Synopsis
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...
Episodes
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![How languages evolve]()
How languages evolve
02/02/2024 Duration: 03minWill Tingle took on this linguistic query from listener Satya with the help of David Crystal... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Why might stollen go floppy in the toaster?]()
Why might stollen go floppy in the toaster?
26/01/2024 Duration: 03minTaking on this week's question, James Tytko kneaded help from baking expert Nicola Lamb... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Why might cataract surgery affect biometric logins?]()
Why might cataract surgery affect biometric logins?
19/01/2024 Duration: 03minThanks to ARU's Nikita Thomas for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Who cooked the food in the Palaeolithic?]()
Who cooked the food in the Palaeolithic?
12/01/2024 Duration: 03minThanks to Dr Emma Pomeroy for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Could we turn space junk into a moonbase?]()
Could we turn space junk into a moonbase?
05/01/2024 Duration: 03minThanks to Dr David Whitehouse for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![What if Santa didnt have magical reindeer?]()
What if Santa didn't have magical reindeer?
22/12/2023 Duration: 02minJames Tytko took on this festive themed Question of the Week with the help of the University of Cambridge's Ems Lord... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Could you destroy Jupiter with enough nukes?]()
Could you destroy Jupiter with enough nukes?
15/12/2023 Duration: 03minThanks to Matt Bothwell for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![What is a black hole made up of?]()
What is a black hole made up of?
08/12/2023 Duration: 03minThanks to Cambridge University's Ben Allanach for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Why does my nose run in cold weather?]()
Why does my nose run in cold weather?
01/12/2023 Duration: 02minCharlene wrote in to ask, 'Why does my nose run in cold weather? What are the physiological benefits of this?' To answer it, Rhys James enlisted the help of consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon, Neil De Zoysa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![How healthy are seeds?]()
How healthy are seeds?
24/11/2023 Duration: 03minJames Tytko took on this question from listener Fraser with the help of nutritionist Sarah Berry... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Why isnt it possible to go faster than light?]()
Why isn't it possible to go faster than light?
17/11/2023 Duration: 03minThanks to Tony Padilla for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Whats the magnifying strength of my marble?]()
What's the magnifying strength of my marble?
10/11/2023 Duration: 04minJames Tytko took on this question with the help of the University of Glasgow's Richard Bowman... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Could you deflect a laser around the Moon?]()
Could you deflect a laser around the Moon?
03/11/2023 Duration: 04minThanks to Professor Michalis Zervas and Professor Simon Hooker for the answers! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Why are there salty and fresh bodies of water?]()
Why are there salty and fresh bodies of water?
27/10/2023 Duration: 04minJames Tytko took this question on... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Am I manufacturing a mosquito master race?]()
Am I manufacturing a mosquito master race?
20/10/2023 Duration: 03minJoanne sent in this question, which James Tytko posed to Laurence Hurst from the University of Bath... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![How did people in the past find water?]()
How did people in the past find water?
13/10/2023 Duration: 02minThanks to Dr Ellen Arnold for her help with this question! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Why dont new species suffer inbreeding problems?]()
Why don't new species suffer inbreeding problems?
06/10/2023 Duration: 04minThis week's question involves the evolutionary process of speciation. James Tytko asked the University of Sheffield's Roger Butlin... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Why are car wing mirrors so attractive to spiders?]()
Why are car wing mirrors so attractive to spiders?
29/09/2023 Duration: 04minThanks to Geoff Oxford for the answer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Will tattoos protect skin from sun damage?]()
Will tattoos protect skin from sun damage?
22/09/2023 Duration: 04minThanks to Cecilio for sending in this question. James Tytko asked University of Leeds Professor of Dermatology, Julia Newton Bishop, for assistance... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
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![Can you freeze hot water faster than cold water?]()
Can you freeze hot water faster than cold water?
15/09/2023 Duration: 04minWill Tingle took on this chilling conundrum, with the help of Imperial College London's Henry Burridge Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
