Quirks and Quarks

Our Listener Question Show


Listen Later

Genevieve Willis from London, Ontario asks: Is there any evidence to suggest that “getting cold” by, say, dressing inadequately in cold weather, or sitting in a cold draft, actually increases our susceptibility to illness?

For the frigid answer, we spoke with Michael Kennedy who is an associate professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alberta. 


Jim Raso from St. Albert Alberta wrote us: My question has to do with our sense of time passing. As I have gotten older – I am 73 now –  I noticed that time seemed to pass more quickly.  Why does this happen?

For the answer, we asked Dr. Holly K. Andersen, a professor of philosophy at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.


Dan from Chateau-Richer in Quebec writes: Where does moon dust come from?

We reached out to planetary geologist Gordon Osinski, a professor of Earth Sciences at Western University, who has studied samples sent back from the Apollo missions. 


Scott Beach from East York Ontario asks: Why do dogs sniff and lick each other's butts?

To get the answer, we reached out to Simon Gadbois, the principal investigator at the Canine olfaction lab at Dalhousie University.


Robert Smith from Victoria asks: Is there evidence to suggest red-heads are particularly sensitive to pain? 

To find out, we spoke with someone who has studied this in the past: Jeffrey Mogil, the E.P. Taylor Professor of Pain Studies at the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain at McGill University.


Stephen Quinn from St. John’s, Newfoundland asks: How can the universe be expanding at the same time as galaxies are colliding?

For the smashing answer, we spoke with Sara Ellison, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Victoria. 


Susan Boyd from Ottawa asks: Since some of the elements in the periodic table do not occur naturally, is there a limit to the new elements that could be created? If so, what is the limiting factor? 

We went to the National Research Council Canada’s element expert, Juris Meija, for this answer. 


Robert LaRoche in Halifax asks: Why is the color of wet clothes always more vivid than when they are dry?

For the answer, we turned to Sarah Purdy, a Physicist at the University of Saskatchewan who uses light to investigate materials. 


Paul Vander Griendt of Newmarket, Ontario asks: If animals wake up at sunrise and go to sleep at sunset, how do they cope with the varying hours of sunlight? How do they do compared to humans who are supposed to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep regardless of the length of sunlight? 

For the answer we turned to Ming Fei Li a Phd candidate at the University of Toronto in Anthropology who is studying the sleep patterns of animals. 


Marie Beaudoin from Salt Spring Island, BC asks: How do birds where the males and females look the same tell each other apart when it comes to mating?” 

We went to Matt Reudinik, a professor of biology at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC, for the answer. 


Warren Saylor of London, Ontario asks: Could Neanderthals speak? If they could not, would that contribute to the dominance of Homo Sapiens?

We spoke to paleoanthropologist Dr. Bence Viola, an associate professor in the department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto.


...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Quirks and QuarksBy CBC

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

303 ratings


More shows like Quirks and Quarks

View all
As It Happens by CBC

As It Happens

393 Listeners

Ideas by CBC

Ideas

365 Listeners

The Current by CBC

The Current

221 Listeners

The Sunday Magazine by CBC

The Sunday Magazine

71 Listeners

White Coat, Black Art by CBC

White Coat, Black Art

120 Listeners

Cross Country Checkup by CBC

Cross Country Checkup

26 Listeners

Laugh Out Loud by CBC

Laugh Out Loud

163 Listeners

Day 6 by CBC

Day 6

54 Listeners

Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly by Apostrophe Podcast Network

Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

814 Listeners

Because News by CBC

Because News

178 Listeners

2050: Degrees of Change by CBC

2050: Degrees of Change

20 Listeners

The Fridge Light by CBC

The Fridge Light

166 Listeners

The Debaters by CBC

The Debaters

189 Listeners

Muddied Water by CBC

Muddied Water

6 Listeners

Killers: J pod on the brink by CBC Radio

Killers: J pod on the brink

16 Listeners

Cost of Living by CBC

Cost of Living

37 Listeners

More with Anna Maria Tremonti by CBC

More with Anna Maria Tremonti

11 Listeners

The Dose by CBC

The Dose

90 Listeners

Inappropriate Questions by CBC

Inappropriate Questions

347 Listeners

We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast by Apostrophe Podcast Network

We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast

144 Listeners

They & Us by CBC

They & Us

8 Listeners

World on Fire by CBC

World on Fire

4 Listeners

What On Earth by CBC

What On Earth

20 Listeners

Recall: How to Start a Revolution by CBC

Recall: How to Start a Revolution

64 Listeners

Unforked by CBC

Unforked

4 Listeners

Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe by Apostrophe Podcast Network

Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe

265 Listeners

10 Minutes to Save the Planet by CBC

10 Minutes to Save the Planet

5 Listeners

Just Asking by CBC

Just Asking

0 Listeners