Question of the Week Podcast

The Naked Scientists: Science Radio & Science Podcasts

Crisp Packet Fireworks - Science Experiments to Try at Home

21st Dec 2009 - Why is chocolate poisonous to dogs?

Chocolate

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

14th Dec 2009 - What would happen if you 'Tasered' an elephant?

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

7th Dec 2009 - How do you propagate seedless fruit?

Bananas

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

30th Nov 2009 - How much radiation are you exposed to during a medical x-ray?

Rheumatoid Arthritis 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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

23rd Nov 2009 - Why serve white wine chilled?

Wine

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

16th Nov 2009 - Do red skies at night mean shepherd's delight?

Red sky sunset

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

9th Nov 2009 - How many offspring does the average sperm donor create?

Twins - Identical?

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

2nd Nov 2009 - Why does holding the TV aerial improve the picture?

Men holding aerial

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

26th Oct 2009 - What are floaters?

Floater image

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

19th Oct 2009 - Are Spiders Expert Architects?

Closeup of spiral orb web

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

12th Oct 2009 - Is it dangerous to sit too close to the TV?

Tube TV-set of 1957-60, model OT-1471 "Belweder". 14-inch screen diagonal.

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

5th Oct 2009 - How do sharks make blood?

Red Blood Cells

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

21st Sep 2009 - Why do we have fingerprints?

Fingerprint

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

14th Sep 2009 - What dictates the frequency of the waves?

Wave

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

7th Sep 2009 - Do Plants have Immunity?

Magnolia Watsoni

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

3rd Aug 2009 - The Lifelong Tattoo

Tattoo'd Maori

We find out why tattoos can hang around for a lifetime. Plus, we ask if plants have an immune system.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

27th Jul 2009 - Setting the Pace

Pacemaker

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

20th Jul 2009 - Snap, Crackle and Pop!

Rice krispies

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

13th Jul 2009 - Egg Ventilation

An Egg

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?"


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

6th Jul 2009 - Night Sneezing

A child sleeping

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

29th Jun 2009 - Scrapping a Banger

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Find out more about this show
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

22nd Jun 2009 - Dirty Laundry

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Find out more about this show
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

15th Jun 2009 - Raining Out Into Space

Astronaut

We ask if the Earth rains outwards and loses water to space!  Plus, how does laundry detergent target stains but avoid dyes?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

8th Jun 2009 - Safest Sites for Asteroid Impact

Gaspra Asteroid

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

1st Jun 2009 - Sunflowers Doing the Twist

A sunflower

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

25th May 2009 - Will the Dumb Out-Breed the Clever?

"Pregnancy with 11 fetuses (after Paré)." Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494)

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!


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

18th May 2009 - Waggle Dance Evolution

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Find out more about this show
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

11th May 2009 - Jumbo Aerobatics

China Airlines Boeing 747 006

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

4th May 2009 - Night Time Weight Loss

Weighing in

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!


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

27th Apr 2009 - Can Magnets Descale your Pipes?

Magnetic lines of force of a bar magnet shown by iron filings on paper

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!


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

20th Apr 2009 - How Do Fish Sleep?

Six different breeds of goldfish

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

30th Mar 2009 - Deadly Snakes

Coastal Taipan snake

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

22nd Mar 2009 - Chameleon Food

Emperor Penguins

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.


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

16th Mar 2009 - Do Humans Grow a Warm Winter Fur Coat?

Long-haired woman posing with a blowing hairdryer.

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

9th Mar 2009 - The Biology of Burns

2nd degree burns on hand

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

2nd Mar 2009 - Google Power

Smokestacks from a wartime production plant, World War II.

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

23rd Feb 2009 - The Many Shapes of Leaves

Maple Leaf

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!


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

16th Feb 2009 - Musical Milk

Latte macchiato

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...


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

9th Feb 2009 - Wearable Robots

An electrically powered exoskeleton suit currently in development by Tsukuba University of Japan.

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

2nd Feb 2009 - Spit and Polish

Polished Boots

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

26th Jan 2009 - Counting without Counting

A Chinese Abacus

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

19th Jan 2009 - Fossilised Fence Posts

Petrified tree in Petrified Forest National Park, USA.

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts

12th Jan 2009 - Meteoric Life Forms

Martian Meteorite

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?


Play Download as MP3 Podcast or Subscribe Free
Rate our podcast
Digital Podcast - The world's best podcasts


Naked Scientists Science Radio Show Home Who are The Naked Scientists Information about Naked Scientists
Naked Scientists Podcast Ask the Naked Scientists Podcast Question of the Week Podcast
Naked Science Articles Experiments to do at Home Science Discussion Forum
Science News Stories Answers to Science Questions Interviews with Famous Scientists

Information presented on this website is the opinion of the individual contributors and does not reflect the general views of the administrators, editors, moderators, sponsors, Cambridge University or the public at large.

Click here for the Naked Scientists PODCAST

The contents of this site are © The Naked Scientists® 2000-2012. The Naked Scientists® and Naked Science® are registered trademarks.