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Question of the Week / QotW - 21.10.18 - Is Dark Matter lumpy or like grains of sand?

« on: 18/10/2021 14:47:34 »

Listener Rob wants to know

"Is Dark Matter lumpy, or like grains of sand?"

We'll be answering this on our show, but what do you think?

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Question of the Week / QotW - 21.10.11 - How is eye colour passed down?

« on: 18/10/2021 14:46:19 »

Teacher Ellie had a question from her Year 9 student that she couldn't answer: "I have one blue eye and one brown eye. When I have kids, will they have one blue eye and one brown eye like me?"

We put the question to eye colour expert David Mackey from the University of Western Australia, you can listen in here https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/question-week/how-eye-colour-passed-down

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Chemistry / Is there a difference between inelasticity and plasticity of metals?

« on: 24/09/2021 12:04:27 »

V wants to know:

I am confused between inelasticity and plasticity of metals. Is there a clear cut demarcation between inelasticity and plasticity of metals? Both seems to be same. None of the internet articles give a clear and convincing answer. Please clarify the difference. Thank you.

What do you think?

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Question of the Week / Re: QotW - 21.09.13 - Where does the extra energy go when light is stretched?

« on: 20/09/2021 13:46:43 »

Asked and answered here!

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/question-week/what-happens-lights-lost-energy

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Question of the Week / QotW - 21.09.03 - How long does it take the food I eat to become part of me?

« on: 03/09/2021 10:34:14 »

Martin's been in touch to ask:

"How long does it take the food I eat to become part of me?"

We'll be covering it on this week's show, but what do you think?

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Question of the Week / Re: QotW - 21.08.15 - How much of the brain is memory?

« on: 03/09/2021 10:32:57 »

Asked and answered on the show!

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/question-week/what-proportion-brain-stores-memory

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Question of the Week / Re: QotW - 21.06.14 - Why is a crocodile's skin so bumpy?

« on: 23/06/2021 15:49:18 »

Asked and answered on the show!

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/question-week/why-do-crocodiles-have-such-bumpy-skin

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / What is the speed of light in a vacuum?

« on: 16/06/2021 11:41:05 »

David asks:

Why is the speed of light the speed that it is in a vacuum (186,282mph)?

Can you help?

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Physiology & Medicine / Do bioresonance machines work?

« on: 27/04/2021 13:58:26 »

Steve asks:

I have a family member very keen for us to use their Rayonex bioresonance machine following the birth of our first child. The machine can apparently rebalance my wife’s cells. I am naturally skeptical of such devices however in the interest of fairness I am open to learning more before making any judgments. I have however struggled to find much in the way of useful information online. It’s either a word salad of bumf written by the manufacturer or entirely dismissive articles on the other hand. Do you have any knowledge of such treatments? Thank you.

Can you help?

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COVID-19 / Can you use saliva in a lateral flow test?

« on: 19/04/2021 14:57:22 »

James asks:

Why do the lateral flow tests require using a rather unpleasant throat/nasal swab? Why won't spitting saliva into the buffered solution work in the test strips? What work has been done on C-19 positive patients using this test and what were the conclusions? FYI I used the home kit using just my saliva and I got exactly the same negative result as using a swab. Would I get a positive result if I was infected with C-19?

What do you think?

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The Environment / Should we tax products based on how biodegradable the materials are?

« on: 15/04/2021 15:10:06 »

Ranjith asks:

If we know the quantity of and length of time materials biodegrade in everyday products should they be taxed accordingly?
Wouldn't this encourage develop investment into more biodegradable materials?
Perhaps this would make the UK more of a world leader in such tech, and so would profitable in the medium to long term?

What do you think?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How long could humanity survive if the sun went out?

« on: 15/04/2021 15:08:37 »

Dean asks:

How long could humanity survive if the sun went out?

What do you think?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How much matter is there on earth?

« on: 15/04/2021 15:06:57 »

Stefano asks:

I would like to know if there are any studies on the amount of matter present in the Earth. My point is that, if the earth does not expand, the number of matter present in the earth should remain constant. If so, could this better explain the cycle of life? Who or what dictates the rules of balance of how much matter and in what form where to be present in a spacetime? And with what impact humanity changed these rules when they started "playing god"!

Can you help?

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COVID-19 / Does having no side effects from the vaccine mean it hasn't worked?

« on: 01/04/2021 14:02:13 »

Shirley says:

I had my AZ COVID 1st dose at the beginning of March. I’m aged 64, haven’t had COVID. My concern is I had no side effects whatsoever from the vaccine except a slightly tender arm. Same for my elderly Mum & 55 year old husband who had Pfizer jab. Do you think it’s possible it still may have worked to offer some protection? I must say I do get anxious & read a lot online about the whole COVID thing. I realise that no vaccination is guaranteed to protect.

Can you help?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How do you measure the distance to a star or galaxy?

« on: 01/04/2021 13:59:27 »

David wants to know:

How do you measure the distance of a star or galaxy, and in what units does this measurement take (apart from light years - one would presume it is converted to light years)?

Can you help?

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Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / What rules does the energy released from an earthquake follow?

« on: 30/03/2021 17:05:56 »

Douglas wants to know:

Does the energy released from an earthquake follow the Inverse Square Rule (or something similar) in relation to distance from the epicentre?

What do you think?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Is time travel possible?

« on: 30/03/2021 16:58:56 »

D wants to know:

Is time travel possible?

What do you think?

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COVID-19 / Does quarantining post and groceries help stop COVID spread?

« on: 30/03/2021 16:55:55 »

Nigel asks:

Do we need to quarantine post and groceries and deliveries any longer?

Can you help?

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Technology / How do flame effect light bulbs work?

« on: 29/03/2021 16:05:08 »

Colin asks:

I recently bought a flame effect light bulb. It is a white plastic tube and looks like a flickering plasma that resembles a flame. How does it work ?

Can you help?

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Question of the Week / QotW - 21.03.29 - Why does chilli stay on your hands so long after cooking?

« on: 29/03/2021 16:01:16 »

Listener Nancy got in touch to ask:

"Why does chilli seem to stay on your fingers for so long after cooking with them? Even after washing your hands multiple times it can still hurt if you touch your eyes!"

We'll be answering this on next week's show, but what do you think?