Ask the Naked Scientists

Do birds have a sense of smell? Are penicillin allergies permanent? How do vultures identify dinner? Does light travel forever? Is alcohol added to cooked food safe for an alcoholic? Do viruses have viruses that prey on them? How do bees track down my beer? Are some people genetically programmed to commit crime? Can two twins have different fathers? How did the power of speech first evolve? Dr Chris Smith has the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What makes dog poo turn white? Is water really wet, or does it just wet things? What was the nuclear impact of Fukushima? Where did my big ants go? Do microwaves alter water? Is the world changing shape? Where do corrugations in dirt roads come from? How did the Universe come by its water? Will my wife really end up looking like my mother-in-law? Join Dr Chris for another crop of top questions from 702, South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are premium-priced fuels really worth the extra cost? Why are males born with nipples? Is a male contraceptive pill in the offing? Do all animals get the same number of heartbeats? Does any one organ failing cause death? Can aeroplanes run on diesel? Why does silver tarnish? What causes lightning? Is mental illness curable? Join Dr Chris for the answers to this week's crop of queries from South Africa. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do I bruise more easily now I'm older? Why do some wind turbines spin in reverse? Are UV sunbeds worse for young skin? Ozone therapy, or quackery? Why do I want to eat chalk? Is blood the same in all animals? And alongside the answers to the best science questions 702 listeners have to offer, Dr Chris also reveals new radio-controlled cells... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What substances are in snake venom? Where is sea-level measured? Are any of my cells the original ones I was born with? Are we seeing the effects of global warming? How does planetary precession work? How do bullets do damage? How can you tell when a melon is ripe? Why are men so stubborn? Plus, how fossilised raindrops are shedding light on what Earth's atmosphere was like 3 billion years ago... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What causes jaundice in newborn babies? What is vitiligo? How do liquids behave in space? What causes cardiac arrests? What would happen if Earth span in reverse? What is Bell's Palsy? What are quarks? And how do hiccups occur? Join Dr Chris for this week's crop of questions from South Africa's Talk Radio 702 Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Does alcohol affect men and women the same way? Do other animals menstruate? Does intensive training affect a woman's fertility? Is it bad for birds to drink from my swimming pool? Should I shower during a thunderstorm? What causes a febrile convulsion? What is photocatalysis? Who gets gallstones and what are they? Why do whales have horizontal tails? Join Dr Chris on Talk Radio 702 for this week's select crop of top science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What does the genetic fingerprint of Ozti, the 5300-year-old Alpine iceman, reveal? Why do the bubbles in a glass of Guinness appear to be defying the laws of physics? Could we replace food with pills? Why did a dead bee still sting me? Is there any evidence that Voodoo does do anything? Why do balloons go bang? How do ducklings recognise their mothers? And why are planets round? Join Dr Chris for this week's crop of top science questions from South Africa... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can we grow a hamburger in a dish? What's the one meat that vegetarians can ethically eat? Do ants regard rival colonies as friends, or foes? What causes a cerebrospinal fluid leak and can it be repaired? Are flies the same everywhere? Why does beer freeze when you get it out of the fridge? And what could cause an itchy neck? Join Dr Chris for the answers to Talk Radio 702's top science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why is amputation necessary in cases of gangrene? What is aspartame and can it cause Alzheimer's? What's the basis of the Atkins Diet? How is melanin made and is neuromelanin the same stuff? Why do objects in the rear view mirror appear closer than they are? Are insecticidal deaths painful for insect victims? Why does booze cause a ruddy complexion? And at what age do babies begin to think? Join Dr Chris for another round up of top quality questions from South Africa... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists