Question of the Week
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...
Survival in a Sealed Car - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.04.14
How long would you survive sealed in a compact car? Is there enough oxygen to survive your journey, or should you just open a window to avoid suffocating on your own expelled gas? Also, we ask if lightning should interrupt your television viewing - should you unplug your TV in…
Drinking Wine in the Desert - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.04.07
Should you drink wine in the desert? Would an alcoholic drink dehydrate you faster than no drink at all? If so, should you let the alcohol evaporate first, and how long would this take? This is the subject of this week's answer, and we ask how long you could survive…
Accented Notes - How do people lose their accent while singing? - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.03.31
For this week's Question, we find out why it is that although some people speak with a strong accent, this almost completely disappears when they sing. Could it be that there are language lessons to learn from singing Karaoke? Plus, we ask how long you could survive on the air…
The Timing of the Tides - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.03.17
On this week's Question of the Week, we plunge into a question about tides! We find out how the tide times are worked out to the nearest minute, and why anyone would need such precision. Plus, we ask why your spoken and singing accents may not match, and if you're…
Dirty Hair Grows Slower? - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.03.10
This week, we tackle the hirsute - will clean, trimmed hair grow quickly? Can you slow the growth with neglect? We find out if cut hair grows back quicker and thicker, or if that's just an urban myth. Also, we ask how tide times are so precise, and why people…
Caves and Carbon Dioxide - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.03.04
Our question this week concerns caves - we find out if more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes caves to grow quicker. Could an acidic atmosphere create cathedral-sized caverns?
A True Scale of Smell - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.02.25
This week, we find out if our noses tell us the truth. Does a strong smell mean a lot of odour in the air, or can we be tricked by small smells? In short, does our sense of smell have a sense of scale? Also, we ask if more carbon…
The Smell of Old Books - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.02.18
Books can hold stories, knowledge, ideas and memories - but what about the smell? So on this week's QotW - What gives an old book that distinctive smell? Also, we ask how we perceive the 'size' of an odour, and if there's more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - is…
Self-Shocking Electric Eels - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.02.11
This week, we find out how Electric Eels avoid a self-shock when stunning their prey, and we ask some smelly questions; what gives an old book it's distinctive smell, and does a strong smell mean a lot of odour in the air, or do our noses play tricks on us?
Recycled Oxygen in Space - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.02.04
This week, we find out how they manufacture oxygen on the International Space Station - a technique that astronauts must be 'over the moon' about! Plus, we ask how electric eels avoid self-shocking, and what gives a well loved old book that distinctive smell?
Runaway Runway - Can a plane take off on a Treadmill? - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.01.28
This week, we find out if an aeroplane on a treadmill could the plane still take off, and ask how air is made in space, and if electric eels suffer from self-shock syndrome…
Who freewheels downhill faster, a fat person or a skinny person? - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.01.21
This week, we find out if a fatter cyclist free-wheels faster than a thinner cyclist, and ask if an aeroplane runway is replaced with a treadmill, can the plane still take off? Also, how is oxygen recycled on the international space station?
What Makes a Boomerang Keep Coming Back? - Naked Scientists Question of the Week 08.01.13
This week we find out why boomerangs keep coming back, and ask would a plane on a treadmill still take off, and who gets to the bottom of a hill first - a freewheeling fat or thin cyclist?