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...
Could you deflect a laser around the Moon?
Thanks to Professor Michalis Zervas and Professor Simon Hooker for the answers! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why are there salty and fresh bodies of water?
James Tytko took this question on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Am I manufacturing a mosquito master race?
Joanne sent in this question, which James Tytko posed to Laurence Hurst from the University of Bath... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
How did people in the past find water?
Thanks to Dr Ellen Arnold for her help with this question! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why don't new species suffer inbreeding problems?
This week's question involves the evolutionary process of speciation. James Tytko asked the University of Sheffield's Roger Butlin... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why are car wing mirrors so attractive to spiders?
Thanks to Geoff Oxford for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Will tattoos protect skin from sun damage?
Thanks to Cecilio for sending in this question. James Tytko asked University of Leeds Professor of Dermatology, Julia Newton Bishop, for assistance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can you freeze hot water faster than cold water?
Will Tingle took on this chilling conundrum, with the help of Imperial College London's Henry Burridge Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What are the odds of this lyrical coincidence?
James Tytko spoke with David Spiegelhalter to help solve listener John's musical mystery... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Could you time travel to before the Big Bang?
James Tytko took this cosmic conundrum on with the help of Toby Wiseman, theoretical physicist from Imperial College London... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can animals catch Covid?
Chris Smith took on this week's question from listener Kala... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why does sugar dissolve faster in hot liquid?
Taking on this question from listener Christie, James Tytko enlisted the assistance of Chemistry World's Philip Broadwith... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Why does my right brain control my left side?
Thanks to Marc de Lussanet for the help with the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Are rockets contributing to climate change?
James Tytko enlisted the help of the University of Cambridge's Xander Byrne to help with this question from Frank, who asks: "Have there been any studies on the effects of rocket launches on the greenhouse effect respiratory issues or general carcinogenic properties?" Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting…
Do all whales come from the same ancestor?
Thanks to Dr Ellen Coombs for the answer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Do tennis players have favourite balls?
Regular listener, Mike, asked: "When tennis players are about to serve, they get a selection of balls. They seem to look at them and then select two to serve with. Now these are all new and good quality balls, how do they select the ones they like to use? Do…
How do we track lightning strikes?
Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
What decides where nipples are on mammals?
Why is it that some mammals with small broods have the baby feeding apparatus near the upper limbs like humans and elephants and some near the lower limbs like cows and horses? As it turns out, this is a very good question. What dictates where the teats are on a…
Could a time traveller start a pandemic?
Could someone travelling into the future potentially take a pandemic disease with them, or bring back something similar upon their return? James Tytko enlists the help of Cambridge University immunologist Brian Ferguson... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Can gas be compressed into a solid?
Akula writes in to ask, 'Can we compress gas into a solid?' James Tytko seeks to provide the answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists