Ask the Naked Scientists

Chris Smith answers another sample of enquiries from across the scientific spectrum: What might have caused my beetle infestation? Why do so many cultures describe an afterlife? What's the medical explanation for 'cracking the seal?' How do lions identify cubs that aren't theirs? If the Earth stopped rotating, would we feel it? Will hydrogen combustion engines be efficient? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This podcast explores the physics of lightning strikes, the effects of prolonged space travel on blood vessels and erectile dysfunction, the impact of fear on the body's fight or flight response, looking into the past through light travel time, and the differences in falling impact between humans and insects.

Why do birds stand on one leg? Which animals can we eat, and which can we not? Does your life flash before your eyes when you die? Does a plug's wiring orientation matter? Why does hearing water make you need the toilet? Does anything travel alongside the ISS? Dr Chris Smith and Relebogile Mabotja have all the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Dr Chris Smith answers listener questions including, how can we communicate science better? How much distance do we travel through space each second? Why might I feel stomach pain when I'm hungry and I take a cold drink? What causes people to feel sleepy when they're near a pregnant woman? Why do we enter planes on the left rather than the right? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chris Smith takes on listener questions, including: How far out to sea do seagulls fly? How is the malaria vaccine rollout going? Why does hot weather make your muscles more tired? What is the hottest temperature humans can survive? How do vultures track their lunch? How do some people retain more information? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chris Smith takes on listener submitted questions including, why do people disagree so much on what temperature to set the heating? Where do swallows and swifts go in the winter? Is it true that parrots don't have taste buds? And, what is dry ice? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why might chilli cause an upset stomach? How does a boomerang work? What's the difference between 50Hz and 60Hz of energy? Why does Saturn have a hexagon? Are stars moving away from us? How do we know how large underground oil deposits are? Why aren't cameras as good as out eyes? Do mosquitoes prefer certain people? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have all the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why kind of gas is in a gas giant planet? Can you do anything about sleepwalking? What causes stutters and speech impediments? Does blowing out birthday candles spread germs onto the cake? Why don't we feel the wind from moving through space? What are shooting stars? Why don't we have strangers with identical DNA? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have all the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In the first Ask! of 2024, Dr Chris Smith tackles questions on UV rays, Fahrenheit vs Celsius, whether the Three Gorges Dam could be slowing down the Earth's rotation, what drives dictators to do bad things, whether neutrinos pose a threat to humans, and what happens to our bodies after we die? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are some wildfires beneficial? What is the worst case scenario for climate change? What causes lactose intolerance? Does sunscreen cause a vitamin D defiency? Why do blind people still move their eyes around when thinking? Why do we scratch itches? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have all the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists