Ask the Naked Scientists

By Dr Chris Smith

Natural Sciences Medicine

What's Ask the Naked Scientists about?

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!

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Are scientific discoveries ...

12.01.2023

Dr Chris and Clarence Ford take on listener questions. This time they include, is intelligence more nature or nurture? Is time travel possible? Could time travellers be walking among us? Are Tibetan monks really capable of levitating? Why do I ...

Ask the Naked Scientists episodes:

12.01.2023 Are scientific discoveries becoming less groundbreaking? Dr Chris and Clarence Ford take on listener questions. This time they include, is intelligence more nature or nurture? Is time travel possible? Could time travellers be walking among us? Are Tibetan monks really capable of levitating? Why do I ...
11.24.2023 Will we be able to put the AI genie back in the bottle? Should we ban AI from the military sphere? Does eating too much meat cause gout? What determines the shape of clouds? Are recycled tyres a safe material for roads? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
11.17.2023 Should you sleep on your side or your back? Does COVID damage your brain? Why do moths have 'dust' on their wings? Where did the oldest plants come from? Is it better to sleep on your side or your back? Who is the top dog in a pack when ...
11.14.2023 Does alcohol burn off in cooking, and is curiosity genetic? Does alcohol burn off during cooking, why people put their principles in front of their own life and freedom, what causes ageing and can gene editing be used to reverse it, and is curiosity genetic across species? And does Dr ...
11.10.2023 Why does music make me emotional? Dr Chris takes more listener questions. This week, they include: Why do the sun and the moon appear the same size during a lunar eclipse? How long does it take bowel movements to return to normal after a colostomy? Can ...
11.03.2023 How long do dreams actually last? How does a boomerang work? Are windturbines harmful to birds? Which are smarter, dogs or cats? Can you breathe liquid air? How do racecar spoilers work? How long are dreams in real time? What affects systolic blood pressure? Dr Chris ...
10.27.2023 What causes amnesia? In this edition of Ask!, Dr Chris answers these questions and more: Do pineapples really eat you as you eat them? Do they have any health benefits? And why am I gaining weight as I go through the menopause? Like ...
10.20.2023 Why is cancer so hard to treat? Can fasting help with gut health? Why is cancer so hard to treat? Does a change in the weather lead to joint pain? How do you deal with chronic constipation in children? Dr Chris Smith and Relebogile Mabotja have all ...
10.13.2023 Why are there 7 years in a dog year? What is our water carbon footprint? Does microwaving food destroy the nutritional value? Why do golf balls have dimples? Should we be desalinating water? Why are breastfed babies less likely to become obese? How did we calculate a dog year? ...
10.06.2023 Does eating grapefruit affect taking medication? Does prior infection or vaccine protect better against COVID? How do you know when something is wrong with your bowels? What is the difference between old and new vaccines? What effect does grapefruit have on taking mediaction? What are the ...
09.29.2023 Will ChatGPT replace The Naked Scientists? Why do animals dream? Why do weird dreams feel so normal? Do ovulating people have more vivid dreams? Why might someone stop dreaming? Will ChatGPT replace The Naked Scientists? What is deja vu? Why is so much money being invested ...
09.22.2023 Is one apple a day enough? Do skin care products live up to the hype? Is it cheaper to heat homes with electricity or gas? How does IVF work? How long will the sun continue to burn for? What is arthritis? What is the sensation of ...
09.15.2023 How do we know what other planets are made of? How does colour blindness work? How do we know what other planets are made of? Why might a red dye suddenly disappear? Why don't you feel the velocity of a plane for the whole flight? Do mobile phones in crowded ...
09.08.2023 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
09.01.2023 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 ...
08.25.2023 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 ...
08.18.2023 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 ...
08.11.2023 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
08.04.2023 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 ...
07.28.2023 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? ...
07.21.2023 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? ...
07.14.2023 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
07.08.2023 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 ...
06.30.2023 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 ...
06.23.2023 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 ...
06.09.2023 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
06.02.2023 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 ...
05.27.2023 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 ...
05.15.2023 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 ...
05.14.2023 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 ...
04.28.2023 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 ...
04.21.2023 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 ...
03.31.2023 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
03.24.2023 Why do we cry when we laugh? Why is TB so drug resistant? How do nature drugs fit the lock and key in our brains? Why are some family members less fussy eaters than others? Why do we cry when we laugh? Is a love of public ...
03.17.2023 Does red really make bulls angry? How do we get a transplanted heart to start pumping in someone's body? Is it possible to have a stomach transplant? Is Earth's crust displacement likely to have occured in the past? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting ...
03.17.2023 What would T-Rex taste like? Can pain medicines go off? Why is mouldy cheese ok? What is the James Webb Space Telescope looking at? How long would it take someone to adapt to living in a different climate? Like this podcast? Please help us by ...
03.03.2023 Can mosquitos get drunk off blood alcohol? How can I bulk up my muscles? Where does candle wax disappear to? Why don't pigs eat onions? Do women take on male DNA when they're pregnant? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
02.06.2023 Can you sing one song to the tune of another? Why do we teach kids nursery rhymes? How do we know how anatomically modern humans populated the world? What is cataract surgery, how is cataract surgery performed, and is there an upper age limit? Is most human behaviour innate, or ...
01.27.2023 Are mobile phone microwaves dangerous? Why is earth's magnetic field changing direction? Why can I sense when someone is looking at me? How might the world come to an end? Why does time seem to be going past more quickly as I get older? Like ...
01.20.2023 What would a solar flare do to Earth? What would a large solar flare do to Earth? Why do stars appear to flicker, or move? Can animals experience regret? How does AI work? What are probiotics? Dr Chris Smith has all the answers for the listeners on Radio ...
01.13.2023 Is the carrot top safe to eat? Do scientists know how many stars are in the galaxy? Why do some ailments only affect us at night? Should I get a petrol or diesel car? Are we drinking the same water as our ancient ancestors? What's the difference ...
01.06.2023 Are there any advantages to having a disease? Does flash photography harm baby's eyesight? What is ocular myasthenia gravis? Can having a disease give you an advantage against another disease? Why are soldiers so prone to PTSD? Why is it so difficult to predict the weather? What does ...
01.04.2023 What is cellular data and what do we pay for? Is carbonated water better for you than still water? Why are some dogs scared of fireworks, and being touched? Is there a cure for tinnitus? Do energy drinks actually give you energy? Why does the second cup of tea never ...
12.16.2022 Will identical twins die of the same thing? Chris answers an eclectic crop of science questions including: why do we appear to have superhuman strength in high stress situations? Are science and religion at odds with one another? What's the cause of grid outages and blackouts? Will identical ...
12.09.2022 How does our brain coordinate our body? What role do cockroaches play in our ecosystem? What would happen if all of Earth's gases combined? Why is the universe expanding? What is the most flammable gas? Why does the Earth look flat from the ground? How does the ...
12.02.2022 How do we know how old the Earth is? When is the next comet? What is past the milky way? Which animals have been sent into space? Did the moon come before the Earth? What lifts up the moon? What are all the dents in the moon? How did ...
11.25.2022 How do animals survive in the deep sea? Why is nearly everyone right handed? How do genetically modified crops work? Why do some animals bob their head as they walk? How did stem cells restore people's sight? Why are people so hesitant to use CRISPR? How big are ...
11.11.2022 Why do I cry when I trim my nose hairs? Are we the only animals that do maths? Why are we still driving vehicles with high emissions given our climate concerns? Could volcanoes pose a threat to earth? Are animals susceptible to malaria? What causes bees to get angry? Why ...
10.25.2022 Do I get drunk quicker after Sober October? Neanderthal genetics and what DNA can tell us about ancient societies, no evidence for telekinesis, whether low blood pressure is a bad thing, the reason why humans cry, human DNA diversity in Africa and beyond. Also, do I get drunk ...
10.14.2022 How do planes fly upside down? How do planes fly upside down? Why do sheep eat so much grass? What is outside of the universe? How does hypnotism work? What does anaesthetic do? Why don't the colour stripes in toothpaste mix? Why don't we keep primates ...

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