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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

Weaning and HIV

Does holding a car remote to your head make it work better? Why does a boat float? Are triple rainbows real? What's a near-death experience? This week we also look at a new scientific study into why - and when - breast milk transmits HIV to a baby... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Apr 19, 201318 minEp. 229

Are babies born to swim?

Are babies born to swim? Can you escape from a black hole? Can an egg with a double yolk yield two chicks? What causes nightmares? Why do we gesticulate when we speak? Why is the Moon visible by day? Dr Chris takes on more top questions from South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Apr 05, 201321 minEp. 228

Live from 702 HQ

Naked Scientists team, Ben Valsler, Chris Smith and Ginny Smith joined the 702 crew and a studio audience live in Johannesburg to talk science, build vacuum bazookas and challenge listeners' mathematical minds... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 28, 201335 minEp. 227

Do Satellites Collide?

Do satellites collide? Can albinism be diagnosed on a scan? What causes the timing of the equinox to vary? Do bullets fired in the air still kill people? Can we make a human from just a genetic code? Why doesn't glue stick to the container? What's left underground once oil has been removed? And why can't we tickle ourselves? Join Dr Chris for another round up of the best science questions from South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Mar 27, 201320 minEp. 226

Why does Washing Shrink?

Who was John Snow? Why do things shrink in the wash? How does carbon dating work? Is intelligence down to mitochondria? Why does the banner also bank behind a banking aircraft? And how does the human body develop in utero? Dr Chris answers more top science questions from South Africa... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 15, 201323 minEp. 225

How does a gastric bypass work?

Does a cloudy day aggravate arthritis? Was the biblical flood real? How does a gastric bypass work? Will a knife in water go blunt? Where do the skeletons on sunken ships go? Why do cats have an extra fold of skin in their ears? And why transmit electricity at high voltage? Dr Chris joins Redi Thlabi for thirty minutes of quickfire Q and A... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 08, 201320 minEp. 224

Are urine and sweat the same?

How did horse meat end up in the food chain? Is baking foil bad for you? How big are viruses? How are urine and sweat produced? How do hydrogen vehicles work? And how do we measure the height of things above sea level? Join Chris Smith for this week's crop of top questions from Talk Radio 702, South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Mar 01, 201318 minEp. 223

How do pills know where pain is?

Why do ovaries run out of eggs and what affects egg quality? Why does diesel smell nice but burning engine oil is unpleasant? Do genes from genetically modified organisms get into eggs and sperm? Does lead affect behaviour? What causes motion sickness? Join Dr Chris for another run of science questions from South Africa... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Feb 22, 201318 minEp. 222

Are you taking the Higgs?

How does alcohol cause liver cirrhosis? Can we make matter massless by removing Higgs particles? How did spiders evolve web-making skills? What is insulin resistance? What does fluoride do? And do scars sustained by adults manifest in their offspring? This week Dr Chris takes on more questions from Talk Radio 702 South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Feb 08, 201318 minEp. 221

Why Tired Toddlers Rub Their Eyes

Are helium-filled balloons less likely to pop? How does a cordless toothbrush charge? Is there much mercury in compact fluorescent bulbs? Why do tired toddlers rub their eyes? Is lactose intolerance more common than it once was? And is it possible to trigger earthquakes artificially? Dr Chris answers this week's burning questions on Talk Radio 702, South Africa... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Feb 01, 201322 minEp. 220

How does blood doping work?

What is involved in blood doping in sports? Can beetroot make urine red? Can mosquitoes transmit HIV? How do dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate? Do sneezes stop your heart? Can you hear a supernova? Could plants grow on Mars? Why do ants keep drowning in my drink? Why do we not notice Earth turning? And can flour relieve burns? Dr Chris takes on another batch of top science questions from South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Jan 25, 201322 minEp. 219

Making more twins

How box jellyfish venom exerts its lethal effect, will the World end, how were the pyramids aligned, why does humid air feel hotter, why does a hot water stream slow after the tap is opened, what causes lights to twinkle, why do humans have language, is there a way to make more twins, where do stepped-on snails go, and why do diabetics sometimes smell like pear drops? Dr Chris tackles another crop of top questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Dec 21, 201222 minEp. 218

Can genes re-write their own code?

Carp with compasses, why we have earwax, what causes CIDP, can genes re-write their own code, do bananas in brown bags stay fresher longer, does hot water sound different, why veins look blue and what is coarctation of the aorta? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dec 07, 201221 minEp. 217

Do tyres on the roof repel lightning?

Why do we age? Why do frogs end up in the swimming pool when it rains? Are mosquitoes attracted to some people more than others? What is epigenetics? What causes Bell's Palsy? How do frogs find water? Do tyres on the roof repel lightning? Answers to more great science questions from South Africa with Dr Chris... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nov 30, 201221 minEp. 216

Do Blood Donors Live Longer?

Do blood donors live longer, is water safe in plastic bottles, is Earth gaining weight and are space probes sterile? Plus, how fireflies have helped engineers make even brighter LEDs. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nov 09, 201223 minEp. 215

What causes hurricanes?

What causes hurricanes? How does plastination work? Why do we go grey? Does grunting make muscles work harder? Do parallel universes exist? What causes hot flushes? Are there any IQ tests for babies? Do plants benefit from being talked to? Join Dr Chris for this week's round up of top science questions from South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Nov 02, 201222 minEp. 214

Why don't eyebrows go grey?

Why aren't bubbles coloured like the soap they came from? Does holding a remote control to you head make it work better? Why has exercise reduced my alcohol tolerance? Is it by design that the names of all continents start and finish with the same letter? Why don't eyebrows go grey at the same time as head-hair? Do things taste different on opposite sides of the mouth? Why remove metal objects before a medical scan? And why does running water make me want to wee? Join Dr Chris for the answers to...

Oct 26, 201223 minEp. 213

Why do some people have only boy babies?

How do atoms change inside stars? How did Felix Baumgartner accelerate to over 800 miles per hour? What is inside a black hole? What decides the sex of a baby? What causes jetlag? Could we use the movement of seawater inside the Earth's magnetic field to make electricity? Why is the sea salty? Plus, are women born to flirt? Dr Chris has the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Oct 19, 201222 minEp. 212

Why are aeroplane doors always on the left?

Why is skin the mouths of animals pink? Why doesn't water immediately fall out of clouds? How do we use light to send information into space? Why did a stomach explode after a liquid nitrogen cocktail? What are chimaeras? How will Felix Baumgartner get to the edge of space for his free-fall jump? Why is your breath both hot and cold against your hand? Why are the entry doors to an aeroplane always on the left side? And why do toenails seem to grow more slowly than fingernails? Join Chris for ano...

Oct 12, 201223 minEp. 211

Why does boiled water taste different?

Is the Earth about to gain a new tectonic plate? What is pompholyx and what are the treatment options? Why does sunburned skin blister? Why does boiled water taste different? Is there anyone who can still make a pencil from scratch? Why won't sugar solutions freeze? Why does my dog yawn when it gets up? Does famine affect genes in future generations? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sep 28, 201221 minEp. 210

How do hair transplants work?

How is the effectiveness of environmental interventions measured? What's the scientific definition of nothing? Why do farts smell worse in the shower? What happens when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier? What should I drink with lunch? What's happening with ITER? How are flu vaccines made? How do hair transplants work? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Sep 21, 201224 minEp. 209

Can we turn an asteroid into a space-station?

Why does a local anaesthetic make my face feel fat? How do worms get into food? Would a taxi driver find a map of a new city easier to learn? From where did the asteroid belt form? Why is the lower lip more prone to chaps? What makes birds decide to sing at 5am? Can we make a spacestation inside an asteroid? Do you believe in UFOs? Another crop of top questions from 702 listeners gets answered... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Sep 14, 201222 minEp. 208

Where does amniotic fluid come from?

How did NASA get their cameras to work in the cold on the moon? How does a cordless electric toothbrush charge itself? What is adult respiratory distress syndrome? Where does the amniotic fluid around a baby come from? Why are Olympic races run anticlockwise? Why is sunscreen advised even on cloudy days? What is more accurate, my speedometer, or the speed recorded by my GPS? And why do my sunglasses make LCD displays look strange? This week Dr Chris takes on more of your science questions... Lik...

Sep 06, 201220 minEp. 207

Why don't aeroplane tyres explode?

Is a heater more efficient than a lightbulb? Why does your tongue stick to ice? Do planes alter the weather around airports? What's a headache? Do dreams alter your metabolism? Is medicine making the population less fit? Is teething linked to diarrhoea? Why don't aircraft tyres explode? Join Dr Chris for this week's round up of intriguing science questions and answers from Talk Radio 702... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Aug 31, 201220 minEp. 206

What is a Black Hole?

Why does my GPS think my car has moved in the garage at night? Can humans survive a space-ride to Mars? Why are epsom salts worth their salt? What is a black hole and what is inside it? How do the equations for special relativity and kinetic energy relate? Why is Pluto where it is in the solar system? Why have right and left headphones? Join Dr Chris for this week's brain-stretching science phone-in on 702. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Aug 24, 20121 minEp. 205

Why are there 360 degrees in a circle?

How do nerves conduct electrical impulses? How long does it take a bee colony to make a beehive? Why are there 360 degrees in a circle? How does special relativity work? What happens to a live insect if you swallow it? Is there a north, south, east and west in space? What happens to a diesel engine when the fuel shuts off? Dr Chris needs your help this week, because he's not an apiculturist or a mathematical historian... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Aug 10, 201220 minEp. 204

Why should salt have a sell-by date?

What's the point of making medicines fizzy? Why should salt have a sell-by date? Is boiled water as good as distilled for my iron? Do we actually only see half a movie? Where do foreign bodies dislodged from the eye go? Is lactose intolerance becoming more common? What causes morning sickness, and is it a risk for mother and baby? Join Dr Chris for this week's round-up of top questions from Talk Radio 702, South Africa... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Jul 27, 201222 minEp. 203

What causes anencephaly?

This week, what causes anencephaly and exencephaly? Can electric cars recharge themselves from their wheels? How do astronomers determine the composition of exoplanets? Why do things move when I switch eyes while looking at them? Why do animals of the same species all look identical? Can we get dinosaur DNA out of amber? Do hands and feet get fat when a person puts on weight? Join Dr Chris for the latest round up of top questions from Talk Radio 702, South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help ...

Jul 20, 201222 minEp. 202

Why doesn't the sea sink into the seafloor?

This week, the cause of vitiligo, whether pork is linked to a sore throat, what happens to a flame in microgravity, what causes albinism, what is dark matter and why can't we see it, why doesn't the sea sink into the seabed, why is window-cleaner fatal for flies, what determines diastolic blood pressure and why are some babies born prematurely? Dr Chris takes on more top questions from the listeners of Talk Radio 702... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists...

Jul 13, 201223 minEp. 201

Why do wounds itch?

What does the discovery of the Higgs particle mean? How do flies land upside down on the ceiling? What happens when we divide by zero? Why do healing wounds itch? Does my washing dry by osmosis? How do fibre optics work? What causes a headache? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jul 06, 201224 minEp. 200
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