CrowdScience

By BBC World Service

Technology

What's CrowdScience about?

We take your questions about life, Earth and the universe to researchers hunting for answers at the frontiers of knowledge.

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Why am I scared of bridges?

09.15.2023

Everyone has fears – but what makes a fear become a phobia? Why are some people scared of spiders (arachnophobia), buttons (koumpounophobia), or the colour yellow (xanthophobia)? Or why are others are scared of situations, like small spaces (claustrophobia), empty ...

CrowdScience episodes:

09.15.2023 Why am I scared of bridges? Everyone has fears – but what makes a fear become a phobia? Why are some people scared of spiders (arachnophobia), buttons (koumpounophobia), or the colour yellow (xanthophobia)? Or why are others are scared of situations, like small spaces (claustrophobia), empty ...
09.08.2023 Why do my children stress me out? CrowdScience listener Leo gets stressed when his young children start screaming at the same time in the middle of the night. He wants to know why we haven’t evolved to deal with the stress more effectively. The challenges of bringing ...
09.01.2023 What does a sustainable life look like? Many of us are worried about the environment, but the aim of living in a truly sustainable way is hard to pin down. Do we all need to stop buying things? Is it down to governments to make the changes ...
08.25.2023 How do butterflies and moths fly? For hundreds of millions of years insects controlled the skies. Before birds, bats and pterodactyls, insects were the only creatures that had evolved the ability to fly: a miracle of physics and physiology requiring their bodies to act in coordinated ...
08.18.2023 What is the weight of the internet? How do you think about the internet? What does the word conjuror up? Maybe a cloud? Or the flashing router in the corner of your front room? Or this magic power that connects over 5 billion people on all the ...
08.11.2023 Are dogs good for us? Dogs have been our best animal buddy for thousands of years. They’ve helped us out in countless ways from hunting alongside us to guiding us as service dogs. Talk to any pet owner and they’ll tell you how much joy ...
08.04.2023 Is the ‘sunshine cure’ a real thing? Imagine spending six months of every year living in total shade. That’s what life is like for residents of the Norwegian town of Rjukan, set so low in a valley that they see no direct sunshine at all from October ...
08.04.2023 Is the ‘sunshine cure’ a real thing? Imagine spending six months of every year living in total shade. That’s what life is like for residents of the Norwegian town of Rjukan, set so low in a valley that they see no direct sunshine at all from October ...
07.28.2023 Why does some music make us sad? CrowdScience investigates the link between music and emotion to try and understand why certain songs can have such a profound impact on our mood. From breakup songs to upbeat holiday hits, many of us have made playlists that reflect how ...
07.21.2023 Why do we get bored? “I’m bored!” We can all relate to the uncomfortable - and at times unbearable - feeling of boredom. But what is it? Why does it happen? And could this frustrating, thumb-twiddling experience actually serve some evolutionary purpose? CrowdScience listener Brian ...
07.14.2023 Why aren't we all ambidextrous? Why are some people left-handed? Why are some people right-footed? Why do some write with their right and throw a ball with their left? What does this all have to do with our brains? Why is it hard for some ...
07.07.2023 Why do we experience vertigo? CrowdScience listener Ali wants to know why we experience vertigo. Anand Jagatia finds out that it’s not just the giddy sensation we feel when we’re at the top of a mountain. Vertigo is also a physical illness that can be ...
06.30.2023 Why do I crave unhealthy foods? We all enjoy a deep-fried Mars bar with french fries from time to time, but why do we crave these unhealthy foods instead of healthy things like spinach or broccoli? And what is a food craving? The answers lie in ...
06.23.2023 Human v machine Please note: This is a shorter version than the original podcast. A longer version is available here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct3j6y. Humans can walk for miles, solve problems and form complex relationships using the energy provided by daily meals. That is a ...
06.16.2023 Why can’t I see images in my head? CrowdScience listener Eileen cannot see images in her head of her memories. She only discovered by chance that most other people can do this. She wants to know why she can’t see them and if it is something she can ...
06.09.2023 Can Artificial Intelligence teach itself? Welcome to the exciting new field of generative artificial intelligence - or generative AI. We’re not talking about robots or spaceships: instead these are image generators and chatbots that are already revolutionising the way people write, research and interact in ...
06.02.2023 Is there a connection between memory and speech? CrowdScience listener Nyankami, from Kenya, has a friend with dementia. Despite memory loss and no longer knowing his way around, his friend has no problem communicating. So what’s the connection between memory and language? Caroline Steel discovers how dementia affects ...
05.26.2023 Why is the sun at the centre? It may seem like a simple question but could you explain why the earth revolves around the sun? That is what listener Josh from New York wants to know. For much of human history we thought everything revolved around us, ...
05.19.2023 Can sea-swimming improve my health? Anyone who has ever enjoyed a beach holiday will know there’s something special about being by the seaside. But does sea swimming actually have tangible health effects? This week’s listener Holly is a self-confessed water baby, and says her regular ...
05.12.2023 Why am I so lazy? Lazy. Unmotivated. Procrastinating. If those are words you’re used to hearing from your inner critic, you are not alone. Take CrowdScience listener Laurie. On her days off she loves to relax on the sofa, watch TV, put off chores and ...
05.05.2023 What are Ostriches for? Meet the ostrich, one of nature’s most unusual creatures: a two-metre-tall, flightless bird that struts about the African savannah. CrowdScience listener Pat found herself entranced by seeing them on a wildlife documentary, where two ostriches were exhibiting some bizarre behaviour. ...
04.28.2023 What's living inside my gut? Inside our gut lives an entire ecosystem of bacteria and microbes, called the microbiome. In fact, the human body contains trillions of microorganisms, which outnumber our cells by ten to one. This means that technically we are more microbe than ...
04.21.2023 Do we have a sense of time? CrowdScience listener Marie, in Sweden, has always had difficulty with her sense of time. She often thinks that events that happened years ago took place recently or that a holiday coming up is happening sooner than it is. So she ...
04.14.2023 Is there anyone out there? What are the actual chances of finding alien life? The idea of meeting an extra-terrestrial has ignited imaginations for hundreds of years, and it has also inspired real science: the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - or Seti - is an ...
04.07.2023 What does flying do to my body? Compared to the entirety of human existence, our history of flying in aeroplanes is very short indeed. So what does this fast form of travel do to bodies that have evolved for land-based living? That's what listener Sofia wants to ...
03.31.2023 How do my ears sense direction? How do we hear a sound and immediately know where it’s coming from? That’s the question that CrowdScience listener Chiletso asked himself one day as he heard his son bounce a ball and instantly knew its direction. In this ear-opening ...
03.24.2023 Why do some people have panic attacks? Sweating, nausea, chest pain and shortness of breath sound like the physical symptoms of a heart attack. For about 4% of the world’s population, they are also symptoms of an underdiagnosed condition that can leave sufferers curled in a ball ...
03.17.2023 Can robots be soft? When imagining a robot, a hard-edged, boxy, humanoid figure may spring to mind. But that is about to change. CrowdScience presenter Alex Lathbridge is on a mission to meet the robots that bend the rules of conventionality. Inspired by how ...
03.03.2023 Do climbing plants know where they’re going? CrowdScience listener Eric, in New Zealand, has noticed his wisteria growing towards a neighbouring tree. He thinks that it actually knows where it’s going. But how can a plant have a sense of direction? Plants don’t have the advantage of ...
02.24.2023 Where does our fat go when we exercise? If, like this week’s Crowdscience listener Lili, you’re an avid gymgoer, you may well have wondered where your fat disappears to when you exercise? Well, the short answer is that we convert it to energy that powers a whole range ...
02.17.2023 Are yoga claims bogus claims? Yoga benefits our health in many ways, say the yogis, but which claims are backed up by science? Can yoga actually alleviate depression, fix lower-back pain or even reduce cardiovascular disease? Presenter Marnie Chesterton gets into her Lotus (position) and ...
02.09.2023 Who’s afraid of public speaking? Why does the thought of giving a talk to an audience fill so many of us with sheer terror? Marnie Chesterton investigates for listener Nhial, who has seen his fellow students in Morocco become panic stricken at the prospect and ...
02.03.2023 How bad is our noise problem? We generate a huge amount of noise, whether it’s our rumbling roads, pumping parties, or talkative tourists. And the topic of noise also generates a lot of questions from our listeners. In this episode we explore three of them, with ...
01.27.2023 Where does the sand in a desert come from? From Lawrence of Arabia to Star Wars via tales of intrepid adventurers traversing lonely sand-swept landscapes, deserts have always had a powerful pull on the popular imagination. But if a desert is full of sand, where did all that sand ...
01.20.2023 Why do we get jealous? When falling in love or fancying someone, one emotion can dominate over the rest: jealousy. Some may try to play it cool and act aloof, but seeing - or even thinking - of a romantic partner engaging with others can ...
01.13.2023 What happens to insects in the winter? When CrowdScience listener Eric spotted a few gnats flying around on a milder day in mid-winter it really surprised him - Eric had assumed they just died out with the colder weather. It got him wondering where the insects had ...
01.06.2023 How do you balance on a bicycle? ow do we stay up when we ride a bicycle? Lots of us can do it without even thinking about it, but probably very few of us can say exactly HOW we do it. Well, CrowdScience listener Arif and his ...
12.30.2022 Bullying Parrots and Glacial Cocktails Over the past 12 months, CrowdScience has travelled the world, from arctic glacierscapes to equatorial deserts, to answer listeners’ science queries. Sometimes, the team come across tales that don’t quite fit with the quest in hand, but still draw a ...
12.23.2022 Why are my parents so annoying? Does your mum’s singing make you cringe with embarrassment? Do your dad’s jokes make you want to scream - and not with laughter? Or maybe you are the parent driving your offspring round the bend with rules and curfews? If ...
12.18.2022 What is friction? CrowdScience listener David was playing snooker in Thailand when he started thinking how such a smooth ball was dependent on the rough green baize of the table to bring it to a stop. Would it be possible to play snooker ...
12.09.2022 Could my house run out of air? If your home is drafty, filling in holes and cracks can help tackle rising energy bills, and lower your carbon footprint. But is there a limit to how airtight we should make our homes? That’s what CrowdScience listeners Jeff and ...
12.02.2022 What gives clouds their shapes? What are the clouds like where you are? When you look upwards can you see great tufts of cotton wool, or do they stretch off into the distance, flat like sheets. Are they dark greys and purples, bringing the promise ...
11.25.2022 How do we behave in crowds? As someone who dislikes crowds, listener Graham is curious about them. Crowds gather in all sorts of places, from train stations and football matches, to religious events and protest marches. But is there a science behind how they move and ...
11.18.2022 Why don’t we fall out of bed when we’re asleep? Why don’t we fall out of bed when we’re asleep? That’s the question that’s been keeping CrowdScience listener Isaac in Ghana awake, so presenter Alex Lathbridge snuggles up with some experts to find the answer. We get a lot of ...
11.11.2022 Where do we go when the seas rise? After learning how long it will take the Earth's ice sheets to melt in the previous episode, we continue our journey in Greenland. As world leaders gather in Egypt for the annual UN climate conference, listener Johan isn't too optimistic ...
11.04.2022 How long before all the ice melts? We know the Earth's atmosphere is warming and it's thanks to us and our taste for fossil fuels. But how quickly is this melting the ice sheets, ice caps, and glaciers that remain on our planet? That's what listener David ...
10.28.2022 When does weather change become climate change? Record-breaking heatwaves swept across the Earth’s northern hemisphere this summer, while Australia experienced flooding and East Africa is enduring its worst drought in decades. Listener Geoff in Australia wants to know: Is climate change really responsible, or could it just ...
10.21.2022 Why can't I change my accent? Why do some people pick up accents without even trying, while others can live in another country for decades without ever losing the sound of their mother tongue? It’s a question that's been bothering CrowdScience listener Monica who, despite 45 ...
10.14.2022 How is mental health being supported in Africa? One in every eight people live with a mental health disorder, so if that’s not you, it’s likely to be a close friend or family member. Despite there being a variety of known treatments, globally the majority of people suffering ...
10.07.2022 Why am I gay? Human sexuality comes in many forms, from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexual. But seeing as homosexuality creates apparent reproductive and evolutionary disadvantages, listener Ahmed from Oslo wants to know: why are some people gay? CrowdScience presenter Caroline Steel examines what ...

Older episodes

CrowdScience

What's CrowdScience about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

CrowdScience episodes:

Why am I scared of bridges?

Why do my children stress me out?

What does a sustainable life look like?

How do butterflies and moths fly?

What is the weight of the internet?

Are dogs good for us?

Is the ‘sunshine cure’ a real thing?

Is the ‘sunshine cure’ a real thing?

Why does some music make us sad?

Why do we get bored?

Why aren't we all ambidextrous?

Why do we experience vertigo?

Why do I crave unhealthy foods?

Human v machine

Why can’t I see images in my head?

Can Artificial Intelligence teach itself?

Is there a connection between memory and speech?

Why is the sun at the centre?

Can sea-swimming improve my health?

Why am I so lazy?

What are Ostriches for?

What's living inside my gut?

Do we have a sense of time?

Is there anyone out there?

What does flying do to my body?

How do my ears sense direction?

Why do some people have panic attacks?

Can robots be soft?

Do climbing plants know where they’re going?

Where does our fat go when we exercise?

Are yoga claims bogus claims?

Who’s afraid of public speaking?

How bad is our noise problem?

Where does the sand in a desert come from?

Why do we get jealous?

What happens to insects in the winter?

How do you balance on a bicycle?

Bullying Parrots and Glacial Cocktails

Why are my parents so annoying?

What is friction?

Could my house run out of air?

What gives clouds their shapes?

How do we behave in crowds?

Why don’t we fall out of bed when we’re asleep?

Where do we go when the seas rise?

How long before all the ice melts?

When does weather change become climate change?

Why can't I change my accent?

How is mental health being supported in Africa?

Why am I gay?