Ask the Naked Scientists

What is the science behind a midlife crisis?

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is the science of a midlife crisis? Can you store stainless steel in the fridge? Where do flies go in the winter? Could you make food directly fr...

Are scientific discoveries becoming less groundbreaking?

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Chris and Clarence Ford take on listener questions. This time they include, is intelligence more nature or nurture? Is time travel possible? Could ...

Will we be able to put the AI genie back in the bottle?

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Should we ban AI from the military sphere? Does eating too much meat cause gout? What determines the shape of clouds? Are recycled tyres a safe materi...

Should you sleep on your side or your back?

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does COVID damage your brain? Why do moths have 'dust' on their wings? Where did the oldest plants come from? Is it better to sleep on your side or yo...

Does alcohol burn off in cooking, and is curiosity genetic?

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does alcohol burn off during cooking, why people put their principles in front of their own life and freedom, what causes ageing and can gene editing ...

Why does music make me emotional?

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Chris takes more listener questions. This week, they include: Why do the sun and the moon appear the same size during a lunar eclipse? How long doe...

How long do dreams actually last?

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does a boomerang work? Are windturbines harmful to birds? Which are smarter, dogs or cats? Can you breathe liquid air? How do racecar spoilers wor...

What causes amnesia?

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this edition of Ask!, Dr Chris answers these questions and more: Do pineapples really eat you as you eat them? Do they have any health benefits? An...

Why is cancer so hard to treat?

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can fasting help with gut health? Why is cancer so hard to treat? Does a change in the weather lead to joint pain? How do you deal with chronic consti...

Why are there 7 years in a dog year?

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is our water carbon footprint? Does microwaving food destroy the nutritional value? Why do golf balls have dimples? Should we be desalinating wat...

Does eating grapefruit affect taking medication?

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does prior infection or vaccine protect better against COVID? How do you know when something is wrong with your bowels? What is the difference between...

Will ChatGPT replace The Naked Scientists?

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do animals dream? Why do weird dreams feel so normal? Do ovulating people have more vivid dreams? Why might someone stop dreaming? Will ChatGPT re...

Is one apple a day enough?

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do skin care products live up to the hype? Is it cheaper to heat homes with electricity or gas? How does IVF work? How long will the sun continue to b...

How do we know what other planets are made of?

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How does colour blindness work? How do we know what other planets are made of? Why might a red dye suddenly disappear? Why don't you feel the velocity...

What's the best way to stop signs of aging?

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do collagen skin treatments work? What exactly are teeth? Are DNA tests ever 100% accurate? Why do dead bodies float? Why doesn't the pole star move? ...

Why do wires always end up in knots?

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why am I right footed, but left handed? Why are dogs' sense of smell so superior? Do people with bigger eyes have better peripheral vision? Why do gun...

Are there chemical elements yet to be discovered?

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do I have to pee when I wash my hands? Are daddy long-legs poisonous? Are taste buds generic across the population? Why are babies so amused by th...

When does earth's atmosphere become space?

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Chris Smith tackles the impressive array of questions from listeners. What gives non Newtonian liquids their special properties? Could wearing sock...

What holds atoms together?

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we explore space? Why does a flame produce less of a shadow? Do zeolites pollute water? Why do some people float better in water than others? L...

Why do fridges get lights but freezers don't?

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Should you drink re-boiled water? How do bees know who to attack? Should we just leave the deep sea alone? Why do some countries drive on the left? Wh...

What causes cluster headaches?

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we fuel cars more sustainably? What causes morning sickness during pregnancy? Why does California have a sunny Christmas? Why are some smells a...

What is on the dark side of the Moon?

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How high a temperature can human's survive? Why does cleaning your ear make your eyes roll? How do astronauts make it back from the moon? What is on t...

Do artificial sweeteners cause cancer?

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we itch ourselves? How do kidney stones form? I've started sleeping on a more comfortable mattress - why am I getting back pain? Like this podc...

What is causing climate change?

08 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is causing climate change? Does pumping out oil leave a hole behind in the Earth? What does an Adam's apple do? What causes temperature differenc...

What causes ocean swell?

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If there was nothing before the big bang, who created nothing? When egg shell falls into the pan, why is the rest of the egg shell the most effective ...

How much pressure was on the Titan sub?

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What are the benefits of cold water swimming? How much pressure was on the Titan submersible? How big are protons and electrons? Why do all babies hav...

Why is a cold called a cold?

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do my eyes burn when raindrops run into them? Why can eye and hair colour change? Why do I cry when I go to the loo? Like this podcast? Please hel...

Why disinfectants kill only 99.9% of germs

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do flysprays work, and are they harmful for humans? What's "muscle memory" and where are these memories stored? Why do disinfectants "only" kill 9...

Why do my flowers only smell nice at night?

27 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week,?What makes an appendix burst? Why do we blush??Do carrots really improve our eyesight? What other foods can we eat to regenerate our organs...

Why do bright lights make spots in my vision?

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What are hiccups and what's the medical term for the phenomenon? How far to the horizon and why does it always appear to be at eye-level? What are lec...

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we always find cockroaches on their back? How does medicine know where it hurts? Why do we dream? Why is the Earth still so hot? What came firs...

Is JWST disproving the big bang theory?

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do I feel phantom pain? What is the sleep in my eyes constituted of? Why are things we drop into our eyes poisonous to ingest? What is fibromyalgi...

Do we have two sets of DNA?

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What makes the brain age? Why don't ice skaters get dizzy? Do we have two sets of DNA? Where does all of the burned fuel go? Do dogs get headaches? Wh...

Can we control AI?

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The dangers of mains electricity. Are computers helping or hindering our lives? What if I shine a torch while travelling at the speed of light? Like t...

Why do we cry when we laugh?

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why is TB so drug resistant? How do nature drugs fit the lock and key in our brains? Why are some family members less fussy eaters than others? Why do...

Does red really make bulls angry?

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we get a transplanted heart to start pumping in someone's body? Is it possible to have a stomach transplant? Is Earth's crust displacement like...

What would T-Rex taste like?

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can pain medicines go off? Why is mouldy cheese ok? What is the James Webb Space Telescope looking at? How long would it take someone to adapt to livi...

Can mosquitos get drunk off blood alcohol?

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can I bulk up my muscles? Where does candle wax disappear to? Why don't pigs eat onions? Do women take on male DNA when they're pregnant? Like thi...

Can you sing one song to the tune of another?

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we teach kids nursery rhymes? How do we know how anatomically modern humans populated the world? What is cataract surgery, how is cataract surg...

Are mobile phone microwaves dangerous?

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why is earth's magnetic field changing direction? Why can I sense when someone is looking at me? How might the world come to an end? Why does time see...

What would a solar flare do to Earth?

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What would a large solar flare do to Earth? Why do stars appear to flicker, or move? Can animals experience regret? How does AI work? What are probiot...

Is the carrot top safe to eat?

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do scientists know how many stars are in the galaxy? Why do some ailments only affect us at night? Should I get a petrol or diesel car? Are we drinkin...

Are there any advantages to having a disease?

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does flash photography harm baby's eyesight? What is ocular myasthenia gravis? Can having a disease give you an advantage against another disease? Why...

What is cellular data and what do we pay for?

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is carbonated water better for you than still water? Why are some dogs scared of fireworks, and being touched? Is there a cure for tinnitus? Do energy...

Will identical twins die of the same thing?

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Chris answers an eclectic crop of science questions including: why do we appear to have superhuman strength in high stress situations? Are science and...

How does our brain coordinate our body?

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What role do cockroaches play in our ecosystem? What would happen if all of Earth's gases combined? Why is the universe expanding? What is the most fl...

How do we know how old the Earth is?

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When is the next comet? What is past the milky way? Which animals have been sent into space? Did the moon come before the Earth? What lifts up the moo...

How do animals survive in the deep sea?

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why is nearly everyone right handed? How do genetically modified crops work? Why do some animals bob their head as they walk? How did stem cells resto...

Why do I cry when I trim my nose hairs?

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are we the only animals that do maths? Why are we still driving vehicles with high emissions given our climate concerns? Could volcanoes pose a threat...

Do I get drunk quicker after Sober October?

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Neanderthal genetics and what DNA can tell us about ancient societies, no evidence for telekinesis, whether low blood pressure is a bad thing, the rea...

How do planes fly upside down?

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do planes fly upside down? Why do sheep eat so much grass? What is outside of the universe? How does hypnotism work? What does anaesthetic do? Why...

Why are bad habits so hard to kick?

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why are bad habits so hard to drop? Are we in a new industrial revolution? Why don't islands have snakes? How do drugs know where to go? Would firewor...

Why do birds fly in formation?

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why is Pluto not considered a planet anymore? What is the possibility of there being more than one universe? Why do birds not get electrocuted when th...

Why Doesn't Super Glue go Hard in the Tube?

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between mist and fog? Would 1 kilometre on our orbit make the difference between life and death on Earth? How do washing powders...

Why do some people learn languages so easily?

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the difference between 93 and 95 octane petrol? Why is the sea salty? What is at the end of the universe? How can we cure epilepsy? Like this ...

Are diet supplements a scam?

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Could we slow down light to see backwards in time? Why does the moon appear not to rotate? Why don't some melting icebergs lead to sea level rise? Wha...

Should we want to stop feeling pain?

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did the Earth just have its shortest day ever? Should we ever stop feeling pain? Why are different areas of hair on our body different colours? Is you...

Why does time only move forward?

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do we know that white light contains every colour? Why does time only move forward? Why aren't birds electrocuted by power lines? How do aeroplane...

Can we Still see the Big Bang?

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Can the James Webb telescope see the origins of the Universe? Does freezing your jeans remove stains and preserve the colour? What are the effects of ...

What is time?

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What's better to injest after antibiotics treatment, yoghurt or probiotics? What makes milk and snow so white? Why does being exposed to cold water ma...

Do we sneeze in our sleep?

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why chainsaw's blunt over time, planet rotation, Star Trek's on the money with scientific accuracy, mathematical conundrums, sneezing in your sleep, t...

Counting all the stars in the known universe

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Consumption of energy in the brain; the role of my adam's apple; seed anatomy; why there are so many planets; body components that suck oxygen from th...

Drinking alcohol as you soak?

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Soap on the bathroom mirror with a hot shower running; sedatives acting unusually; coffee reduces tiredness but also provides a lick of energy; does a...

DNA fingerprints after an arm transplant!

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Platinum Jubilee; aerodynamics and physics of tailgating vehicles; why planets and the moon are all in the same orbital plane; how ants lead their...

How do ants breathe?

28 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are stars made of? How do ants breathe? How does a person catch chickenpox? Why are sunsets and sunrises red? What are planets made of? How many ...

Why do boats have round portholes?

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shortages of cooking oil, risks of being hit by lightning and can lightning travel through your plumbing; why boats have round portholes; what's the m...

Why doesn't our own snoring wake us up?

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some animals sleep standing up? And do fish sleep? Why are elderly voices higher pitched than younger voices? Why does the outside temperature ...

How are some children geniuses?

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Can trees produce more than 1 type of fruit? Why do some flowers only have a scent at night? What makes fruit taste sweet? How does the Google search ...

Will a cold onion make me cry less?

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why are humans still born with bits we don't need - will evolution do away with them? Did an onion make me cry less because it was cold from the fridg...

Smoking causes cancer but cures salmon?!

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nominative determinism; can cold showers ward off coughs and flu; what's von Willebrand's Disease; if smoking causes cancer how does it cure salmon; w...

Full tank or better to drive about half full?

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is it better to keep the tank topped up to full, or should I drive around on half empty: what's better for my car and fuel consumption? Why might alth...

If identical twins marry identical twins...

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What happens, genetically, when a black and a white human partner have children? And if a pair of genetically identical twins marries another pair of ...

Are my feet ageing faster than my face?

20 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why does my kiddie object to wearing shoes? What is spacetime and how does time dilation work? What is entanglement, otherwise known as spooky action ...

Dark side of the moon for the James Webb?

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How does the James Webb Space Telescope work, and what will it reveal to us? How do spring and neap tides work, and what determines the times of tides...

What's the best shaped ice cube?

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What's the best shaped ice cube, the study suggesting a pan-coronavirus vaccine might be on the cards, why a temperature of 30 degrees C feels hot des...

Why do I think I look different in photos?

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why cockroaches invariably are found dead on their backs; what happens to old and previous Covid-19 variants; why do I see myself differently in photo...

Why does everything taste rotten after Covid?

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why, after a dose of Covid-19, am I left with a new taste sensation resembling rotten onions? Why does bleached hair look blond, not white, and does s...

Can memories be artificially implanted?

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What boils fastest, a glass or plastic kettle? Do animals adapt to their surroundings? Why do I feel sleepy when I take a trip to the coast? What's an...

Is Google Maps harming my sense of direction?

20 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, what's the bottom line on sanitising surfaces against Covid-19? Why, wonders Lester, am I so sluggish for the first few hours of the day? A...

Why doesn't an injured spinal cord re-grow?

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The chemistry of fireworks, can I safely eat one year old Christmas cake, why we don't fall out of bed at night, what the Universe is expanding into, ...

How long does Covid-19 vaccine immunity last?

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we join young learners at Christel House school who ask us about the duration of immunity to Covid-19 post-vaccine and post-infection. Also,...

How different are dog and human brains?

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What gases are present in lava? What happens when hot magma meets cold water in the sea? How different is an animal's brain to my own? How much of my ...

Are farts infectious?

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, James Croll and Mulitun Milankovic's contributions to planetary climate cycles; what it takes to knock a planet off-axis; where do clouds f...

Why are only some batteries rechargeable?

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, where Vitamin D comes from, if lab-grown protein is vegan-friendly, how mammals evolved to dive deep underwater, how genes can be used to t...

What makes a virus like Covid-19 mutate?

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a virus mutate? Why does bladder control become so much harder to achieve the closer I get to a toilet? How does sneezing work? How are vac...

Can science bring back extinct species?

18 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's time to join another local school to answer their burning science questions including can we bring back extinct species from the dead; ...

How does a water softener work?

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What causes r-rolling difficulties otherwise known as rhotacism? Also, why do we have to stay still in an MRI scanner, why is calcium a metal, what ma...

Why does heat wipe out a magnet?

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we ask whether we're about to start spoiling other planets with our space forays, if there is antimatter in the human body, what causes clus...

Can two light rays collide?

28 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is there such a thing as a true circle? Can two light rays collide with one another? What makes the sky look blue? Have aliens ever visited Earth? Wil...

In computing, how does the cloud work?

21 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do I shiver when I wee? How does carbon dating work? What can I not tickle myself - is that similar to why I mind my own farts less than someone e...

Allergic to just one part of an animal?

14 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can you be allergic to one part of an animal but not another? What's the point of dreaming? What happened before the Big Bang? What's in wine that cau...

Does digital data weigh anything?

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do African animals withstand extreme cold in the Kalahari? Does the data we're all generating and storing weigh anything? How does relativity rela...

Are we at peak human Olympic performance?

24 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some forms of heater seem to warm a room up faster? What's the different between Alzheimer's Disease and dementia? Are aluminium cooking utensi...

Why does squinting sharpen vision?

17 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's show, recorded before the Euro 2021 final, Dr Chris explains why Inuits survive on polar fare with impunity but Shackleton's crew devel...

Electric eels to power the national grid?

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can electric eels power the national grid? What does 5% alcohol in a beer really mean? Does alcoholic hand cleanser ruin your fingerprints? Why does w...

What happened to the Wankel Rotary Engine?

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, what happened to the Wankel Rotary Engine; why does air become thinner at altitude and thicker at depths; and why do I need to blow my nose...

Why don't tennis players get one massive arm?

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Which is better, male or female? Why does one nostril sometimes seem to work better than the other? Why do some birds hop but others waddle? What's mo...

How do bees make honey?

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why might it feel colder at daybreak compared with during the night? What's the best gap between doses for Covid-19 vaccines? What causes albinism and...

Can dogs detect Covid-19?

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week how medical detection dogs are sniffing out Covid-19 with 94% success rates, the force powering the expansion of the Universe, how a master ...

Why sugared cucumber might taste like melon

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, expiry dates on vaccines, what is a smell and how does the body's olfactory (smelling) system work? Why does the smell of fruits change dur...