Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists — Natural Sciences
Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists

Each week we set out to solve one of the world’s weirdest, wackiest, funniest and funkiest scientific puzzles. And along with the answer there’s a brand new question to think about for next time…

Latest Episodes:

What wind speed does it take to tip a lorry? Oct 11, 2015

Show notes

Marco got in touch after his truck tipped over on the motorway. He wanted to know what speed the wind would need to be blowing at to cause this, so he knew when to stop driving in the future. Rosalind Davies spoke to Zephyr Penoyre, a PhD student at Columbia State University, to find out the answer. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do power lines make so much noise? Oct 05, 2015

Show notes

Anders asked the electrifying question, "Why do power lines make so much noise?";. This seemed rather complicated so Charis Lestrange asked Dr Andrew Griffiths, a semiconductor engineer from the company IQE. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why is gooseberry jam red when gooseberries are green? Sep 21, 2015

Show notes

Katie asked the very seasonal question of Why is gooseberry jam red, when gooseberries are green?. This really baffled the Naked Scientists, so Joanna Kerr put this thorny question to Dr Sarka Tumova, a food scientist at the University of Leeds. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do we make mistakes during repetitive tasks? Sep 14, 2015

Show notes

Is it brain fatigue? Or do we go into autopilot? Sam Mahaffey asked Dr Steve Fleming from the Wellcome Trust centre for Neuroimaging at UCL why this happens. And if there is anything we can do to stop it. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do we have toenails? Sep 07, 2015

Show notes

Fingernails seem to have obvious uses but what are our toenails for? Was their some evolutionary benefit? And does that mean we'll evolve toenail-less feet? Sam Mahaffey and Dr Isabelle Winder from the University of York go in search of a gripping answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does music sound happy or sad? Aug 24, 2015

Show notes

This week Dave asked why does a minor key sound mournful and a major key sound happy? Amy Goodfellow asks music psychologist Dr Andrea Schiavio from the University of Sheffield if this is really true. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Where are we within the universe? Aug 18, 2015

Show notes

This week Brian Lucas wanted to know: where are we within the universe? Joanna Kerr decided to try and find out with help from Dr Sean McGee, an astrophysicist from the University of Birmingham. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How many people do you need to avoid inbreeding in a population Aug 10, 2015

Show notes

This week Louise asked, how many people are needed to avoid inbreeding in a population? To answer her question Connie Orbach looks into setting up her own desert island with the help of Professor Mike Weale, a population geneticist from Kings Collge London. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What are wormholes? Aug 03, 2015

Show notes

What are wormholes, and how would one be created? James Farr investigates the secrets of the universe... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How much of a wheat field do I need to make one loaf of bread? Jul 20, 2015

Show notes

This week Amy Goodfellow took a trip to the country to answer Jerry's question - how much bread it takes to make one wholemeal loaf. She spoke to Andrew Whitley, the co-founder of the Real Bread Campaign... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Related Podcasts