Ask The Naked Scientists SA

Do Plants do Maths?

Do plants do maths? Has the Internet made us all more intelligent? Why did my milk freeze? Why do my hands get cold, but not my face? How did people realise Earth is round? What's red shifting? Why does squinting make it easier to see things? Why is water unreactive…

5 Jul 2013 22 min

How do solar sails work?

How much ice are glaciers losing annually? What makes eyes itch? Is yoga beneficial to health? How do solar sails work? Do we have dominant feet? Why is a rainbow the shape it is? Plus, news of why breastfeeding could help your offspring to climb the social ladder…

30 Jun 2013 21 min

Meths for Mosquito Bites?

Why does yawning produce tears? Why do noses tend to run on a cold day? Is methylated spirit good for mosquito bites? Why do computer screens sometimes produce after-images on your eyes? Can block blood vessel growth cause cancers to stall? Is cola good for bloat? Is it really colder…

22 Jun 2013 18 min

Is the weather worse at weekends?

How do continental plates move? Is the weather worse at weekends? What does your brain choose to ignore? Why do wet fingers wrinkle? Are bullets fired into the air dangerous? Are premonitions real? Why does the Sun seem larger at sunset?

7 Jun 2013 20 min

Can we Reproduce in Space?

How much radiation would an astronaut encounter on the way to Mars? What causes loss of appetite during a fever? Why does camera red eye happen? Can we reproduce in space? Is mercury in dental fillings safe? How old are the atoms in the body? What causes tides? What's the…

3 Jun 2013 21 min

Why are bubbles white?

What attracts malaria-infected mosquitoes to people? How happens to the brain during adolescence? Why are bubbles always white? Would a sealed box containing an exercising person get lighter? What does a launching rocket push against? Why is water from the hot tap initially cold? What actually is a random number?…

19 May 2013 22 min

What is Sleep Walking?

Does cold exposure cause colds? What consitutes safe drinking water? Why do distant lights and stars flicker? What is sleep walking? What causes bipolar disorder? How does sound travel in air? Plus, news of a vaccine to help crack heroin addiction. Join Dr Chris for more top science questions from…

13 May 2013 21 min

Does food affect body odour?

Does what we eat alter how we smell? Why does the severed tail of a lizard still wriggle? How does the nervous system re-wire itself? What's in snake and spider venom? Do fuel-saving devices for cars really work? Plus news of how honey helps bees to fight off infections, and…

3 May 2013 22 min

How do Touch Screens Work?

Why do adults smell more than children? How are bionic implants contributing to longevity? What is progeria? How do touch screens work? Why do anti-HIV drugs cause fat redistribution? Why does power = volts x amps? What actually are dark matter and dark energy? Join Dr Chris for the answers…

3 May 2013 22 min

Are babies born to swim?

Are babies born to swim? Can you escape from a black hole? Can an egg with a double yolk yield two chicks? What causes nightmares? Why do we gesticulate when we speak? Why is the Moon visible by day? Dr Chris takes on more top questions from South Africa.

20 Apr 2013 21 min

Weaning and HIV

Does holding a car remote to your head make it work better? Why does a boat float? Are triple rainbows real? What's a near-death experience? This week we also look at a new scientific study into why - and when - breast milk transmits HIV to a baby…

20 Apr 2013 18 min

Live from 702 HQ

Naked Scientists team, Ben Valsler, Chris Smith and Ginny Smith joined the 702 crew and a studio audience live in Johannesburg to talk science, build vacuum bazookas and challenge listeners' mathematical minds…

13 Apr 2013 35 min

Why does Washing Shrink?

Who was John Snow? Why do things shrink in the wash? How does carbon dating work? Is intelligence down to mitochondria? Why does the banner also bank behind a banking aircraft? And how does the human body develop in utero? Dr Chris answers more top science questions from South Africa…

21 Mar 2013 22 min

How does a gastric bypass work?

Does a cloudy day aggravate arthritis? Was the biblical flood real? How does a gastric bypass work? Will a knife in water go blunt? Where do the skeletons on sunken ships go? Why do cats have an extra fold of skin in their ears? And why transmit electricity at high…

9 Mar 2013 19 min

Are urine and sweat the same?

How did horse meat end up in the food chain? Is baking foil bad for you? How big are viruses? How are urine and sweat produced? How do hydrogen vehicles work? And how do we measure the height of things above sea level? Join Chris Smith for this week's crop…

4 Mar 2013 17 min

How do pills know where pain is?

Why do ovaries run out of eggs and what affects egg quality? Why does diesel smell nice but burning engine oil is unpleasant? Do genes from genetically modified organisms get into eggs and sperm? Does lead affect behaviour? What causes motion sickness? Join Dr Chris for another run of science…

22 Feb 2013 18 min

How do pills know where pain is?

Why do ovaries run out of eggs and what affects egg quality? Why does diesel smell nice but burning engine oil is unpleasant? Do genes from genetically modified organisms get into eggs and sperm? Does lead affect behaviour? What causes motion sickness? Join Dr Chris for another run of science…

22 Feb 2013 18 min

Why Tired Toddlers Rub Their Eyes

Are helium-filled balloons less likely to pop? How does a cordless toothbrush charge? Is there much mercury in compact fluorescent bulbs? Why do tired toddlers rub their eyes? Is lactose intolerance more common than it once was? And is it possible to trigger earthquakes artificially? Dr Chris answers this week's…

3 Feb 2013 22 min

Can genes re-write their own code?

Carp with compasses, why we have earwax, what causes CIDP, can genes re-write their own code, do bananas in brown bags stay fresher longer, does hot water sound different, why veins look blue and what is coarctation of the aorta?

7 Dec 2012 20 min

Do Blood Donors Live Longer?

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.

9 Nov 2012 22 min