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...
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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...
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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?
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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!
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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!
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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...
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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...
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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.
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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?
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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?
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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...
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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!
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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...
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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12th Jan 2009
- Meteoric Life Forms
Meteorites, dust and other space rubbish is falling to Earth all the time, but does any of it ever contain life? We find out if aliens hitch a lift on space rubble in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask how does wood become petrified? Can it happen quickly enough for us to find petrified fence posts?
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