Podcasts · Science

Ask the Naked Scientists

Dr Chris Smith

300 episodes

How many organs could you donate and remain alive? How many planet Earths could fit inside the Sun? How high is a giraffe's blood pressure? Why is the sea blue? To find out, Ask The Naked Scientists!

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Is static electricity down to positive or negative charges?

    · 21 min · Episode 811

    Why has everyone got a cold at the moment? How does an elemental diet treat inflammatory bowel disease? How does chlorine clean up drinking water? What is cholera? Can silver sterilise surfaces and water? Is static…

  2. Is AI damaging our ability to think for ourselves?

    · 20 min · Episode 810

    How do dogs decode human speech? Can they actually understand one another, and do they bark with an accent? Also, do all animals pair for life? Why are biometric fingerprint scanners tricky for older people? And is AI…

  3. Why do we get floaters in our eyes?

    · 22 min · Episode 809

    Who scooped Nobel Prizes at this year's ceremony in Stockholm? How concerned should we be about AI's impact on society? Why do men have larger Adam's apples? How can we make sure we eat a balanced diet? What causes…

  4. Do giraffes have the same number of neck bones as humans?

    · 17 min · Episode 808

    Dr Chris Smith and Relebogile Mabotja explore why it's hard to reach a human in customer service. How did humans migrate from Africa, and can we trace our ancient paths? Why do people and animals have different neck…

  5. Can curly hair straighten with age?

    · 21 min · Episode 807

    Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford discuss the world's hottest creature, why antimatter matters, whether weight-loss pills can cause blindness, and why some birds die when they fly into power cables while others can…

  6. Where did water come from, and why doesn't it go off?

    · 17 min · Episode 806

    Can sensors help keep our roads in good shape? If the Earth is round, why aren't the people at the bottom standing upside down? How efficient is the human body? Why can't periods be controlled like going to the…

  7. Is AI at risk of going rogue?

    · 21 min · Episode 805

    Should we take AI warnings seriously? Do fingernails and hair grow more quickly after they are cut? How does caffeine trick the brain into making us feel less tired? Are high levels of low-density lipoprotein a…

  8. Can technology influence the weather?

    · 21 min · Episode 804

    How might technology influence or manipulate the weather? Can aircraft affect the weather? Are we getting better at detecting cancer before it becomes problematic? How does perfect pitch work? And why does our hearing…

  9. How does the Moon affect the tides?

    · 22 min · Episode 803

    Why might the shingles vaccine help prevent heart attacks? Does an eclipse affect how we sleep? Why do farts seem to stick around longer in the shower? How does toothpaste fight acidity? Can you train your brain to…

  10. Why do eyebrows grow so slowly?

    · 19 min · Episode 802

    Have you ever wondered why eyebrows grow so slowly, or when you should brush your teeth in the morning? Can you tell the difference in sound between hot and cold water being poured? What causes those cold shivers down…

  11. What is love?

    · 18 min · Episode 801

    What is the science behind love? What scares a honey badger? Are there mammals that feel no fear? How do car pistons move so smoothly even at high speeds? Should humans eat meat? Why do people with bone marrow cancer…

  12. What is the life of an electric vehicle battery?

    · 22 min · Episode 800

    How good are electric vehicle batteries? Why are EV fires so dangerous? What is acute flaccid myelitis? Why do people feel anxiety in different parts of their bodies? Why does our sight help with our balance? Are sons…

  13. What's the science behind itching and scratching?

    · 23 min · Episode 799

    Are there technologies to remove smoke taint in wine affected by recent wildfires? What's the science behind itching? Can a tortoise survive 10 years locked up in a building? Why might an elderly dog or cat's behaviour…

  14. Why a helium balloon flies backwards when you hit the brakes

    · 25 min · Episode 798

    How can algae microbots deliver drugs for bladder cancer? Why does a helium balloon fly backwards when you hit the brakes in a car? Does the Sun make ash? Will removing your gallbladder affect your cholesterol? Is…

  15. Why do wombats have cube-shaped poo?

    · 22 min · Episode 797

    Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford return to answer your questions. Why do wombats produce cube-shaped droppings? Does sleeping position affect dreams? Can we predict penalty shootout winners? What do penalty statistics…

  16. What happens before we have a thought?

    · 14 min · Episode 796

    What is the impact of being a child in a home where a sibling has a chronic medical condition? What happens before we have a thought? How bad are processed foods for us? And how can a woman give birth to twins that…

  17. Is it safe to eat dropped food?

    · 14 min · Episode 795

    Do our digital lives leave us cognitively exhausted? Should we see a doctor when we are overly tired? How bad are processed foods for us? Is it safe to eat food you have dropped on the floor? Why do certain foods make…

  18. Why did the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turn green?

    · 23 min · Episode 794

    Why is Europe experiencing a heatwave? What happens if a being from a different dimension enters our dimension? Why are wombats able to produce square-shaped faeces? Can we live without sodium? Is there a scientific…

  19. How do cats sustain a purr-fect purr?

    · 23 min · Episode 793

    Why does our hair stand up when we are scared? Does the animal kingdom experience colour differently? How do cats purr without running out of breath? Can certain types of medication cause tinnitus? What benefits does…

  20. Are there sounds around us that we can't hear?

    · 21 min · Episode 792

    What's the impact of sodium on our heart health? Are there sounds around us that we can't hear? Why do teeth have nerves and a blood supply? What controls our emotions? Can other primates and mammals have…

  21. Why does a slice of toast land butter side down?

    · 26 min · Episode 791

    Do dolphins and whales yawn? Is yawning contagious in animals? What progress has been made on brain chip implants? What is the difference between kidney thrombosis and renal vein thrombosis? Why does a falling slice of…

  22. How does a headache tablet know where it hurts?

    · 24 min · Episode 790

    Does water boiled in a microwave oven taste different from kettle-heated water? How long does it take the body to absorb a drink of water? Does too much water cause a kidney problem? What are essential fatty acids? Why…

  23. Why does running water make us want to use the toilet?

    · 23 min · Episode 789

    Why does running water make us want to go to the bathroom? What is IQ, and can you improve it? What is a Pica craving? Why isn't sperm damaged when it's frozen? Is there any evidence that links COVID vaccines to cancer…

  24. Should we pay attention to the UFO files?

    · 23 min · Episode 788

    Do the newly released UFO files matter? Why do people tend to live longer in the 21st century? Why do women live longer than men on average? What impact does excess rainfall have? Why might you lose phone signal when…

  25. Can we travel forward and backwards in time?

    · 26 min · Episode 787

    Is time a physical thing? How do trees know what season it is? What causes different-sized tides? Can cannibalism cause brain disease? Do all watches stop working at the same time? How do we identify different virus…

  26. How do vultures find their prey?

    · 24 min · Episode 786

    Why are humans so sensitive to the smell of rain? Do statins cause dementia? What is the storage capacity of the human brain? How can I remember all the information I study? Do scientists believe in God? How do…

  27. Why don't melting ice cubes make my drink overflow?

    · 22 min · Episode 785

    How does polio cause disease? Why does ice added to a drink not make the glass overflow when the ice melts? What's the point of the appendix? Is old poison, past its expiry date, still toxic? What techniques built the…

  28. Do dogs dream?

    · 22 min · Episode 784

    Do dogs dream? Can someone who was born blind dream? Do animals have souls? Do certain eye colours have more advantages than others in terms of sight? What is blind sight? What are growing pains? Is it unhealthy to…

  29. What caused the craters on the Moon?

    · 23 min · Episode 783

    How does the heat shield protect the Artemis II astronauts on their return to Earth? What caused the craters on the Moon? Can the materials in cooking pots cause poisoning? What is seasickness? Can space missions take…

  30. What colour is a mirror?

    · 21 min · Episode 782

    Why some people can't say their Rs; why is perception of time so context dependent; what's the nutritional value of long life milk; what determines how tall we are; why do some mirrors make you look a strange shape;…

  31. Do we all see colours the same way?

    · 24 min · Episode 781

    On this week's show, why dogs don't live as long as humans. Also, why do we feel cold when our skin is warm to the touch? Do we all see colours the same way? Do animals experience embarrassment? If photons head towards…

  32. Can white skin transplanted to a black person change colour?

    · 22 min · Episode 780

    This week Clarence Ford and Dr Chris discuss NASA's DART mission to defect an asteroid, why we can't tickle ourselves, whether lung capacity affects the heart, if white skin transplanted to a black person changes…

  33. Why do we get a falling sensation as we drift off to sleep?

    · 20 min · Episode 779

    This week, Dr Chris Smith and Sara Jayne Makwala King get to the bottom of IBS, why women living together often synchronise menstrual cycles, why we get a sudden falling sensation when dropping off to sleep sometimes,…

  34. Is there an evolutionary advantage of golf?

    · 20 min · Episode 778

    In this week's show, how scientists discover Russia's use of frog neurotoxin epibatidine to kill political opponent Alexei Navalny, why some people are more vulnerable to dental problems, why does a full bladder make…

  35. What is foot-and-mouth disease?

    · 24 min · Episode 777

    How did life on Earth begin? Why is glass clear when sand is opaque? What is foot-and-mouth disease? Why do some people's accents change when they emigrate? What is trigeminal neuralgia? What is decided before drug…

  36. Can the brain recover from alcohol misuse?

    · 23 min · Episode 776

    Do animals enjoy views like we do? Why are some elephants born without tusks? Why do some people pass out on roller coasters? Is there a cure for dizziness? Can the brain recover if you stop drinking alcohol? Why is…

  37. What is an induced coma?

    · 22 min · Episode 775

    What is consciousness? What is the Nipah virus? What is an induced coma? Is there an official scale for pain? Can you think yourself better? How can you make plasma? And how do you prevent a dog's pee from turning your…

  38. Which part of the brain is responsible for decisions?

    · 21 min · Episode 774

    Why does a glass of water help settle a sore throat? What are the best ways to help heal a slipped disc? Which part of the brain helps us make decisions? What causes stuttering in speech? If a fly is travelling in a…

  39. Which part of the brain is responsible for decisions?

    · 21 min · Episode 773

    Why does a glass of water help settle a sore throat? What are the best ways to help heal a slipped disk? Which part of the brain helps us make decisions? What causes stuttering in speech? If a fly is travelling in a…

  40. Which part of the brain is responsible for decisions?

    · 21 min · Episode 772

    Why does a glass of water help settle a sore throat? What are the best ways to help heal a slipped disk? Which part of the brain helps us make decisions? What causes stuttering in speech? If a fly is travelling in a…

  41. How do cell phones see the Northern Lights when we can't?

    · 20 min · Episode 771

    Why does knocking your elbow unleash a distinctive "funny bone" jolt? Are we born with a sense of thirst? What are we seeing when we see things glow under ultraviolet? Why do our minds cling tightly to bad experiences?…

  42. Do flames have a shadow?

    · 24 min · Episode 770

    Should we pull the plug on AI? Is talent inherited? Do other mammals have prostate glands? How closely have we studied the bones of fish? If nothing sticks to Teflon, then how does it stick to the pan? Do flames cast a…

  43. How HPV vaccine and circumcision can stop cervical cancer

    · 20 min · Episode 769

    Does a USB stick, or a mobile phone, weigh more once it's filled with data? What's the placebo effect, and how does it work? How does the human papilloma virus (HPV) cause disease, and how can the HPV vaccine and male…

  44. Fizzy drinks after a long run?

    · 16 min · Episode 768

    Today, Chris Smith tackles a whole host of health-related questions. We explore the impact of a meat-based diet, whether it's a good idea to drink fizzy pop after vigorous exercise, why we weigh less in the morning, if…

  45. Can our eyes pop out when we sneeze?

    · 21 min · Episode 767

    This week, Chris Smith and Clarence Ford tackle the big science questions of the week, including how to perform a circumcision safely; can our eyes pop out when we sneeze; how do general anaesthetics work and do we…

  46. Why do dogs make a beeline for underwear and smelly socks?

    · 17 min · Episode 766

    Why do dogs make a beeline for underwear and smelly socks? Also, do we really get taller at night, why do some colours reflect and others absorb light, does our skin get thinner as we age, and what's the basis of lisps…

  47. Are zebras black with white stripes?

    · 17 min · Episode 765

    Are any people particularly susceptible to alopecia-linked hair loss? Also, what causes eczema and why does it keep recurring, why are the progeny of different species infertile, why does hair go grey but not always…

  48. Will we find a cure for diabetes?

    · 21 min · Episode 764

    In Ask! the Naked Scientists, Dr Chris Smith answers listeners' medical questions. This time, what causes a black eye? How can we alleviate the pain from a trapped nerve? How can you best stop severe bleeding? Why is…

  49. Is an elephant really related to a hyrax?

    · 22 min · Episode 763

    Is an elephant really a close relative of a hyrax? What are blood groups? Is there really such a thing as a selfish gene? How did males and females evolve? What makes us feel sleepy? And how can chickenpox be lethal?…

  50. Are some people missing an arm muscle?

    · 25 min · Episode 762

    Are some people missing arm muscles? Are there other muscles that we're losing? Can bats and moles actually see? Can the side effects of prostate surgery be reversed? Is there a cure for Dupuytren's contracture? Do we…

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