Question of the Week - From the Naked Scientists Podcast
1) Should I drink cola after swimming in river?
Listener Ed wrote to the Naked Scientists with this particular question. "Why is it recommended to drink cola after swimming in a river? And does it really reduce the risk of getting an upset stomach?...Show More
2) Can flies survive the winter?
Jeffrey got in touch to ask: "We've had a cold and snowy winter, and I've had to shovel my driveway every few days. We had a fly in our house, and I was curious if it survived the cold somehow, or rec...Show More
3) How do ZIP files work?
Listener Ellie wanted to know: "how do ZIP files work on my computer?" Phil Sansom unzipped the question - with an answer from research data scientist Peter Foster... Like this podcast? Please help us...Show More
4) Why are electrons never in between orbitals?
Quantum hats on for this week's 'exciting' question! Listener Mejnun says: "I have learned at school that when an electron excites it jumps to another orbital around the nucleus. If an electron jumps ...Show More
5) Why do chillies stay on your hands?
Nancy asked: "Why does chilli stay on your fingers for so long after cooking with them, even after you wash your hands multiple times it can still hurt if you touch your eyes?" So what's the answer to...Show More
6) How did varying chromosome numbers evolve?
Listener Mattie asked "If humans have too many or too few chromosomes it can cause them to be infertile. So how did different creatures get different numbers of them? For example, humans have 46 chrom...Show More
7) Do animals get bored eating the same food?
Listener Douglas asked us: "do animals get bored eating the same thing all the time? Like sheep - do they get bored of one type of grass?" Katie Haylor bored deep into the question, with help from neu...Show More
8) Why aren't all batteries rechargeable?
Listener Michael got in touch to ask "Why can't batteries, such as AA or AAA size, be recharged? What's the difference between regular batteries and rechargeables, especially lithium ones? Is this a '...Show More
9) How can you make normal TV look 3D?
Pavel got in touch to ask "Take sunglasses and remove one lens. Watch a normal television film with one eye darkened by a sunglass lens, and the other free. The film will appear in 3D. Can someone exp...Show More
10) What are the impacts of an aristocrat's diet?
James got in touch to ask us: "What were the health impacts of the vastly different diets and lifestyles of aristocrats and peasants? Would wealthy Roman patricians be much smarter than plebeians base...Show More