Naked Scientists Question of the Week

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...
English United Kingdom Science
565 Episodes
300 – 320

With Halloween just around the corner, Stephen asks the spooky question, Are zombies feasible?. Charis Lestrange investigates with the help of pathologist Suzie English from the University of Cambridge and immunologist Khalil Thirlaway from the University of Nottingham.
18 Oct 2015 4 min

Marco got in touch after his truck tipped over on the motorway. He wanted to know what speed the wind would need to be blowing at to cause this, so he knew when to stop driving in the future. Rosalind Davies spoke to Zephyr Penoyre, a PhD student at Columbia…
10 Oct 2015 4 min

Anders asked the electrifying question, "Why do powerlines make so much noise?";. This seemed rather complicated so Charis Lestrange asked Dr Andrew Griffiths, a semiconductor engineer from the company IQE.
4 Oct 2015 3 min

Katie asked the very seasonal question of Why is gooseberry jam red, when gooseberries are green?. This really baffled the Naked Scientists, so Joanna Kerr put this thorny question to Dr Sarka Tumova, a food scientist at the University of Leeds.
20 Sep 2015 4 min

Is it brain fatigue? Or do we go into autopilot? Sam Mahaffey asked Dr Steve Fleming from the Wellcome Trust centre for Neuroimaging at UCL why this happens. And if there is anything we can do to stop it.
13 Sep 2015 4 min

Fingernails seem to have obvious uses but what are our toenails for? Was their some evolutionary benefit? And does that mean we'll evolve toenail-less feet? Sam Mahaffey and Dr Isabelle Winder from the University of York go in search of a gripping answer…
6 Sep 2015 4 min

This week Dave asked why does a minor key sound mournful and a major key sound happy? Amy Goodfellow asks music psychologist Dr Andrea Schiavio from the University of Sheffield if this is really true.
23 Aug 2015 4 min

This week Brian Lucas wanted to know: where are we within the universe? Joanna Kerr decided to try and find out with help from Dr Sean McGee, an astrophysicist from the University of Birmingham.
17 Aug 2015 3 min

This week Louise asked, how many people are needed to avoid inbreeding in a population? To answer her question Connie Orbach looks into setting up her own desert island with the help of Professor Mike Weale, a population geneticist from Kings Collge London.
9 Aug 2015 4 min

What are wormholes, and how would one be created? James Farr investigates the secrets of the universe…
2 Aug 2015 4 min

This week Amy Goodfellow took a trip to the country to answer Jerry's question - how much bread it takes to make one wholemeal loaf. She spoke to Andrew Whitley, the co-founder of the Real Bread Campaign…
19 Jul 2015 3 min

This week, Graihagh Jackon drilled into John's question to try and find out what the most expensive element in the world is... But first, how do we define 'expensive?' Chemist Mark Lorch set us straight…
5 Jul 2015 4 min

Are fingerprints unique?

This week, Tom Crawford put Helen's question under the magnifying glass to try and find out whether fingerprints really are unique and if so, whether the same applies to toeprints? We put this to Forensic Scientist, Professor Niamh Nic Daeid form Dundee University…
28 Jun 2015 5 min

Why does the immune system not attack foetuses?

This week we've been sequencing Lorianna's question: if babies have different genetic sequences from their mother, and are technically foreign objects in the womb, why doesn't the mother's immune system attack? Ziyad Yehia asked Dr Lucy Fairclough, an immunologist from Nottingham University to find out…
7 Jun 2015 3 min

Can I land on gassy planets like Jupiter?

This week we tackle Allana's question: If we were to travel to gas giant Jupiter, would we sink to the core? Or float straight on through? Heather Douglas put this to Dr Marc Rayman from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab to see if he could clear the air…
31 May 2015 4 min

How do black boxes work?

How do black boxes work? When a plane crashes, there's always a huge search for the elusive 'black box' to solve the mystery. But what is this, and how does it work? Heather Douglas put this to David Barry, senior lecturer in aviation safety, from Cranfield University
10 May 2015 4 min

Why are ripe pears juicer?

Unripe pears are dry, yet ripe pears are juicy so how do they become moist? Philip Garsed put Dennis' question to plant scientist Sonia Dunbar, from Cambridge University…
11 Apr 2015 4 min

Can cheese give you nightmares?

Chris wanted to know if it's true what your mum always told you. Does cheese really give you nightmares? Danielle Blackwell spoke to Max Sanderson, a neuroscientist to find out more…
22 Mar 2015 3 min

Eels: A source of electricity?

Bonga tweeted us asking if we could ever use eels as a source as electricity? Would it be efficient? And how would it compare to other energy sources? Khalil Thirlaway caught up with Dr David LaVan from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to find out…
15 Mar 2015 4 min
300 – 320