How do African animals withstand extreme cold in the Kalahari? Does the data we're all generating and storing weigh anything? How does relativity relate to the real world? Why do we run Olympic races in the direction we do? Is the ozone hole disappearing now? Were left handers less able to defend themselves back in history? Is a germinating seed making new matter? And will volcanoes eventually empty the Earth of magma? Lester and Chris have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by sup...
Aug 06, 2021•25 min•Ep. 577
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 utensils a risk factor for Alzheimer's? Can magic mushrooms control dementia, or other mood disorders? How do we know what's inside the Earth, and did we collide with another planet during Earth's past? Are microwaves a risk for cancer? Is there a limit to human Olympic performance? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Jul 24, 2021•24 min•Ep. 576
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 developed nutritional deficiency when they were stuck in the Antarctic. Also, why laser beams are bad for goalkeepers, if energy drinks are dangerous, why squinting sharpens vision, if there humans with better senses than average, and what is meant by the percentage chance of rain? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Jul 17, 2021•25 min•Ep. 575
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 warm water on cold feet feel scalding hot? Is behaviour genetic - do I inherit my mood from my dad? Join Dr Chris and Azania Mosaka as they unravel the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jun 28, 2021•18 min•Ep. 574
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 vigorously when I first wake up but not at other times of the day? Also, what are the best pollinators, what's the evidence for macro-evolution, why do many great discoveries get discovered at the same time by independent workers, and what happens in the brain during hypnosis. Join Dr Chris and Lester Kiewit for the answers... Like this podcast? P...
Jun 18, 2021•29 min•Ep. 573
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 monosodium glutamate and what does it do to food? Why are other people's farts harder to tolerate? What causes multiple pregnancies? Why do we sometimes feel cold? And why don't professional sportsmen, like tennis players, not end up with one massive dominant arm? Join Dr Chris Smith and Lester Kiewit for the answers... Like this podcast? Please help...
Jun 16, 2021•27 min•Ep. 572
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 albinos do anything to make their skin darker? What are stretch marks? And how do bees make honey? Join Dr Chris and Azania Mossaka for the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jun 07, 2021•20 min•Ep. 571
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 key works, whether parallel universes are more fact than fiction, what was Dr Chris's favourite science subject at school, what causes bad dreams, what triggers early labour, and should a Covid-19 recoveree get vaccinated? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
May 28, 2021•20 min•Ep. 570
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 during the ripening process? Why might sugar on cucumber taste like melon? Do some people inherit genes that mean some smells are inapparent to them? When clouds disappear, where have they gone? How does a cell phone touchscreen work? And why do car exhausts seem to last longer these days? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scie...
May 21, 2021•23 min•Ep. 569
This week, the Covid-19 crisis in India and why it's happening, we discuss why water, despite being replete with hydrogen and oxygen which burn readily, is incombustible, we talk through the safety profile of the coronavirus vaccines, find out why shaking the remote control can apparently bring dead batteries back to life, and touch on the ageing process. We also bid farewell to Kieno, who is departing for pastures new... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
May 08, 2021•17 min•Ep. 568
This week, why it's more comfortable to look at the Sun on the horizon compared with when it's directly overhead, why dogs pee on upright objects, where mosquitoes go in winter, is it normal to have one foot bigger than the other, and what's the best way to breed tall children? Ray White and Chris Smith take on your science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Apr 30, 2021•21 min•Ep. 567
If the AZ vaccine causes blood clots, why do affected individuals have low platelets, which should make clotting less likely? Also, when the Earth wobbles on its axis, does the Moon's orbit also change? How many genes of mine will my offspring carry? Could we dump nuclear waste in space? Why do disinfectants claim to kill 99.9% of bugs? Where do they get that number from?! Dr Chris Smith and Azania Mosaka have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Apr 19, 2021•19 min•Ep. 566
Chris Smith and Kieno Kammies discuss the latest on blood clots and Covid-19 vaccines, including the US and South Africa decisions to halt use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Also, are the vaccines a risk for people with aneurysms, what causes recurrent nosebleeds, can we mix flu and coronavirus vaccines, why the heart is so tied up with emotions, and does not having sex harm your health? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Apr 16, 2021•27 min•Ep. 565
Should I get vaccinated despite previous Covid-19 infection? Can I get a combined flu and Covid-19 shot? Why can't my pharmacist give me a Covid jab in South Africa? Is a Covid-19 vaccine safe for someone with a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome? Can you find out what Covid-19 variant has infected you? Did they really find Jack the Ripper? And why do dogs and cats turn around in circles when they first get into bed? Join Dr Chris Smith and Kieno Kammies for the answers... Like this podcast? Ple...
Apr 14, 2021•26 min•Ep. 564
The people that don't believe Covid-19 is real, how ants smell out sources of food, how soda water makes you burp, a way to banish ants, what would you change about the human body, why masks stop Covid-19 but not smells, and how long is the recovery time from bone fusion surgery? Join Dr Chris Smith and 567 Cape Talk's Kieno Kammies for the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Mar 26, 2021•22 min•Ep. 563
Why are the EU posturing around AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, and what will be the consequences? And if you've already caught coronavirus, should you still get vaccinated if you are already immune? What is ataxia and how can it be treated? What causes rigor mortis and how long does it last? In Covid-19 genetic vaccines, how long does the foreign genetic material persist in the body? Plus why conspiracy theories and misinformation proliferated online are so toxic. Like this podcast? Please help...
Mar 22, 2021•21 min•Ep. 562
Why is the Moon moving away from the Earth, and what would have been the consequence of it being closer to us millions of years ago? Also, why does Covid-19 anosmia stop me smelling Vick's Vapour rub but I can still feel its effects? Do models have more neck bones to account for their longer necks? Why do some people float but others sink in the swimming pool? And how does lightning work: does it travel upwards, downwards, or neither? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Sci...
Mar 12, 2021•24 min•Ep. 561
Why do we fall asleep when we don't want to? Will going without sex harm your health? Why do aircraft resort to black boxes when they could send data to satellites? Why don't brakes overheat and lock on? Can you create a 1 degree angle? And why does Earth look flat for people on the surface when we all know it's not really flat? Join Dr Chris Smith and Talk Radio 702's Azania Mosaka for the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Mar 08, 2021•24 min•Ep. 560
Good news on the Covid-19 vaccine front from the UK, why South Africa isn't using AstraZeneca's vaccine, is the Universe under threat from "strangelets", why has evolution not solved the ageing problem, why ice sticks to an empty glass, the PCR test for Covid-19, and how to stop cats killing wildlife... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Feb 27, 2021•26 min•Ep. 559
Will loud music deafen my dog? Why are some dog breeds more docile than others? Why do Covid-19 outbreaks follow cycles of boom and bust? What gives a person their "second wind"? Why do ants invade my kettle and other electronic devices ? Is ant invasion in you home a sign that the place is dirty? Why have I got vibration sensations in my foot? Join Dr Chris Smith and 567 Cape Talk's Saskia Falken to find out... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Feb 15, 2021•19 min•Ep. 558
This week we talk vaccines for Covid-19, especially the Novavax trial results, and hear why it might be possible to tune into radio waves with your teeth. We also discuss Covid and cytokine storms, bubbles in the Milky Way, where the sharks go during a tsunami and how radioactivity is used to power spacecraft... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Feb 05, 2021•23 min•Ep. 557
This week, Dr Chris and Kieno Kammies talk Covid-19 vaccinations, explore whether ivermectin might be a helpful coronavirus drug, explain how maggots get into wounds, unpick what's in the Covid-19 vaccine, and talk nanoparticles... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jan 26, 2021•22 min•Ep. 556
This week, journey times to Mars, how stars come by the matter inside them, why some people feel compelled to eat paper, how coronavirus antibody levels correlate with Covid-19 severity, whether water really goes down the drain in different directions on opposite sides of the Earth, and why a yawn produces a spray of saliva. Join Dr Chris Smith and Azania Mosaka for the answers. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...
Jan 22, 2021•21 min•Ep. 555
This week, Aza catches coronavirus, Covid-19 vaccines, viral variants and where are the mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, can you still swallow when you're upside down, how was Einstein proved right, and what causes cramp? Dr Chris Smith has the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Jan 18, 2021•21 min•Ep. 554
How do energy drinks give you a buzz? Why do planets orbit on a plane? Should we test for Covid-19 infection before we vaccinate? Do energy drinks cause diabetes? Why do you float on the Dead Sea? How does the Plimsoll Line on a boat work? When does Covid infectivity cease after death? What's your first and last organ to die? How do planets orbit? And what's the best way to get rid of rat poison? Join Dr Chris Smith for all the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked...
Jan 11, 2021•27 min•Ep. 553
How do point of care tests for Covid-19 work? Are they any good? How infectious are people asymptomatically infected with Covid-19? Why do different car indicators flash at different rates? How do accents work and where do they come from? How many Earths could fit inside Jupiter, and what is the "giant red spot"? Does wearing a facemask have any negative health impacts? Do hailstorms only happen in the daytime? Join Dr Chris Smith and Tshego Modisane for the answers... Like this podcast? Please ...
Dec 18, 2020•15 min•Ep. 552
An update on the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19, the lotto likelihood of sequential winning numbers, why swallows congregate around motorway bridges, the logistics of keeping the Covid-19 vaccine cold, and why is it dark in space? Also, why is there a Covid-19 vaccine in 10 months but no HIV vaccine after 4 decades, would we still have tides without the Moon, and why is the Moon white since the sky is blue? Join Dr Chris and 567 CapeTalk's Kieno Kammies for the answers... Like this podcast? Please ...
Dec 08, 2020•24 min•Ep. 551
Why shear a sheep in winter when it's cold? And can animals count? Why do geese and turkeys chase people? Also, how does coronavirus infection alter our sense of smell and taste? How do artificial sweeteners work? And when it comes to survival of the fittest, what constitutes "the fittest"? What brings asteroids onto a collision course with the Earth? Dr Chris joins Kieno Kammies to answer this week's crop of farmyard-inspired - and other - questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by suppo...
Dec 04, 2020•24 min•Ep. 550
Why did touching something make me taste metal? Also, what's the best liver detox, why does listening to loud music stop a stammer, does music help attention deficit disorder and is sunrise to the south even in the southern hemisphere. We also wonder whether perpetual motion is possible, why the sun can make some people sneeze, why ice cubes sometimes crumble, and how some fruits encourage others to ripen. Join Dr Chris Smith and Kieno Kammies for the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us...
Nov 27, 2020•21 min•Ep. 549
Why does my Coke froth up when I add ice? How is an oesophageal stricture treated? Does immunity to other coronaviruses confer immunity to Covid-19? Can cats smell things that are poisonous? Why do athletes place their hands on their hips after exercise? And how do fingers help with heat control. Join Dr Chris Smith and Talk Radio 702 Azania Mossaka for all the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Nov 17, 2020•16 min•Ep. 548
