Ask The Naked Scientists SA

Why do some wines give you a worse hangover?

Should my air-conditioning be fresh or recycled air? Is the International Space Station in geostationary orbit? What causes plane vapour trails? Is it alright to drink water on an empty stomach? Why do we have blood groups? Why do we boil our food? Why do some wines give you a…

25 Jul 2014 20 min

Why do we get nightmares?

Are there extra types of water? Do plants give off carbon dioxide at night? Why does huddling together keep you warm? What is the origin of belly-button fluff? What causes nightmares? And how does the magnetic field around Earth affect us? Plus, news of how dental plaque can show us…

18 Jul 2014 19 min

Is the sea getting saltier?

How does a gastric bypass work? How do spaceships land safely back on earth? What makes humans so successful? Are new species still appearing? Is the sea getting saltier? Plus, news of biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease…

15 Jul 2014 22 min

Can blind chameleons change colour?

How do e-cigarettes work? Could a blind chameleon still change colour? Do sightless people pick up on things most of us miss? Can the hydrogen be extracted from water? How are hurricanes named? How do birds navigate? How do vaccinations against bacteria and viruses work? Join Dr Chris for the…

4 Jul 2014 22 min

What is Spontaneous Human Combustion

Can people with autism catch yawns? Why isn't the Sun cooling down? What is the theory of spontaneous human combustion? Why did Luis Suarez bite someone? Should I close the fridge door while adding milk to my tea?

27 Jun 2014 17 min

A cure for procrastination?

Does learning a musical instrument boost brain power? Are there limits to what the human body can repair? How does my brain know how to whistle in tune? Can newborns recognise their grandmothers' voices? Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? Is there any connection between autism and vaccinations? How…

20 Jun 2014 21 min

Why do we yawn?

Are mouth bugs nastier than bowel bugs? How would wiping out mosquitoes affect the food-web? What is an itch? Are anaesthetics a risk factor for blood clots? What are trans-fats and invert sugars? Can parasites manipulate our behaviour? Are there any benefits of yawning? Plus, news of the genetically-modified mosquito…

13 Jun 2014 22 min

Why do people open their mouths when they apply mascara?

Are mothballs poisonous? How do chameleons change colour? Where do seedless varieties of fruit come from? What is ash? How can we use DNA to trace ancestry? Why do people open their mouths when they apply mascara? What causes a stammer?

6 Jun 2014 22 min

What gives water its colour?

What sort of star is the Sun? Can damage done by Multiple Sclerosis be repaired? Why does an acetylene torch need oxygen? How are calories in food calculated? What gives water its colour? Is drinking distilled water bad for you? What is sleep paralysis? Can liquids be compressed? Plus, how…

2 Jun 2014 23 min

What does coffee do to my heart rate?

What does coffee do to my heart rate? Has the earth changed size since its formation? Why are hailstones round? How do you avoid getting seasick? Are energy drinks bad for you? How do antidepressants work? Plus, how smells give away gender.

2 Jun 2014 20 min

Are flies getting harder to swat?

Are flies getting harder to swat these days? Why does more food in the microwave take longer to cook? Should penicillin-allergic people avoid blue cheese? Why are clouds white? What causes baldness? Why aren't marine fish more salty?

17 May 2014 18 min

Will whales get the bends?

The building blocks of life, what is a virus? Why don't whales get the bends? How does a 3D printer work? How do 93 and 95 octane fuels differ? Why is ricin deadly by castor oil is safe? Would HIV respond to an induced coma? Why do you cry when…

2 May 2014 22 min

Naked at 702

The Naked Scientists appear in the flesh at Primedia Place, home of 702, to answer questions from the live audience…

25 Apr 2014 51 min

Is petrol better value when it's cold?

How can cochlear implants deliver gene therapy? Are you better off circumcised? What is the biggest discovery of the last 20 years? Can planets exist without a parent star to orbit? Does lighting a match mask a bad smell? Are there devices to help achieve perfect pitch? And do i…

25 Apr 2014 21 min

The first in-vitro vagina?

How have doctors grown new vaginas in vitro? Are fires feasible in space? Why does the moon always show to same face to us? Why don't we see disabled animals? Why would a watch spontaneously restart after being stopped for 10 years? How do they make the flavour stick to…

11 Apr 2014 22 min

How Sunny is it on Saturn?

What's inside Enceladus? How do we make water safe for drinking? How Sunny is it on Saturn's moons? What causes motion sickness? Could we collect sunlight in space and beam the power down to Earth? Can lunar gravity cause earthquakes? How did primordial gravity waves arise? Are buried bodies still…

4 Apr 2014 23 min

Where does Earth get its oxygen?

How did scientists make a synthetic chromosome? How does heat radiate? What wakes us up in the morning? Where does oxygen come from? Are black boxes bouyant? Where did the Big Bang come from? Are airbags wired to seatbelts? Do couples end up looking like each other? And why does…

2 Apr 2014 20 min

What are gravity waves?

Is gravity waves from the Big Bang a big deal? Is evolution still occurring? Why does water boil at lower temperature at altitude? Can the brain be hitched up to control a computer? Are power lines bad for your health? Will sleeping with the light on harm health? How accurate…

21 Mar 2014 18 min

Why do Guinness bubbles go downwards?

How do the processing power of a brain compare with a computer? How can we shield astronauts en-route to Mars? Do ants prefer protein? What causes left handedness? Why do bubbles go downwards in a glass of Guinness? And do older makes of television emit X-rays?

17 Mar 2014 21 min

Does wet coal produce less power?

Can weather be manipulated? Will wet coal produce less electricity in a power station? Why does curry make my nose run? Is aluminium linked to Alzheimer's? Is it better to drink warm water? Who lives near the Chernobyl site? This week Dr Chris answers more questions from 702ers, and, in…

9 Mar 2014 20 min