and invite you to consider Sir David Attenborough's question for next week...
|
9th Feb 2009
- Wearable Robots
Could a robotic suit make a ballerina out of a buffoon? Could technology allow ordinary people to perform extraordinary tasks? We find out in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask why milk seems to be so musical - why does the sound of milk being steamed seem to suddenly change when the milk reaches 60 degrees Celsius?
|
2nd Feb 2009
- Spit and Polish
How does spit make your shoes so shiny? A good polish needs more than just elbow grease, it needs your saliva too! We find out in this Question of the Week, and ask if it's possible to build a suit that lets you dance like a ballerina?
|
26th Jan 2009
- Counting without Counting
You can instantly tell if there are three objects on a table, but if there are twenty, you would need to count them to be sure. Why can we spot the small groups without having to count, and how big does the group have to be for us to get out our mental abacus'? We find out in this Question of the Week, plus, we ask why should spit shine shoes so successfully?
|
19th Jan 2009
- Fossilised Fence Posts
Petrified wood is a type of fossil, but some claim to have seen wooden fence posts that have already become petrified. Is it scientifically possible for wood to fossilise in such a short period? We ask how petrified wood is formed, and what exactly does it consist of? Plus, you may instinctively be able to count three items in a pile, but how many items before you have to stop and count?
|
