Ask The Naked Scientists Podcast

What's causing the ebola outbreak in northwest Africa? Is our sun unique? Why did we make clocks tick the way they do? Does altitude affect my blood pressure? Would the passengers remain conscious aboard an aircraft hit by a missile? Where does the iron on Earth come from? Are maps accurate? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Should my air-conditioning be fresh or recycled air? Is the International Space Station in geostationary orbit? What causes plane vapour trails? Is it alright to drink water on an empty stomach? Why do we have blood groups? Why do we boil our food? Why do some wines give you a worse headache? Plus, why beef is off the menu for a sustainable world... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are there extra types of water? Do plants give off carbon dioxide at night? Why does huddling together keep you warm? What is the origin of belly-button fluff? What causes nightmares? And how does the magnetic field around Earth affect us? Plus, news of how dental plaque can show us what our ancestors ate... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How does a gastric bypass work? How do spaceships land safely back on earth? What makes humans so successful? Are new species still appearing? Is the sea getting saltier? Plus, news of biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do e-cigarettes work? Could a blind chameleon still change colour? Do sightless people pick up on things most of us miss? Can the hydrogen be extracted from water? How are hurricanes named? How do birds navigate? How do vaccinations against bacteria and viruses work? Join Dr Chris for the answers to South Africa's top science questions, as well as news of a solar power breakthrough based on a tofu ingredient... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can people with autism catch yawns? Why isn't the Sun cooling down? What is the theory of spontaneous human combustion? Why did Luis Suarez bite someone? Should I close the fridge door while adding milk to my tea? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does learning a musical instrument boost brain power? Are there limits to what the human body can repair? How does my brain know how to whistle in tune? Can newborns recognise their grandmothers' voices? Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? Is there any connection between autism and vaccinations? How do rocks erode? And the cure for procrastination? That's in next week's show... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are mouth bugs nastier than bowel bugs? How would wiping out mosquitoes affect the food-web? What is an itch? Are anaesthetics a risk factor for blood clots? What are trans-fats and invert sugars? Can parasites manipulate our behaviour? Are there any benefits of yawning? Plus, news of the genetically-modified mosquito that might help to eradicate malaria... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are mothballs poisonous? How do chameleons change colour? Where do seedless varieties of fruit come from? What is ash? How can we use DNA to trace ancestry? Why do people open their mouths when they apply mascara? What causes a stammer? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What does coffee do to my heart rate? Has the earth changed size since its formation? Why are hailstones round? How do you avoid getting seasick? Are energy drinks bad for you? How do antidepressants work? Plus, how smells give away gender. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What sort of star is the Sun? Can damage done by Multiple Sclerosis be repaired? Why does an acetylene torch need oxygen? How are calories in food calculated? What gives water its colour? Is drinking distilled water bad for you? What is sleep paralysis? Can liquids be compressed? Plus, how smells give away gender. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are flies getting harder to swat these days? Why does more food in the microwave take longer to cook? Should penicillin-allergic people avoid blue cheese? Why are clouds white? What causes baldness? Why aren't marine fish more salty? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The building blocks of life, what is a virus? Why don't whales get the bends? How does a 3D printer work? How do 93 and 95 octane fuels differ? Why is ricin deadly by castor oil is safe? Would HIV respond to an induced coma? Why do you cry when you yawn? Join Dr Chris for the answers to more burning science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How can cochlear implants deliver gene therapy? Are you better off circumcised? What is the biggest discovery of the last 20 years? Can planets exist without a parent star to orbit? Does lighting a match mask a bad smell? Are there devices to help achieve perfect pitch? And do i get more petrol for my money when it is cold? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists appear in the flesh at Primedia Place, home of 702, to answer questions from the live audience... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How have doctors grown new vaginas in vitro? Are fires feasible in space? Why does the moon always show to same face to us? Why don't we see disabled animals? Why would a watch spontaneously restart after being stopped for 10 years? How do they make the flavour stick to popcorn? What is total internal reflection? How do you stop birds nesting on a rooftop? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What's inside Enceladus? How do we make water safe for drinking? How Sunny is it on Saturn's moons? What causes motion sickness? Could we collect sunlight in space and beam the power down to Earth? Can lunar gravity cause earthquakes? How did primordial gravity waves arise? Are buried bodies still infectious years later? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How did scientists make a synthetic chromosome? How does heat radiate? What wakes us up in the morning? Where does oxygen come from? Are black boxes bouyant? Where did the Big Bang come from? Are airbags wired to seatbelts? Do couples end up looking like each other? And why does anxiety produce butterflies in the stomach? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is gravity waves from the Big Bang a big deal? Is evolution still occurring? Why does water boil at lower temperature at altitude? Can the brain be hitched up to control a computer? Are power lines bad for your health? Will sleeping with the light on harm health? How accurate is a medical syringe? And why does spinning around make me dizzy? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do the processing power of a brain compare with a computer? How can we shield astronauts en-route to Mars? Do ants prefer protein? What causes left handedness? Why do bubbles go downwards in a glass of Guinness? And do older makes of television emit X-rays? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists