1

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Can you handle old pipe X-ray radiation shielding?

« on: 29/06/2021 06:39:43 »

Tim asked:

"Is it dangerous to handle old pipe X-ray radiation shielding?"

Can you help Tim?

2

Physiology & Medicine / How are new viruses discovered?

« on: 29/06/2021 06:18:52 »

Pete has been wondering:

"How are new viruses discovered when you don't know what you are looking for?

Can the system we have for discovering new viruses be automated? Could blood samples from sick patients around the world be randomly selected for further analysis and any new viruses uploaded automatically to a repository for comparison?"

Can you help him out?

3

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Is the Big Bang one of many explosion then contraction cycles?

« on: 29/06/2021 06:14:15 »

Listener David has a question:

"But is there any evidence that points towards A Big Bang - that this is not the first in a never-ending explosion/expansion/contraction cycle?"

Can you point him in the right direction?

4

COVID-19 / Does the vaccine eliminate or minimise the chance of catching COVID-19?

« on: 27/06/2021 08:04:01 »

Julia would like to know:

"Three weeks after the second jab, is a healthy 50+ year old unlikely to catch the virus or could possibly catch the virus but just not suffer too badly?" 

Can you help with Julia's jab question?

5

Physiology & Medicine / Do peripheral nerves of braille readers change?

« on: 22/06/2021 03:34:06 »

Jim has a touchy question:

"I was wondering if the peripheral nerves of people who use Braille change, matching their changes in their cortex?"

6

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Does spin direction change dependent on hemisphere?

« on: 22/06/2021 03:29:15 »

Paul has a sound question:

"When I place my modern [Brand Removed] Wireless Speaker on a flat surface and play music it slowly rotates in a clockwise direction
Why?
Would it rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere?"

Reminder - no product promotion here - moderator.

7

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How do astronauts deal with their waste?

« on: 22/06/2021 03:22:21 »

Listener John has been wondering for many years:

"During their round-trips to the moon, while three astronauts spent six days crammed into a tiny, air-tight chamber, how did they deal with their, shall we say, bodily functions? For example, how did they prevent the chamber from stinking to high heaven, and did they leave a waste bag on the moon?"

Do you know?

8

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Does reflected sunlight have properties that could be harnessed?

« on: 14/06/2021 06:18:18 »

David would like to know:

"Does reflected light have different properties to sunlight, and could this be used in scientific applications?"

Do you have any reflections for David?

9

The Environment / Are there examples of rehabilitated uranium mines?

« on: 14/06/2021 06:09:28 »

Listener Susan would like to know:

"What examples are there of uranium mines being rehabilitated to a degree where they don't need active management of environmental impacts, and where the land that was affected has been returned to another land use?"

Do you know of any?

10

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Are bamboo products antimicrobial, and if so, is this unique?

« on: 14/06/2021 06:03:18 »

Arthur asks:

"How much truth is there to the claim that bamboo products are antimicrobial? Is it down to the lignin structure and is this unique to bamboo species?"

Do you know the answer?

11

Technology / How do glasses get darker in the sun?

« on: 09/06/2021 08:12:11 »

Shelley would like to know:

"How do eye glasses change to dark in the sunlight?"

Can you shed some light?

12

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / How did horns evolve in mammals and why?

« on: 09/06/2021 08:02:22 »

Mohammed muses:

"How did horns evolve in mammals and other species and what evolutionary advantage does it give to such animals?"

13

COVID-19 / Why don't we customise vaccinations relative to weight?

« on: 09/06/2021 03:58:10 »

Listener Dave has a weighty question:

"Why do we not administer a larger or smaller amount of vaccine relative to the weight of the recipient?"

14

Chemistry / Is there a natural way to convert boron into carbon?

« on: 09/06/2021 03:52:08 »

Debi would like to know:

"Is there an inexpensive way to make boron become carbon? Or, an iron exchange using easily obtainable natural methods? Our water source has too much boron for agricultural purposes and reverse osmosis is proving too pricey to continue using."

15

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Why is vinegar such an efficient weedkiller?

« on: 09/06/2021 03:45:46 »

Listener Denise wonders:

Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) is a tall (5m+) clumping weed that has devastated well over a million hectares of northern Australia, outcompeting all other plants and leaving only vast monocultures of grass. It also fuels dangerous, fast-moving wildfire. The only solutions offered so far have been to dig the weed out, difficult as it is a perennial with a robust root system, or by poisoning it with glyphosate.
However, several years ago I discovered a way of killing Gamba. I push the plants over, stamp on the base to crush the stems, and then apply vinegar (4% acetic acid) to the base. The biggest weeds are dead within two days. Can someone tell me why vinegar is such an efficient weedkiller?

16

Technology / How far away is a working Thorium Reactor?

« on: 02/06/2021 09:02:43 »

Listener Fay was wondering:

"How far we are from having a working Thorium Reactor? As it seems to me that if they start building them, it will solve the problem of how to power the National Grid when there is no sunshine or wind."

17

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Does the moon affect human emotions?

« on: 02/06/2021 08:59:30 »

Our listener Erika would like to know:

"Does the moon, in any phase, affect human emotions? Could the moon impact our sleep cycles?
Is there a legitimate scientific way to confirm the Moon's influence or lack thereof?"

18

The Environment / Will there be another ice age?

« on: 02/06/2021 08:55:59 »

Listener Allyson asks:

"Will there be another ice age?
If so, is global warming postponing it?
If not is Earth only getting warmer from here?"

19

Technology / Does electric transportation cause greater pollution than conventional means?

« on: 31/05/2021 09:22:19 »

Listener David was wondering:

"Hypothetically speaking, if all modes of transport were electric, would this cause greater pollution (in terms of output from power stations) than conventional petrol or diesel modes of transport?"

20

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Why did Einstein say that time is an illusion?

« on: 31/05/2021 09:18:53 »

Margaret would like to know why:

"Einstein said that time is an illusion ..., but I can't find any reference explaining his reason for saying it ... does anyone actually know why he said it?"