CrowdScience
Episodes
Are we too selfish to save the planet?
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the biggest threats humanity has ever faced - and tackling them is going to take a whole lot of collab...
How does my radio work?
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How is a small budget pocket radio able to recreate all the atmosphere and sounds of a football match? CrowdScience listener Andy wants to know about ...
Does dark matter still matter?
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists have been searching for dark matter for decades, and think there’s six times more of it in the universe than the stuff we can actually se...
Are big-heads smarter?
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a world where bigger is often seen as better - and the size of someone's brain is no exception. But a listener in Nairobi wants to know, do...
Why do we get bored?
07 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“I’m bored!” We can all relate to the uncomfortable - and at times unbearable - feeling of boredom. But what is it? Why does it happen? And coul...
How do you like your eggs in the morning?
31 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Should you wash your eggs? Well believe it or not, there is quite an international debate about this question from CrowdScience listener Susan. In Can...
CrowdScience Christmas bonanza
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens – CrowdScience has covered a lot this year. And what better way to see out 2021 than to look back at a fe...
How can I keep fruit & veg fresh for longer?
17 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As many of us gear up for the annual Christmas feast, some of you may be wondering how to eat everything before it goes off. It’s a great question, ...
What's the best way to make a decision?
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Life is full of choices, from the mundane (like what to wear today) to the critical (how should we deal with the pandemic?). So how can we make the be...
What makes stuff sticky?
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What makes things sticky? Listener Mitch from the USA began wondering while he was taking down some very sticky wallpaper. Our world would quite liter...
Which is better: Optimism or pessimism?
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In most cultures, the soundtrack to our lives is one of optimism. We are told to aim for the stars, dream big and believe that tomorrow will definitel...
Would my cat survive in the wild?
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cats started hanging out with humans thousands of years ago, and nowadays these fluffy, lovable pets are found in many of our homes. But there is no d...
Can we recycle concrete?
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Concrete is the most widely used substance on earth after water. It’s quite literally the foundation of the modern world, and no wonder - it’s str...
Can COP26 deliver on climate change?
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The science is unequivocal: human-made climate change is leading the world into an environmental crisis, and time is running out to prevent permanent ...
Could we completely switch to renewable energy?
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the world slowly moves away from using fossil fuels for electricity, one tiny Scottish island has proved it’s possible to rely almost entirely on...
Should I have kids?
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"To be or not to be” was never your decision. No one alive today is an “exister” by consent - your parents made that call for you. But who can b...
Can we grow a conscious brain?
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Philosophers have long pondered the concept of a brain in a jar, hooked up to a simulated world. Though this has largely remained a thought experiment...
Does the planet need snails?
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Snails are a major enemy of gardeners around the world, invading vegetable patches and gobbling prize plants. CrowdScience listener Alexandre reckons ...
Do plants have immune systems?
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the past 18 months we have heard lots about the human immune system, as we all learn about how our bodies fight off Covid-19 and how the vaccine he...
How do flowers know when to bloom?
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This year has been a weird one for UK gardeners – unpredictable spring temperatures meant flowers failed to bloom and throughout the rainy summer, s...
How did eyes evolve?
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Look into my eyes. What do you see? Pupil, lens, retina… an intricate set of special tissues and mechanisms all working seamlessly together, so that...
Can we transfer electricity wirelessly?
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pioneering physicist and inventor Nikolas Tesla dreamt of connecting the world up through wireless communication and power. Despite demonstrating he c...
Can we save our night skies?
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our connection to the night sky spans cultures and millennia: observing the stars and planets helped our ancestors navigate the world, tell stories ab...
How did our ancestors sleep?
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How we sleep is a topic of endless fascination and for some can, ironically be quite exhausting. Modern life has allowed us to invade the night, and ...
Why is human skin so rubbish?
21 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever fallen over and grazed your skin, maybe you wished it were made of stronger stuff. The tough hide of a rhinoceros or the protective a...
How can smart tech tackle climate change?
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Humans are responsible for emitting over 40 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year – and we all know that we need to reduce...
Can video games help me or harm me?
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, up to 3 billion people around the world play video games, from candy based mobile puzzles to virtual battlegrounds filled with weapons. Many pe...
Do I really have to clean my recycling?
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It’s a well-known phrase that we all try and follow in our day to day lives. But are our current recycling habits the best t...
Am I a psychopath?
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One CrowdScience listener finds herself unconcerned about much of the world’s problems, it leaves her wondering: am I a psychopath?Inspired by a pre...
Why do my cables keep getting tangled?
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Anyone who has ever taken the Christmas lights out of the cupboard, only to discover they’re hopelessly tangled, will sympathise with this week’s ...
Why is standing more tiring than walking?
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Standing takes less energy than walking, so why does it feel more tiring? At least, it does for CrowdScience listener Nina. She can march for hours wi...
Why do I feel hungry?
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Food. For all of us it is a basic necessity and for those lucky enough, it is something we spend a lot of time planning and enjoying. CrowdScience lis...
What happened to my sense of smell?
25 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It took a while before it was officially recognised as a major symptom of Covid-19, but loss of smell has affected up to 60 percent of people who have...
Does my equator look big in this?
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Scales don’t come planet-sized, so answering a question from David in Ghana may require some ingenuity, after all, calculating the weight of the Ear...
Why do I have such a sweet tooth?
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
They say life is sweet. Well that’s certainly the case for CrowdScience listener Trevor in Poland who wonders why he can’t stop reaching for the c...
What is the point of menstruation?
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's a topic that's taboo in many cultures, yet it's also something nearly every woman experiences – on average upwards of 400 times throughout her ...
Is my neighbour’s noise harming my health?
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As millions more of us move to live in densely populated cities, we almost inevitably face living in closer proximity to our neighbours. Neighbour no...
How old are the elements?
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You are a star. Literally. You are a carbon-based life form and those atoms of carbon in the molecules that make up your cells were formed by a nucle...
Could we turn poisonous plants into edible crops?
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are over 400,000 species of plant on earth, they’re on every continent including Antarctica. But humans only regularly eat about 200 species g...
Why is learning stuff harder as you get older?
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you taken classes to learn a new sport or musical instrument or a language? It’s hard work! Why is it that as children we effortlessly absorb n...
Why are seeds such different sizes?
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When eating a blackberry one day, CrowdScience listener Charles got a tiny seed stuck in his teeth. That got him wondering: why are seeds the size the...
What can we learn from wastewater?
23 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us don’t like to dwell on our toilet habits, but this week Crowdscience has gone down the drain to discover what wastewater can tell us abou...
Why does grief leave me feeling this way?
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Grief is universal. It is something almost all of us will go through at some point. And it is something that the people we love will experience when w...
Why do we gossip?
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gossip often has negative connotations, but does it get a bad rap? Might it serve a useful function and should we think of gossiping as an advanced so...
If a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound?
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If a tree falls in a forest, and no-one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? This is an age-old debate that listener Richard and his family have...
Do animals use medicine?
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Animals experience all the colds, stomach pains, headaches, parasites, and general illnesses that humans do. But unlike us, animals can’t just grab ...
Can space exploration be environmentally friendly?
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The space industry, with its fuel-burning rockets, requirements for mined metals and inevitable production of space junk, is not currently renowned fo...
How does my mind talk to my body?
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week CrowdScience investigates the information superhighway connecting mind with body. The Vagus nerve is part of our parasympathetic nervous sys...
Why does it feel so good to swear?
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The sudden agony of stubbing a toe or burning a finger can make even the most polite among us swear our heads off. It’s like a reflex, a quick-relea...
Why do men rule the world?
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Paula from Kenya is a computer scientist, she can’t help but notice the inequality in her workplace. With only 1 in 10 countries having fe...
Can we build houses from living trees?
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the stuff of fairy tales – a beautiful cottage, with windows, chimney and floorboards … and supported by a living growing tree. CrowdScienc...
Can I improve my sense of direction?
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you find your bearings quickly or are you easily disorientated? Do your friends trust you with the directions in a new city? Finding our way in the...
Can being happy help me fight infection?
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Could being happier help us fight infectious disease?As the world embarks on a mass vaccination programme to protect populations from Covid-19, Crowds...
Will giving up alcohol improve my sperm count?
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When planning to have a baby, women are expected to give up everything from smoking to alcohol, even soft cheese. But the other half of fertility come...
Are there downsides to deep cleaning?
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Covid-19 has prompted a cleaning frenzy. CrowdScience listener William works as a personal trainer in a gym, and while cleaning’s always been part o...
What are the limits of human endurance?
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to speed, humans have got nothing on cheetahs - or greyhounds, kangaroos or zebras for that matter. It’s over long distances we really...
Do green spaces make us healthier?
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the more surprising consequences of the pandemic has been the trend for people wanting to move out of cities and back to the countryside. Not e...
Is a fungus intelligent?
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As regular listeners may recall, CrowdScience has delved into the strange world of fungi before, as we dug down into the forest floor to reveal how pl...
Do animals exercise?
25 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At Christmas, is there a better gift than knowledge? CrowdScience has cooked up its own version of 'secret Santa', with members of the team setting on...
Was I born clumsy?
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
CrowdScience listener Simon has a problem. He’s always bumping into things, dropping tools and knocking stuff over. And he’s sick of it. He wants ...
Will our spacecraft ever reach the stars?
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The space between stars is usually measured in light years, but this makes it less easy to acknowledge the true scale of the distance. Even the closes...
Are humans naturally clean and tidy?
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From dumping raw sewage into rivers to littering the streets with our trash, humans don’t have a great track record when it comes to dealing with ou...
Can we prevent wildfires?
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This year, dramatic wildfires wreaked havoc across the globe from Australia to Siberia. CrowdScience listener Melissa wants to know the extent to whic...
How does a breeze become a gale?
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Every year, Western Afghanistan is hit with a fierce 120-day wind, and listener Hamid wants to know what causes this phenomenon? He’s from the city ...
How can I beat pain?
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We all feel pain on a regular basis; when we stub a toe, break a bone or even experience heartbreak. Bebeto from Cameroon wants to know how to cope wi...
Why are elephants so big?
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
CrowdScience listeners come in all shapes, sizes and ages. This episode is dedicated to our younger listeners who, as we’ve learned before, are expe...
Can I learn to sing in tune?
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve probably all got a friend who sings along wildly out of tune - or maybe you are that person. But why are some of us apparently tone deaf, whil...
Am I related to a virus?
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
All living things are related to each other, from elephants to algae, e-coli to humans like us. Within our cells we hold genetic information in the fo...
Why do I blush?
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Curious CrowdScience listeners have suddenly been struck by the oddity of their behaviours. Elise ponders why she blushes. Thankfully, listener David ...
Why do planets spin?
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Crowdscience solves a range of listeners’ cosmic mysteries, from the reason we only ever see one side of the moon, to why planets spin, and discover...
Why am I embarrassed to be naked?
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why am I embarrassed to be naked? Chumbuzzo in Zambia wonders. And what would happen if we ditched our clothes and embraced nudity? Presenter Anand J...
Why do we like spicy food?
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us willingly subject ourselves to pain and irritation by eating chilli. CrowdScience listener Tina wonders what’s driving this apparent maso...
Why does running water make me need the toilet?
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What does science say about controlling urination, and other bodily functions? We tackle three queries about peeing triggers, pooing positions and mis...
What’s the yeast doing inside my bread?
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re one of the millions of people who used lockdown to try something new like baking sourdough bread, you may well be wondering what’s happe...
What is the point of slime?
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Squelching into the science of slime, Chhavi Sachdev seeks to find out why it took so long for listener Helen Tyson to remove slime from her fingers, ...
Does air traffic affect our weather?
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Anyone else had their flight cancelled? The COVID 19 pandemic has had a huge impact on air travel – air traffic in 2020 is expected to be down 50 pe...
Why do conspiracy theories exist?
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Avalon from Australia wants to know why people use conspiracy theories to explain shocking events. Are we more likely to believe conspiracy t...
Are some soaps better than others?
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
These days we’re more acquainted with soap than ever before, as we lather up to help stop the spread of coronavirus. And for CrowdScience listener S...
How is human sound affecting sealife?
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Think of the oceans and an empty and peaceful expanse relatively untouched by humankind might come to mind. But is this peace an illusion? CrowdScienc...
Could earthworms help transform the future of farming?
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Worms are not the cutest of creatures. They’re slimy, often associated with death and tend to bring on feelings of disgust in many of us. But listen...
Is barefoot running better?
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Shoes are a surprisingly recent human invention. But running isn’t. That means for most of our time on the planet, we’ve run barefoot. Today, in m...
What’s the point of blood types?
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you put one person’s blood into another person , sometimes it’s fine and sometimes it’s a death sentence. French physician Jean-Baptiste Deni...
Do animals have consciousness?
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What exactly it means to be conscious has long been a question of profound debate amongst philosophers, and more recently, scientists. There are no ea...
Were my atoms once your atoms?
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We were bowled over by a question from one CrowdScience listener in Australia wants to know how likely it is that the atoms in his body have been used...
Would you risk your life to save another?
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever broken up a fight? Or pushed someone out the way of an oncoming vehicle, only to be hit by it yourself? Most of us probably haven’t ta...
Why can’t you tickle yourself?
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week the kids take over. Our younger listeners are as curious as their parents, it seems, so presenter Marnie Chesterton seeks out the finest min...
How does a language begin?
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are over 7000 living languages on earth today. These mutually unintelligible means of communication are closely associated with different groups...
Does my toilet make sense?
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Despite being a universal need, talking about our toilet use and the infrastructure that aids us remains somewhat taboo. Whilst sectors like telecommu...
What is the smallest particle?
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the smallest particle of matter? How does radiation affect our bodies? And, how is particle physics useful in our everyday lives?CrowdScience ...
How do I learn maths when school’s shut?
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the importance of zero, and how was it discovered? How do scientists calculate Pi’s infinite digits? Why do so many people find maths diffi...
Why do you sweat more than me?
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you're an exercise fan, you'll know that sweating is how our bodies keep us cool, but how much water we lose and which bits of us get wettest depen...
What makes a spider spin a web?
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you have ever watched a spider as it works to build a web, spiralling inwards with a thread of silk, that intersects each glistening spoke with a p...
How can I reduce stress?
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Keith from Lincolnshire wants to know how to reduce stress as he is under extreme pressure as a firefighter. Not only does he have to cope w...
Will a placebo boost my sports performance?
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In medicine, it’s long been recognised that a placebo, a sham medicine or treatment, can have a powerful positive effect on a patient’s health. Pa...
Can science explain why I love shopping?
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever felt the urge to shop till you drop, then you may already know about some of the clever ways retailers convince us to consume. From fla...
Can I trust DNA ancestry tests?
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us are fascinated by our ancestry: knowing where our families came from can give us a sense of identity and roots. Tracing your family tree is...
What are scientists doing about coronavirus?
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Since the outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus late last year, health workers and governments have been rushing to limit transmission by deploying ...
Introducing 13 Minutes to the Moon Season 2
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jump on-board a doomed mission to the Moon. Apollo 13: the extraordinary story, told by the people who flew it and saved it. Search for 13 Minutes t...
Why are we obsessed with crime?
06 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why are we obsessed with crime? Kay from Hamburg, Germany asks as every Sunday evening Germans pile into their local pubs to watch Tatort, a hugely su...
What’s the weirdest weather?
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Weather: wet, dry, cold, hot, sunny, windy or downright weird - there’s nothing quite like it as a conversation starter, from Austin to Jakarta. And...