How much of the baby that you were born as is still part of you now? Plus we ask - can you brew beer in space?.....
|
We're told to save electricity by switching off devices on standby. But if a home is heated solely by electricity, would there still be any savings by turning off all those devices? Plus a 57 year old male asks if any of his original parts remain.......
|
This week I’ll be getting inside your head.....with a question from Jarraryd Dunn. Plus we'll be asking is there any point in switching off your lights, TVs, and phone chargers during the winter?
|
When cooking caramels why does temperature rise in stages? With New Year’s Resolutions in full swing we sink our teeth into this sweet thermal caramel quandary. And we also ask how does a headache hurt when there are no receptors in the brain for pain?
|
Can wearing sunglasses fool your senses into thinking there is less sun and increase your risk of getting sunburn? We take on this quandry and also wonder why cooking caramel causes temperature to increases in stages....
|
Why would your feet seem further away when lying down? We put our visual depth perception to the test to find out how being horizontal could change the way you see the world. Plus, we ask if wearing sunglasses increases your risk of getting sunburned?
|
Fish reproduce by squirting out eggs and fertilising them, so where's the joy in that? Is there any form of pleasure that fish can experience through reproducing? We explore this fishy conundrum in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask why one's feet can sometimes look farther away than they ought to.
|
Why is it that the sound of nails being dragged down a blackboard makes every muscle tense and every nerve jangle? We tackle this teeth-grittingly uncomfortable problem in QotW. Plus, we ask whether fish experience extra benefits in laying eggs.
|
For those who are long or short-sighted, have you ever experienced an inability to focus on objects in the mirror - even though you should be close enough to the mirror to see them clearly? Find out why in this QotW. Plus, we ask what's happening when spine-tingling sounds give you the shivers.
|
When two abnormalities in space time collide, what sort of mess are they likely to produce? Will we see it? Find out in this supermassive QotW! Plus, we ask why some objects stay blurry in the mirror.
|
Given that a foetus is essentially a swimming thing on the end of a piece of string, how is it that the two don't become tangled more often? Find out in this jelly-like QotW. Plus, we ask what would happen if two black holes met.
|
The pupil of the eye dilates in low-light conditions. Does this mean that the same amount is let into the eye when we wear sunglasses? Plus, we ask if babies can tie themselves in knots.
|
Many people across the world are able to grow moustaches and beards, but are these the same as whiskers? Find out in this hirsute QotW. Plus, we ask if eyes overcompensate when wearing sunglasses.
|
Astronauts have to put up with living in zero gravity, so how might they go about avoiding its ill effects? Find out in this body-bending QotW. Plus, we ask if humans have whiskers.
|
Black holes emit Hawking radiation and gradually reduce in size, so is there a critical mass at which a black hole can no longer support itself? Find out in this QotW. Plus, we ask how much gravity can keep a human healthy.
|
Human excrement burns quite well, so why not use it to power a house? But how could this be done? Find out in this fragrant QotW. Plus, we ask why black holes don't explode.
|
Does being pregnant mean you have to breathe for two? Find the answer in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask if poo power really is possible.
|
Certain foods seem to complement each other while others grate; why is this? Is it a matter of personal taste, or is there some science behind it? Plus, we ask if pregnancy makes breathing harder work.
|
If babies are born by caesarian and modern medicine allows many more people to survive to adulthood, will the human gene pool be affected? We explore this huuuge question in a very concise Question of the Week. Plus, we ask why it is that wine and cheese complement each other so well.
|
Calculators are rather speedy at subtracting, sums and deriving standard deviations. But how do they do it? We find out in this QotW. Plus, we ask if modern medicine is affecting the human gene pool.
|
If you've ever returned from taking the dog for a walk through rain, you'll probably be very aware of the terrible way it smells! But what is it that makes wet dogs smell so awful? We tackle this whiffy question. Plus, we ask how the blazes calculators work!
|
Given that photons are massless, how do solar sails get pushed along by light? We explore the reasoning in this Question of the Week! Plus, we ask why wet dogs always seem to smell so appalling.
|
Do bubbles act like insulation on the surface of your bath? Will it prevent the need for that toe-burning hot water top up? Find out in this QotW! Plus, we ask how solar sails stay aloft on simple sunlight...
|
Why is it, that when you take photos of footprints in sand, they can sometimes appear raised? We tackle this holiday illusion in Question of the Week! Plus, we ask if bubbles in your bath can keep it warmer for longer.
|
Ever wondered what all that junk in your DNA trunk is doing? Find out in this QotW! Plus, we ask: what's the point of two sets of organs?
|
Is it true that there are more earthquakes now than in the past, and that they are more intense? We explore the problem in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask if non-coding DNA has a purpose.
|
Have you ever noticed how leaving bits of leftover breakfast cereal uneaten causes it to harden like cement to the side of the bowl? Why is this? We explore the science of cereal cement, with additional commentary from Dominic Ford. Plus, we ask if earthquakes are becoming more commonplace.
|
So you've felt those cold winds robbing you of your heat, but how fast do you have to go before they give it back? And why do planes stay cold when shuttles are hot? Find out in this QotW!
|
Does a full fuel tank waste cash? Is there an optimum level to which you should fill your car's petrol tank so it doesn't just use the excess energy simply to carry the petrol around? Do vehicle manufacturers make the capacity of the petrol tank the perfect size with this in mind? Plus, passenger jets arrive cold, but spacecraft burn up - when does wind chill give way to frictional heating?
|
If you've been to a whale acrobatics display at a tourist centre, you probably noticed some very loud music being played. But does it actually annoy the whales? Plus, we ask how much petrol is the optimum amount to fill the car with each time you visit the pump.
|
This week: what methods does our body use to keep itself warm? What does shivering actually do? Plus, we ask if whales like music.
|
Giraffes have very long necks indeed so how do they go about barfing? We find out how they revisit their dinner. Plus, we ask how the human body keeps warm.
|
Eye circles plague many of us at one time or another. Some of us have them all our lives! But what causes them? We have the answers... or a few of them. Plus, we ask if giraffes find it tricky to vomit...
|
How did you go about heating the water for this morning's shower? Did you leave the boiler on all night or just heat what you needed? Find out which is the most energy efficient in this Question of the Week! Plus, we ask why people get dark circles around their eyes.
|
Where do you have to go on the Earth to find the strongest pull of gravity? And where might one go to find the weakest? Plus, we ask which is the most efficient method of heating water: keeping a tank-full warm or just heating what you need.
|
In the absence of a giant ruler, how does one go about measuring how far the Earth is from a star? Simon Singh explains in this QotW. Plus, we ask where in the world gravity feels strongest.
|
Potato peelers are the staple of the kitchen drawer, but why don't they ever seem to need a good honing as ordinary knives do? We have the answer(s). Plus, we ask how the distance to a star is calculated.
|
This week, how do painkillers locate the bits that hurt? Do they have an inflammatory sat-nav or do they just numb your entire body? Plus, we ask why potato peelers never need sharpening.
|
This week, we discover the reasons for those aches and pains known as cramps. What causes them and how can they be prevented?
|
If you're hanging onto the back of a car, how fast would it have to go before you were lifted off the ground? Plus, we ask about muscle cramp and how to avoid it!
|
Is it possible to walk in a straight line if one is blind or blindfolded? Are blind people better at it? Find the answer in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask how fast a car would have to travel in order to lift an outdoor passenger from the ground.
|
Which is better for the environment: an e-card or a traditional paper card? We have the answer for you in this (not terribly romantic) Question of the Week! Plus, we ask if people still walk in straight lines when they can't see where they're going...
|
Some hand washes claim to kill 99.99% of all germs. What do these advertising slogans really mean? Would two hand washes kill 100 per cent of all germs? Plus, we ask if sending an e-card is really more environmentally friendly than a paper one.
|
Light is supposed to be massless so how is it that gravity makes a beam bend? Plus, we ask what the hand wash adverts mean when they claim to "kill 99.9% of known germs."
|
In this touchy-feely Question of the Week we find out which bits of the brain interpret text and Braille. Are they the same? Plus, we ask how it is that light bends under gravity, even though it's supposed to be massless!
|
When you think about it, drinking the milk of a cow is a little odd. Are we the only animal in the world that drinks the milk of another species? Why do we drink it anyway? Plus, we ask how Braille is processed in the brain.
|
Twitter
Facebook
Del.icio.us
Slashdot
Stumbleupon
