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Ask The Naked Scientists SA

Ask The Naked Scientists SA

Whyscratchyourheadifyoudon'tknowtheanswer?WhatabouttheEarthmadethedinosaurssobig?WhydoestheUniversespin?IstheSunseembrighterinthemorningthantheevening?Areautisticpeopleparticularlyathomewithcomputers?Whydoeffervescenttablets...

Naked Scientists

159 episodesEN

Show overview

Ask The Naked Scientists SA has been publishing since 2023, and across the 3 years since has built a catalogue of 159 episodes. That works out to roughly 55 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.

Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 19 min and 22 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 6 days ago, with 22 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Naked Scientists.

Episodes
159
Running
2023–2026 · 3y
Median length
21 min
Cadence
Weekly

From the publisher

Why scratch your head if you don't know the answer? What about the Earth made the dinosaurs so big? Why does the Universe spin? Is the Sun seem brighter in the morning than the evening? Are autistic people particularly at home with computers? Why do effervescent tablets fizz only in water? Why do Parkinson's patients sleepwalk without difficulty? Plus, news of a decoy molecule that can treat dwarfism and what earwax has revealed about blue whales...

Latest Episodes

View all 159 episodes

Why does a slice of toast land butter side down?

Jun 5, 202625 min

How does a headache tablet know where it hurts?

May 29, 202624 min

Why does running water make us want to use the toilet?

May 22, 202622 min

Should we pay attention to the UFO files?

May 15, 202623 min

Can we travel forward and backwards in time?

May 8, 202626 min

How do vultures find their prey?

May 1, 202623 min

Why don't melting ice cubes make my drink overflow?

Apr 24, 202621 min

Do dogs dream?

Apr 17, 202622 min

What caused the craters on the Moon?

Apr 10, 202622 min

What 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

Mar 28, 202621 min

Do 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

Mar 13, 202623 min

Can 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

Mar 6, 202622 min

Why 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

Feb 27, 202619 min

Is 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

Feb 20, 202619 min

What 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

Feb 13, 202624 min

Can 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

Feb 6, 202622 min

What 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

Jan 30, 202621 min

Which part of the brain is responsible for decisions?

Why does a glass of water help settle a sore throat? What are the best ways to help heal a slipped disc? Which part of the brain helps us make decisions? What causes stuttering in speech? If a fly is travelling in a fast car, is it travelling at the same speed as the car? And at what age is our brain fully developed? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jan 23, 202621 min

Which part of the brain is responsible for decisions?

Why does a glass of water help settle a sore throat? What are the best ways to help heal a slipped disk? Which part of the brain helps us make decisions? What causes stuttering in speech? If a fly is travelling in a fast car, is it travelling at the same speed as the car? And at what age is our brain fully developed? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jan 23, 202621 min

Which part of the brain is responsible for decisions?

Why does a glass of water help settle a sore throat? What are the best ways to help heal a slipped disk? Which part of the brain helps us make decisions? What causes stuttering in speech? If a fly is travelling in a fast car, is it travelling at the same speed as the car? And at what age is our brain fully developed? Dr Chris Smith and Clarence Ford have the answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Jan 23, 202621 min
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