Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists
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Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists
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...
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Will heat pumps make cities cooler?
Ian from Stockport has had a thought. If heat pumps transfer thermal energy from outside into our homes, will they counteract the relative heat of urb...
What leads a guided missile to its target?
Bhavesh wants to know how guided missiles find their target. James Tytko took on his question with help from Dr David Galvao Wall, Head of the Air Pla...
How do gravitational waves keep their energy?
In response to our programme celebrating 10 years since the first detection of gravitational waves, listeners got in touch with fascinating questions....
Why do leaves change colour at different rates?
Trent wants to know why trees of the same species, in the same geography, seem to change the colour of their leaves at different rates. He's even noti...
Are snakes tamed by breast milk?
Sva writes in, asking whether stories of snakes being tamed by human milk have any grounding in science. James Tytko took on the question with the hel...
What happens to celebratory bullets?
In some parts of the world, some groups will fire guns directly into the air in celebration. Mike wants to know what happens to these bullets, and if...
What would you find at the centre of Saturn or Jupiter?
Maddie wants to know what a daring adventurer might find if they journeyed to the centre of one of our Solar System's gas giants: Juptier and Saturn....
Do recent experiments prove a quantum interpretation?
Iain wants to know whether recent experiments have gotten us any closer to deciding which interpretation of quantum mechanics is most likely. This bra...
Can a dog and a fox produce viable offspring?
Girts sends a question about which animals can mate to produce viable offspring. How is it that different breeds of dogs can come together to produce...
How are our cells different at the genetic level?
Jon wants to know, how do the cells in the human body, in all their variety, differ at the genetic level? James Tytko took his query on... Like this p...
Will AI help to reduce environmental harms?
Geoff has written in asking whether AI will offset its vast energy appetite by facilitating environmentally conscious initiatives. James Tytko took on...
Can nuclear reactors power Mars missions and our towns?
Laurie writes in, wanting to know whether the nuclear reactions which power Mars rovers means small nuclear reactors could power our towns and cities....
How do you catch Lyme disease?
Leonard is asking how one acquires Lyme disease, and how doctors diagnose it. James Tytko asked Jack Lambert, Professor and Consultant in Infectious D...
Will green technology stop climate change?
Simon wants to know, since we saw a dip in greenhouse gas emissions during the pandemic, why haven't we seen climate change slow down? Is green techno...
How long does a lap of the water cycle take?
Thanks to Jess Neumann for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why do clouds move in a different direction to the wind?
When Tony is cycling around, he notices that the clouds above him are not always moving in the same direction as he feels the wind blowing him down on...
Do photons have a size?
Donald wants to know, 'how big is a photon?' Marushka Soobben took on his query with help from Ben Allanach, professor of theoretical physics at the U...
How much brain capacity do our senses take up?
David wants to know, 'How much do the senses take up in brain capacity and what sense occupies the largest part of the brain (I would guess it would b...
Do lower oxygen levels in planes contribute to jet lag?
This time on Question of the Week, Mark wants to know what effect lower levels of oxygen in aeroplanes might have on how we feel after a flight, and w...
Why hasn't light from the earliest galaxies gone past us?
Darren wants to know, 'Why can we see the light from the first galaxies. Why hasn't that light already passed us if it is from so long ago when the un...
What happens when you are injected with your own stem cells?
Joao wants to know what happens when stem cells of our own, which have been cultivated outside the body, are reintroduced to the bloodstream. This got...
How would the world differ if we rotated the landmass?
Will wants to know what the implications would be for our world if the landmass was rotated 90 degrees, so current day Mexico was nearer the South Pol...
How would an AI converse with another AI?
Brian wants to know, if 2 AI's were to have a conversation with one another, what would they talk about? James Tytko put this query to the test, and a...
Could the measles virus treat autoimmune diseases?
Thanks to John Maher for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How do some animals understand human commands?
Kiran wants to know how animals like dogs are able to follow commands from humans. James Tytko asked Nicky Clayton, Professor of Comparative Cognition...
How do animals adapt to a changing magnetic field?
Alan writes in, acknowledging that many animals use the Earth's magnetic field for navigation purposes. Given the shifts in poles and field intensity...
Do we know what the Wow! signal was?
In 1977, astronomer Jerry Ehman detected a narrowband radio signal, far stronger than any that have been recorded before or since, using Ohio State Un...
Should elderly people use trampolines?
Thanks to John Travers for the answer!Listener Francisco asked: I have been told that jumping on a trampoline is healthy for humans. It is considered...
Is it safe to burn plastic?
Silke is writing all the way from French Polynesia, asking what's best to do with all the plastic rubbish she picks up from the beach, and whether bur...
Does thalidomide alter DNA?
Listener to the show, Elaine, wants to know whether her mother, who was a thalidomide baby, might have passed on effect of the drug to her children. T...
How do skin creams penetrate the skin?
Garth wants to know, given the skin can block water from passing through it, how do certain skin creams allege to permeate into our body? James Tytko...
Why does the distribution of lactose intolerance vary?
Garth writes in wanting to know why the prevalence of lactose intolerance is nearly 100% in countries like South Korea, but down in the low single dig...
If I hadn't had any vaccinations, would I be here?
Dan wants to know what the likelihood is of him being here if neither him, his parents, nor his grandparents had had any vaccinations. James Tytko sou...
How does the sun stay burning in space?
Thanks to Philippa Browning for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can bone conduction headphones damage your hearing?
Bill sends his question in all the way from Australia. A regular listener, he enjoys our programme through bone conduction headphones. But what are th...
What will happen to petrol when we all drive electric cars?
Kevin wants to know, assuming many of us will be driving electric cars in the future, what will happen to the vast quantities of petrol currently refi...
Did chewing gum cause my tinnitus?
George writes in to ask whether his gum-chewing habits are related to his tinnitus, or whether it's just a coincidence that it comes back when he gets...
Why might dreams change at altitude?
In our Question of the Week, Andrew wants to know why many people may experience dreams differently when holidaying in the mountains. To find out what...
What was the global ocean like at the time of Pangea?
Damian wants to know, if at one stage all of the continents were joined together, what was on the other side? Was it all just water? James Tytko inves...
Can we harness nuclear energy without steam?
Dave writes in wanting to know whether there is any way to get nuclear energy onto the grid without heating up water to turn a steam turbine. A great...