Question of the Week
Each week we set out to solve one of the world's weirdest, wackiest, funniest and funkiest scientific puzzles. And along with the answer there's a brand new question to think about for next time...
Why do I urinate more in the cold?
Podcast
| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Have you ever noticed that you urinate more frequently in cold weather? Why does this happen?
Are smartphones changing our brains?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
It's said that taxi drivers' brains have increased growth in certain areas from navigating around cities. Is increasing smartphone use having a similar effect on other parts of our brains?
Does same-sex attraction happen in animals too?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Is homosexual behaviour seen in other species? What do they do? Why? Find out in this week's Question of the Week…
Why does petrol create a rainbow on water?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
We find out why petrol creates a rainbow effect when in contact with water, and how the behaviour of light can create all these colours.
Can we vacuum up the plastics in our oceans?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Could we clean up our oceans of plastics by fitting vacuum cleaners to ships to suck them up?
Is it tiring to dream you're awake?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Different waking dream states can affect whether you feel resfreshed or not after a nights sleep.
Do we really need vitamins?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
We chew over some important questions relating to vitamins, including what are they? Do we really need them? Can our bodies store them? And what would happen if we didn't consume any?
What causes the Earths plates to move?
Podcast
| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Where does the energy in the movement of tectonic plates come from? Apparently the reason is analogous to how your porridge gets heated up in the morning. We find out why!
Can you catch a yawn from a cat?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Why do we yawn? Is it because we're short on air? Matthew Boniface wanted to know this and whether he could catch a yawn from his cat. We spoke to Dr Hugh Matthews from Cambridge University to find out what makes them so contagious…
Will flights ever get faster?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
14 hour flights sound like your idea of hell? Paul Jenn wrote in asking whether it was possible to speed up plane journeys, so we went to Neil Scott, head of engineering at Airbus, to find out.
What would happen if you were swallowed by a whale?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
If you were swallowed by a whale, could you swim out and up through the oesophagus or would you be digested by the stomach acid? Plus, we ask about the future of flight: Are we going to be forever stuck in this air speed? What are the constraints of aerodynamics?…
Why is my Movember moustache grey?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Facial hair a different colour to that on your head? We stroke our beards to ponder why. Plus we ask, what happens when you get swallowed by a whale?
How will life end on Earth?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Will we cause our own demise by burning the candle at both ends? Or will it be something like the giant impact that caused the dinosaurs to go extinct? What do you think?
Why do leaves turn red in autumn?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Why do leaves turn red in the autumn? And how do they know when it is time to drop?
How can I avoid being struck by lightning?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Listener Ahmed has been struck by lightning twice! Is he prone to attracting lightning, or just unlucky?
How many people have lived on Earth?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
How many people have lived on Earth? We do some number crunching.
How does self cleaning glass work?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Windows, computer screens and phones that never get grubby? What's the chemistry making that self cleaning glass possible?
What makes a good password?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
We hack our heads to find out how we can make a secure password. Plus we scrub up the issue and ask: how does self-cleaning glass work?
What happens if a bee gets lost?
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| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
If you accidentally relocate a bee in your car, what happens? Would it join another colony or would that be it for the lost bee? For the answer to this insterest-sting question, we spoke to Henry Ferguson-Gow from the Zoological Society of London.
Can we use solar panels in space?
Podcast
| Naked Scientists | Question of the Week
Could we get solar power from space and if so, how would we be able to transmit this energy back to Earth and use it? We spoke to John C. Mankins from Artemis Innovation Management Solutions to find out…