Question of the Week
Each week we set out to solve one of the world's weirdest, wackiest, funniest and funkiest scientific puzzles. And along with the answer there's a brand new question to think about for next time...
How does email and texting affect our brain?
Listener Mike presented this question to The Naked Scientists. "Does email and texting affect our brain's cognitive functions?" Otis Kingsman spoke to Dr Ravi Gajendran from Florida International University to help find the answer to this communication connumdrum... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why can't some people smell certain plants?
Tim wanted to know "Why can't my partner smell certain strong odours when in the countryside? She can smell manure but is immune to smelling certain potent flowers and herbs." Otis Kingsman spoke to Professor Sandeep Roberta Datta from Harvard Medical School to find the aromatic answers to this question…
Can acid remove a spring's potential energy?
Listener Mark wrote in to ask 'What happens to the potential energy of a compressed coil spring that is dissolved in acid?'. Otis Kingsman sprung to action in speaking with Dr Martin Buzza from the University of Hull to find the answer to this question. Like this podcast? Please help…
Can the Earth's rotation make electicity?
Linda wrote in to ask "Can the spinning of the earth generate electricity similar to the spinning of wind turbines?" Otis Kingsman spoke to Matthew Rooney from the Insitute of Mechanical Engineers to find the answer to this head-spinner... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Does a phone weigh more after charging it?
Listener Tibor wanted to know the answer to the question, "Does potential energy have any mass? If I was to charge a phone battery, would it become heavier?" Dr Israel Temprano from the Univserity of Cambridge explains to Otis Kingsman about this battery baffler... Like this podcast? Please help us…
Why do electric car batteries wear out?
Listener Barry wants to know, 'What causes degredation in electric car batteries, and what are the upcoming developments in EV technology?' Chloe Coates from the University of Cambridge spoke to Evelyna Wang... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How can we identify a diseased gene?
Malcolm wrote in to ask "How can we identify a disease? When looking at a sample of chromosomes, what are scientists looking for to spot a diseased gene?". Otis Kingsman spoke to Jocelynn Pearl from the Lady Scientist Podcast to solve this mutation mystery... Like this podcast? Please help us…
Does relativity affect the age of moon rocks?
Ranjit wrote in to ask this, "As gravity and time have an inverse relationship, at some time in the future, will astronauts bring back moon rocks that are older than the Earth?" James Tytko spoke to King College London's, Professor Ruth Gregory to help us find the answer to this…
Why does an itch move when you scratch it?
Mariam has been itching to find an answer to the question of "When I scratch an itch, the itch seems to move around my body. And I want to know why this is." Dr Yvonne Couch from the Radcliffe Department of Medicine spoke to Otis Kingsman... Like this podcast? Please…
Can internal voices be influenced by accents?
Fiona wrote in to ask "Why do I hear voices in my head when I'm thinking? And can this voice be influenced by accents?" In order to find answers, James Tytko reached out to Helene Loevenbruck from Grenoble Alpes University to rattle our brains... Like this podcast? Please help us…
Does the moon affect student behaviour?
Listener Sal wanted to know the answer to the question 'Is the behaviour of school students affected by moon phases?' Otis Kingsman found 'Teresa Pavia', neurologist and the clinical director of the Sleep Medicine Centre in Lisbon, to give us a lesson on if and how the moon can impact…
How do we clean the Hubble Telescope mirror?
Daniel wrote into The Naked Scientists with the question of 'How do they stop the mirror on the Hubble telescope from getting dirty?' Otis Kingsman spoke to Sarah Kendrew from the European Space Agency to clear up the answers to this question. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting…
How do we clean the Hubble Telescope mirror?
Daniel wrote into The Naked Scientists with the question of 'How do they stop the mirror on the Hubble telescope from getting dirty?' Otis Kingsman spoke to Sarah Kendrew from the European Space Agency to clear up the answers to this question. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting…
Why Do Stars Twinkle?
Richard contacted us this week to ask, 'Why do stars twinkle? And what can their colours tell us about them?' To find out, James Tytko spoke with Dr Jenifer Millard from the Awesome Astronomy Podcast, who was on hand to provide answers for this cosmic conundrum... Like this podcast? Please…
Why can't I sleep when my feet are cold?
Otis Kingsman found the answer to this chilling question thanks to the help of Professor of Neurology & Sleep Medicine, St Thomas' Hospital's Professor Guy Leschziner... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do ant bites hurt so much?
Sally Le Page answered this head-scratching question with the help of insect venom expert, Sam Robinson, from the University of Queensland... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do we prevent space collisions?
This week, Matt contacted us asking "With three space missions currently converging on Mars how do the nations avoid orbital collisions? Do they share data, do they have transponders or space traffic control etc?". Katie King spoke with Chris Bridges, academic at Surrey Space Centre in the University of Surrey…
Is dark matter in lumps or like sand grains?
This week, listener Rob emailed us to ask "Is dark matter in large lumps or like grains of sand?" Iacopo Russo got some help from the Little Prince story, as well as from Physics professor Francesca Day at Durham University and physicist Jacques Pienaar from the University of Chicago, to…
Do shop or garden tomatoes produce more CO2?
To answer this juicy question, Julia Ravey asked environmental scientist at the University of York Samarthia Thankappan... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How is eye colour passed down?
Teacher Ellie was recently asked a question by her Year 9 pupil in Manchester 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?" Eva Higginbotham put the question to eye…