Ask the Naked Scientists - podcast cover

Ask the Naked Scientists

How many organs could you donate and remain alive? How many planet Earths could fit inside the Sun? How high is a giraffe's blood pressure? Why is the sea blue? To find out, Ask The Naked Scientists!

Episodes

Can comets reveal the future?

What is the latest on Ebola? Which human sense was the strongest in more primitive times? Can comets tell us about the future? How did our ancestors discover that the Earth is round? Why are electric kettles so loud? How can grey hair go black again? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nov 21, 201422 minEp. 289

Why aren't there any flying spiders?

Is it possible to regrow brain cells? Why can't spiders fly? Can you survive with three kidneys? What causes a migraine? Plus, why lightning is striking twice... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nov 14, 201413 minEp. 288

What causes cataracts?

Why do my fingernails grow quicker than my toenails? Why are yawns contagious? Do people with longer legs use less energy to run? What causes cataracts? How important is your sense of smell? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nov 07, 201422 minEp. 287

Are Ebola survivors immune for life?

Can a new stomach be grown in a dish? Are Ebola survivors immune from future infection? Why do injuries seem to hurt more later? Are there homosexual dolphins? How do muscles make energy? How do ants home in on food? Can dogs judge human character? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Oct 31, 201419 minEp. 286

Why do people talk to themselves?

Why do people talk to themselves? Can cats cut your risk of a heart attack? Does salt help water boil quicker? Do women have an Adam's Apple? Plus, an update on Ebola and a rapid paper-based test for the virus... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Oct 24, 201420 minEp. 285

Can the radio control my dreams?

Why do I sneeze in bright light? Can the radio control my dreams? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Oct 10, 201421 minEp. 284

Do flies have blood?

Why did dinosaurs grow so large? Do flies have blood? Can chemotherapy get into the brain? Why do scorpions glow in UV light? Did we interbreed with Neanderthals? Plus, news of how your sense of smell can indicate how long you have left to live... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Oct 03, 201421 minEp. 283

Why do some people sleepwalk?

How is sea-level defined? What makes some people sleepwalk? How are barometers calibrated? What is an acquired taste? How much of the body is water? Do we really use only 10% of our brain? Why does red wine stain your lips? Why to I talk in my sleep? What happens if you drink petrol? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sep 26, 201421 minEp. 282

Can you be born circumcised?

How do people catch ebola? Why do brothers and sisters look different if they have the same parents? Can we mine the moon for fuel? Why should you not re-freeze meat? What causes birth marks? What is a curve of pursuit? Can you be born circumcised? Dr Chris answers more of your questions, on Talk Radio 702... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sep 19, 201421 minEp. 281

Why does spaghetti break into 3 pieces?

Can we rear people in a germ-free environment? Can you be born with only one kidney? Why does spaghetti always break into 3 pieces? What exactly is temperature? When you add more water to the bath and then pull the plug - what water goes down the drain first, the new or the old? Why do birds live longer than their size would suggest? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sep 05, 201421 minEp. 280

Can you get sunburn through a glass window?

Can you get sunburnt through a glass window? What are white holes? If everything is made from atoms, and atoms are largely empty space why can't we phase through walls? Can chlorophyll help body odour? What causes ringing in your ears? Can you train a child to be ambidextrous? Plus, an update on Ebola. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Aug 15, 201419 minEp. 278

How accurate are dinosaur reconstructions?

If you fall asleep with the radio playing what effect would this have on the brain? How do marine mammals stay hydrated? If you fall off a certain height do you die before you hit the ground? How come children spit all the time? How accurate are dinosaur reconstructions? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Aug 08, 201421 minEp. 277

Are maps always right?

What's causing the ebola outbreak in northwest Africa? Is our sun unique? Why did we make clocks tick the way they do? Does altitude affect my blood pressure? Would the passengers remain conscious aboard an aircraft hit by a missile? Where does the iron on Earth come from? Are maps accurate? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Aug 01, 201423 minEp. 276

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 worse headache? Plus, why beef is off the menu for a sustainable world... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jul 25, 201420 minEp. 275

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 what our ancestors ate... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jul 18, 201420 minEp. 274

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... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jul 11, 201423 minEp. 273

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 answers to South Africa's top science questions, as well as news of a solar power breakthrough based on a tofu ingredient... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Jul 04, 201423 minEp. 272

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? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 27, 201417 minEp. 271

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 do rocks erode? And the cure for procrastination? That's in next week's show... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Jun 20, 201422 minEp. 270

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 that might help to eradicate malaria... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 13, 201422 minEp. 269

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? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jun 06, 201423 minEp. 268

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. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

May 30, 201421 minEp. 267

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 smells give away gender. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

May 23, 201424 minEp. 266

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? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

May 16, 201418 minEp. 265

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 you yawn? Join Dr Chris for the answers to more burning science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

May 02, 201422 minEp. 264

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 get more petrol for my money when it is cold? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Apr 25, 201421 minEp. 263

Naked at 702

The Naked Scientists appear in the flesh at Primedia Place, home of 702, to answer questions from the live audience... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Apr 17, 201451 minEp. 262

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 popcorn? What is total internal reflection? How do you stop birds nesting on a rooftop? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Apr 11, 201423 minEp. 261

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 infectious years later? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Apr 04, 201424 minEp. 260
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