Ask The Naked Scientists SA

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

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

7 Sep 2023 14 min

Why do wires always end up in knots?

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 guns recoil? What's the function of the black patterns on the peripheries of car windscreens? Why are yawns contagious? Why are nuclear bombs…

1 Sep 2023 23 min

Are there chemical elements yet to be discovered?

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 their reflection? How effective are statins? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

25 Aug 2023 19 min

When does earth's atmosphere become space?

Dr Chris Smith tackles the impressive array of questions from listeners. What gives non Newtonian liquids their special properties? Could wearing socks in bed increase the risk of having a stroke? Do Inuits not experience dental decay? Why can't we remember when we fall asleep? And what makes certain foods…

17 Aug 2023 19 min

What holds atoms together?

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

10 Aug 2023 16 min

Why do fridges get lights but freezers don't?

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? What causes fire? Why do we need the toilet as soon as we get home? Why is there a fridge light and…

4 Aug 2023 21 min

What causes cluster headaches?

How do we fuel cars more sustainably? What causes morning sickness during pregnancy? Why does California have a sunny Christmas? Why are some smells able to summon powerful memories? Why can I hear fluid flowing when I move my neck? Is premature ejaculation nature's way of hastening reproduction? And what's…

28 Jul 2023 20 min

What is on the dark side of the Moon?

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 the dark side of the Moon? Should we put parachutes on aeroplanes? How long can DNA samples last? Dr Chris Smith and…

21 Jul 2023 20 min

Do artificial sweeteners cause cancer?

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 podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

13 Jul 2023 20 min

What is causing climate change?

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 differences from day to day? How does throat singing work? What would happen to Twitter's data if it collapsed? What is the spring tide, and…

8 Jul 2023 21 min

What causes ocean swell?

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 way to fish it out again? And what's going on with the James Webb space telescope? Dr Chris Smith and 567…

30 Jun 2023 22 min

How much pressure was on the Titan sub?

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 have straight hair? Why are orcas sinking sailboats? Why does a glass hob's heat not move laterally? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have…

23 Jun 2023 18 min

Why is a cold called a cold?

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

9 Jun 2023 20 min

Why disinfectants kill only 99.9% of germs

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 99.9% of germs? How do I cleanse domestic rainwater tanks to kill microbes? How does freefall - as described by orbiting astronauts - work? If I…

2 Jun 2023 19 min

Why do my flowers only smell nice at night?

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? Can lions survive on seafood? Can studying the arts impact on my health? And why do some flowers only release their scents at night, a…

27 May 2023 19 min

Why do bright lights make spots in my vision?

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 lectins and are they harmful? What is pulmonary fibrosis, why does it happen and can it be cured? Why do bright lights…

15 May 2023 22 min

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

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 first, the chicken or the egg? Why did Chernobyl explode? How much energy does a seed need to grow? Can we…

13 May 2023 24 min

Is JWST disproving the big bang theory?

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 fibromyalgia? What is aquamation? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

28 Apr 2023 23 min

Do we have two sets of DNA?

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? Why are dogs so good at pattern recognition? Does someone carrying a donor egg provide any of the child's DNA?…

21 Apr 2023 24 min

Can we control AI?

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 this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

31 Mar 2023 20 min