The annual Quirks & Quarks Listener Question show

Another tragic and destructive year for wildfires — is this the new normal?; Year of reckoning for nutritional science — red meat studies point the way forward; Arctic ice losses were at near record levels — with particular concerns about Greenland melt; Measles sabotages the immune system — so it’s much more dangerous than we’d realized

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Exploring culinary extinction: the foods we have eaten out of existence; How quantum particles could spawn an infinity of new universes — and we never notice them; Tales of a forensic ecologist — tracking criminals with pollen and spores.

When we saved the ozone layer we saved ourselves from even worse climate change; An interstellar visitor could be lighting up for astronomers in time for the holidays; Penguin-like great auk extinction has human signature all over it; NASA, SpaceX, a former astronaut: Who will build the rocket that takes us to Mars?; Concussions can damage the connection that helps your left brain talk to the right; As water covers most of the Earth, why isn’t it completely shrouded in clouds?

Our brains could be collateral damage in our body’s fight against infection; NASA's mission to touch the sun reveals 'rogue waves' and flipping magnetic fields; Songbirds are shrinking and climate change may be to blame; Ancient Indigenous people made durable rock paint from lake goo; Scientists surprised to discover women lacking olfactory bulbs can smell just fine; Do different species of birds understand each other’s tweets?

Climate scientists warn we’re on the precipice of disastrous ‘tipping points’; Thar she beats! The challenge of measuring a blue whale’s pulse; Think twice about posting once — breaking the fake news cycle; Imitating a swift-swimming fish helps researchers build a speedy 'tunabot'; The triumphant life of an 'under-wolf' in Yellowstone.

The psychedelic DMT modifies brain waves to produce ‘waking-dreams’; New device adds a sense of touch to virtual reality; The greatest ape — an extinct, half-ton monster — now has its place on our family tree; Machines on music - An AI figures out how music tickles your brain and your body; 'Now I have a lovely Scottish brogue' — The science behind foreign accent syndrome; Why are there fewer venomous animals in colder climates?

New high-powered radar gives scientists a 3D view of wildfires in real time; The return of race science — the quest to fortify racism with bad biology; Your laundry and plastic pollution — which fabrics shed the most microplastics; Tiny submarines could make a 'fantastic voyage' into our bodies; How do high-flying airplanes have enough oxygen for their engines?

The lionfish is an Olympic athlete of digestion — and that's an ecological disaster; After a 42-year journey, Voyager 2 goes interstellar; 'We have to do everything:' Why capturing carbon shows real promise; AI is reviewing scientists' old work and discovering things they missed; Fear and trauma are useful for animals — can we learn from them how to live without it?; Do animals ever have heart attacks or is it just humans?

Pollution sniffing investigators find air near roads is high in contaminants; A common fungus may drive tumour growth in pancreatic cancer; The universe was full of cold goop, then came the big bang; Infant eels use the moon and an internal compass to finish their trans-ocean migration; Pathway to Mars — what’s the biggest challenge, money or technology?