This week on the Naked Scientists we seek solutions to your science questions. From finding the site of the big bang to repairing the retina, mirages on the motorway to fruit fireworks in your microwave. We also find out why staying in bed could help you keep slim, we explore the genes that let flies get drunk, and discover the source of the so-called "Oh My God! Particles", which have 100 million times more energy than in our biggest particle accelerators. Also, we catch up with the latest in robotic cars and learn about the micro-microwave being used for analysis in the field. Plus, in a live Kitchen Science, Dave finds out when is the best time to add milk, and still have the hottest tea.
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We were asked whether if you are going to leave your tea for a while should you add the milk at the start or end of your wait? Which way gives the hottest tea?
Why does a biscuit go soggy more quickly in a hot, milky drink than it does in a hot, watery drink?
If we were able to build a spaceship now, that was able to get to the universe where the Big Bang occurred, what would we find there now? Can we find the point where the Big Bang happened?
Why do we have wisdom teeth? I hear that it’s a remnant of evolution. Is that correct?
We’re using the energy at the moment, per person, of three Earths. How much energy does the Earth produce for a person to use every single day?
Could the retina be repaired using stem cell research?
While driving on a long stretch of highway I notice that when one looks ahead, very far down the road and on curves (left, right, up and down) the surface of the road becomes almost reflective. I’ve noticed this under both sunny and cloudy conditions but I’m wondering why it is.
I heated up a non-vegetarian pizza the other day. The bit in the middle wasn’t very well-cooked. How dangerous would it be to eat the pizza?
In this week's tech section, Chris Vallance tells us about the DARPA Urban Challenge, and how this could lead to cars that drive themselves!
Why do dogs’ eyes shine in car headlights when humans’ don’t so much?
Why is it that if you want to cook two items in the microwave, you’ve got to cook them for twice as long when you don’t have to do the same with a normal cooker? And do microwaves kill bacteria in food?
Why, when I cut up apples into small pieces in a microwave close together, do they spark and flame up? If you cut a grape in half and put the two bits next door to each other in the microwave, why do you get glowing lights?
This month, we chat to Mark Peplow about the worlds smallest microwave oven, and a microscopic fuel cell.
If the sun is shining on the moon, and it’s a full moon, can plants photosynthesise with the reflected light? If so, can they survive on that light alone?
What’s the correlation between cold weather and catching a cold? If our body’s core temperature is controlled within such strict parameters then does the ambient temperature affect internal conditions in our bodies?
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Can you tell me what chemical compounds in insects make their guts so difficult to clean off the windshield of my motorbike?
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