How do we know that ants count their footsteps? We'll find out in this Naked Scientists Question and Answer show, as well as ask if rubber soles really protect you from electric shocks, if hair will clean itself when you don't, and why a layer of shaving foam stops the mirror from steaming up. Also, the spores that fly on smoke rings, new ways to capture carbon, pain free vaccine patches and the vaginal gel that could block HIV transmission. Plus, Meera investigates vintage computers and in Kitchen Science, Dave discovers how popping candy gets its pop!
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Moss spores get extra lift from the same process that generates smoke rings and mushroom clouds, according to new research published in the journal Science this week...
A new more efficient way of converting carbon-dioxide back to carbon has been invented that uses solar energy very efficiently.
For most of us, vaccinations are a normal, if not very pleasant, part of life. But what if there was an alternative? What if it was just as easy as putting on a sticking plaster? Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University reported in Nature Medicine...
New solid batteries could store more energy for longer without catching fire.
A vaginal gel which contains the anti-AIDS drug called tenofovir has been found to reduce transmission rates of HIV amongst women by up to 50%. To explain a bit more about the study, which was carried out in South Africa, we spoke to Salim Abdool Karim from the University of Kw...
Popping candy or pop rocks is a strange sort of children's sweet which seems to explode inside your mouth we try to investigate what is going on.
Why do my fingers go wrinkly in the bath?
A friend of mine was going to use a metal knife to free some stuck toast from the toaster. He’s always been told this is a huge no, no, but he said it would all be fine because he had rubber-soled shoes on. So is it true that rubber-soled shoes will protect you from an electric ...
When you look at the glowing filament in the toaster, are each of those wires in the toaster actually running at 240 volts or does the toaster step the voltage down? Are they all in series so as this big voltage drops, the actual potential in each of them is quite low, so how d...
Hello Naked Scientists,
I really enjoy your shows. I listen to the podcasts while I work the night shift at a hotel here in Fairbanks.
The other day I was talking with a pregnant friend of mine while walking through the dairy section of a store and I got to wondering; I kno...
Well the first thing that I’d like to say is we love your program completely.
My question is this: Can we justify an involvement with nuclear power in the UK when we have the greatest potential for renewables in Europe?
If we think about offshore and onshore wind power, ti...
For this month's tech segment, Meera chats to Chris Vallance about the first ever Vintage Computer Festival held at Bletchley Park...
Hello,
I have heard and read all over the place that hair cleans itself, but HOW does it do it? That's my question. I can't find it on the internet. Every time I punch in: 'how does hair clean itself?', i get all these 'how to wash your hair without shampoo', etc. but that...
Hi
In a recent podcast you talked about spiders and ants counting steps etc. How does anyone know/find out whether these creatures count? And if they do, how do they do it? What would they use that's equivalent to our number system ?
Thanks.
Anne
BC Canada
Hello Guys,
Very good job! I whole heartedly approve of making science approachable for non-scientsists. You guys manage to do this very well.
When I take a shower the mirror in the bathroom mists up. This is clearly a process of condensation of warm moisture from the sho...
How much gas would a 10 stone human have to expel (and with what force) in order to lift themselves 1 inch off the ground?
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