Ask the Naked Scientists

Why do we age? Why do frogs end up in the swimming pool when it rains? Are mosquitoes attracted to some people more than others? What is epigenetics? What causes Bell's Palsy? How do frogs find water? Do tyres on the roof repel lightning? Answers to more great science questions from South Africa with Dr Chris... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do blood donors live longer, is water safe in plastic bottles, is Earth gaining weight and are space probes sterile? Plus, how fireflies have helped engineers make even brighter LEDs. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What causes hurricanes? How does plastination work? Why do we go grey? Does grunting make muscles work harder? Do parallel universes exist? What causes hot flushes? Are there any IQ tests for babies? Do plants benefit from being talked to? Join Dr Chris for this week's round up of top science questions from South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why aren't bubbles coloured like the soap they came from? Does holding a remote control to you head make it work better? Why has exercise reduced my alcohol tolerance? Is it by design that the names of all continents start and finish with the same letter? Why don't eyebrows go grey at the same time as head-hair? Do things taste different on opposite sides of the mouth? Why remove metal objects before a medical scan? And why does running water make me want to wee? Join Dr Chris for the answers to this week's questions as well as news of a way to correct mitochondrial enzyme defects... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do atoms change inside stars? How did Felix Baumgartner accelerate to over 800 miles per hour? What is inside a black hole? What decides the sex of a baby? What causes jetlag? Could we use the movement of seawater inside the Earth's magnetic field to make electricity? Why is the sea salty? Plus, are women born to flirt? Dr Chris has the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why is skin the mouths of animals pink? Why doesn't water immediately fall out of clouds? How do we use light to send information into space? Why did a stomach explode after a liquid nitrogen cocktail? What are chimaeras? How will Felix Baumgartner get to the edge of space for his free-fall jump? Why is your breath both hot and cold against your hand? Why are the entry doors to an aeroplane always on the left side? And why do toenails seem to grow more slowly than fingernails? Join Chris for another rampage through the best science questions South Africa has to offer! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is the Earth about to gain a new tectonic plate? What is pompholyx and what are the treatment options? Why does sunburned skin blister? Why does boiled water taste different? Is there anyone who can still make a pencil from scratch? Why won't sugar solutions freeze? Why does my dog yawn when it gets up? Does famine affect genes in future generations? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How is the effectiveness of environmental interventions measured? What's the scientific definition of nothing? Why do farts smell worse in the shower? What happens when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier? What should I drink with lunch? What's happening with ITER? How are flu vaccines made? How do hair transplants work? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does a local anaesthetic make my face feel fat? How do worms get into food? Would a taxi driver find a map of a new city easier to learn? From where did the asteroid belt form? Why is the lower lip more prone to chaps? What makes birds decide to sing at 5am? Can we make a spacestation inside an asteroid? Do you believe in UFOs? Another crop of top questions from 702 listeners gets answered... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How did NASA get their cameras to work in the cold on the moon? How does a cordless electric toothbrush charge itself? What is adult respiratory distress syndrome? Where does the amniotic fluid around a baby come from? Why are Olympic races run anticlockwise? Why is sunscreen advised even on cloudy days? What is more accurate, my speedometer, or the speed recorded by my GPS? And why do my sunglasses make LCD displays look strange? This week Dr Chris takes on more of your science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists