Ask the Naked Scientists
Ask! You send in the science questions, we supply the answer...
Dr Chris Smith
Show overview
Ask the Naked Scientists has been publishing since 2008, and across the 18 years since has built a catalogue of 794 episodes. That works out to roughly 300 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 20 min and 24 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Science show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 days ago, with 25 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Dr Chris Smith.
From the publisher
How many organs could you donate and remain alive? How many planet Earths could fit inside the Sun? How high is a giraffe's blood pressure? Why is the sea blue? To find out, Ask The Naked Scientists!
Latest Episodes
View all 794 episodesWhy did the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turn green?
How do cats sustain a purr-fect purr?
Are there sounds around us that we can't hear?
Why does a slice of toast land butter side down?
How does a headache tablet know where it hurts?
Why does running water make us want to use the toilet?
Should we pay attention to the UFO files?
Can we travel forward and backwards in time?
How do vultures find their prey?
Why don't melting ice cubes make my drink overflow?
Do dogs dream?
Ep 783What caused the craters on the Moon?
How does the heat shield protect the Artemis II astronauts on their return to Earth? What caused the craters on the Moon? Can the materials in cooking pots cause poisoning? What is seasickness? Can space missions take place during periods of high solar activity? And what propels spacecraft? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ep 782What colour is a mirror?
Why some people can't say their Rs; why is perception of time so context dependent; what's the nutritional value of long life milk; what determines how tall we are; why do some mirrors make you look a strange shape; why to take care with magnesium supplements to avoid explosive diarrhoea; how can fish swap between fresh and salt water environments; and why doesn't the stomach digest itself? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ep 781Do we all see colours the same way?
On this week's show, why dogs don't live as long as humans. Also, why do we feel cold when our skin is warm to the touch? Do we all see colours the same way? Do animals experience embarrassment? If photons head towards two small slits, do they only pass through one slit or both? Why does the Middle East have an abundance of oil? And why are our taste buds affected when we have a fever? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ep 780Can white skin transplanted to a black person change colour?
This week Clarence Ford and Dr Chris discuss NASA's DART mission to defect an asteroid, why we can't tickle ourselves, whether lung capacity affects the heart, if white skin transplanted to a black person changes colour, why some people are more ticklish than others, how scientists are able to read ancient DNA codes, why the sea is salty, and what triggers seizures? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ep 779Why do we get a falling sensation as we drift off to sleep?
This week, Dr Chris Smith and Sara Jayne Makwala King get to the bottom of IBS, why women living together often synchronise menstrual cycles, why we get a sudden falling sensation when dropping off to sleep sometimes, and if Earth suddenly stopped spinning, what would happen first? Also, are the faces that crop up in our dreams real people we've seen before, or has our brain created people that don't actually exist? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ep 778Is there an evolutionary advantage of golf?
In this week's show, how scientists discover Russia's use of frog neurotoxin epibatidine to kill political opponent Alexei Navalny, why some people are more vulnerable to dental problems, why does a full bladder make me feel sick, how is gum disease linked to heart disease, where do the clouds surrounding Table Mountain go, and what is the evolutionary advantage of golf? Plus, can science and religion co-exist? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ep 777What is foot-and-mouth disease?
How did life on Earth begin? Why is glass clear when sand is opaque? What is foot-and-mouth disease? Why do some people's accents change when they emigrate? What is trigeminal neuralgia? What is decided before drug trials take place? What's the difference between colloidal silver and quantum silver? Is Lyme disease contagious? And are we gaining or losing mass on planet Earth? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ep 776Can the brain recover from alcohol misuse?
Do animals enjoy views like we do? Why are some elephants born without tusks? Why do some people pass out on roller coasters? Is there a cure for dizziness? Can the brain recover if you stop drinking alcohol? Why is there a difference between the way that dogs and humans metabolise food? Did hallucinogens play a role in human evolution? Is a heart murmur a side effect of an overactive thyroid? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists
Ep 775What is an induced coma?
What is consciousness? What is the Nipah virus? What is an induced coma? Is there an official scale for pain? Can you think yourself better? How can you make plasma? And how do you prevent a dog's pee from turning your lawn brown? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists