Question of the Week, from the Naked Scientists

This week, we discover the reasons for those aches and pains known as cramps. What causes them and how can they be prevented? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If you're hanging onto the back of a car, how fast would it have to go before you were lifted off the ground? Plus, we ask about muscle cramp and how to avoid it! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is it possible to walk in a straight line if one is blind or blindfolded? Are blind people better at it? Find the answer in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask how fast a car would have to travel in order to lift an outdoor passenger from the ground. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Which is better for the environment: an e-card or a traditional paper card? We have the answer for you in this (not terribly romantic) Question of the Week! Plus, we ask if people still walk in straight lines when they can't see where they're going... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Some hand washes claim to kill 99.99% of all germs. What do these advertising slogans really mean? Would two hand washes kill 100 per cent of all germs? Plus, we ask if sending an e-card is really more environmentally friendly than a paper one. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Light is supposed to be massless so how is it that gravity makes a beam bend? Plus, we ask what the hand wash adverts mean when they claim to kill 99.9% of known germs. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this touchy-feely Question of the Week we find out which bits of the brain interpret text and Braille. Are they the same? Plus, we ask how it is that light bends under gravity, even though it's supposed to be massless! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

When you think about it, drinking the milk of a cow is a little odd. Are we the only animal in the world that drinks the milk of another species? Why do we drink it anyway? Plus, we ask how Braille is processed in the brain. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week we find out why the camera loves some of us and seems to seek revenge on others as we investigate what makes someone photogenic... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If blood is full of iron does that mean magnetic jewellery is good for you? We find out. Plus, we ask if there is any science to being photogenic. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Bowels are quite good at absorbing water so why not have a drink through one? Perhaps it's not such a good idea! Find out in this QotW. Plus, we ask if magnetic bracelets actually work. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Will the universe expand faster than the speed of light in the future? Is this even possible? Will there be a big crunch at the end? The answer's in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask if it's possible to drink through your bottom! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What happens insides the shell of a chrysalis? Does the caterpillar turn into a protein-y mush or does it simply grow wings? Plus, we ask what happens once the universe has finished expanding. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this buzzing Question of the Week we find out how many bees are required to cook a human bee-ing. How much honey would they need to feast on in order to achieve this feat? Plus, we ask if a caterpillar turns to mush during pupation. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If you're standing on top of Mt Everest, will your day be brighter for longer? Will there be more sunlight and why? Plus, we ask how many bees it takes to boil an entire person! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Which would have produced more carbon: the Icelandic volcano or the planes which would have flown if it hadn't erupted? Find out in this QotW. Plus, we ask if altitude can affect the hours of daylight one experiences. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why might a person, who apparently isn't colour-blind, not be able to see red or green on a whiteboard? What is colour-blindness anyway? We try to find the answer in this Question of the Week. Plus, we ask which is worse for the environment - a few weeks of volcanic eruption or a few weeks of aviation. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why is it that some people get a bit queasy when facing backwards on a train? Find out in this QotW! Plus, we ask how it's possible that someone is unable to see coloured lines on a whiteboard. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The moon and its fickle phases are analysed in this week's question. Does someone in Australia see the same full moon at the same time as someone in the UK? Does being on the other side of the world change the view? Plus, we ask why travelling backwards makes some people ill. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The quest is on to find out how something can appear to roll up a hill, rather than down. Plus, we ask if the moon appears the same to viewers on either side of the planet. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out about the true nature of apple cores. They're not as innocent as they look. Plus, we ask how a ball can appear to move uphill. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out why we're often told that olive oil is better for you. Is there any truth to the advertising? Plus, we ask about the dangers of apple cores! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We explore the smells created by that wet weather phenomenon, rain. What brings about the damp, earthy smell? Plus, we ask if olive oil really is good for you. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How much and how fast would you have to let loose your intestinal gases in order to lift yourself from the ground? We work through the physics of farting! Plus, we ask why certain smells are released after it rains. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What is the point of kissing? Does it have any benefit for us or our progeny? Plus, we ask how much you'd have to fart in order to lift yourself off the ground! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We ask why the New World wasn't technologically as advanced as the Old World. Is this a valid question? Plus, we ask what the benefits of kissing might be. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

When brushing one's dental equipment with an electric toothbrush one may notice a slight wobbling of the television images. Why does this happen? Plus, we ask why the Americas hadn't developed the same kinds of technologies as the Old World at the time of European contact. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why does one side of the brain control the other side of the body? Surely it would make more sense if the left half of the brain told the left side of the body what to do. We find out what the current thinking on this conundrum is. Plus, we ask how an electric toothbrush can disturb vision. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Many a dog has been observed barking at the television - but can they see what's going on in 'One man and his Dog'? Can they see images better on LCD TVs rather than CRT? Plus, we ask why one side of our brain is wired up to control the other side of our body. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We work out what would happen if you shone a light whilst travelling at light speed. Would you see anything? Would an observer see anything? Plus, we ask if dogs really can watch TV. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In our quest for answers we discover how memories might be encoded in genes, though probably not the sort of memories you were expecting. Plus, we ask what would happen if you shine a light whilst travelling at light speed. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What is it that sometimes makes micturating nasally irritating? Why does asparagus make your urine smell and why might some cereals do the same thing? Plus, we ask whether memories can be handed down through generations. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Why do horses go "neigh!" when donkeys "he-haw!"? And what noize do zebras make? Just because they look similar, should they sound the same? Plus, we ask how food alters the smell of your urine... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We discover some likely explanations for the different blood groups seen in humans. Is there any reason for having one blood type over another? Do other animals have them too? Plus, we ask: why do horses, donkeys and zebras all make different noises? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Crocodiles have been the same for millennia upon millennia. What's going on? Why are they so uneventful in terms of evolution? Plus, we ask why we have different blood types. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Do radio signals change as we move to and from the transmitter? Do our movements affect how a radio boradcast sounds? We find the answer in this question of the week. Plus, we ask why crocodiles haven't changed all that much in the last few million years. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out if it's possible to put an age on someone without a birth certificate. Given that cells regularly regenerate in the body, can you carbon date your grandmother? Plus, we ask if radio shows get doppler shifted. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week's question endeavours to find the answer to the footpath conundrum - how do worms survive in the rain? What happens if the soil dries out? Plus, we ask if it's possible to carbon-date one's grandmother... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We explore why a dog's mouth might be cleaner then a human's from the perspective of getting a bite from either. Who's got the worst oral bacteria? Plus, we ask how worms survive flooding of their soil-y burrows. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week's question is all about energy! Do our bodies manage to harvest all the energy from food or do we miss a few calories here and there? Plus, we ask whose bite is worse, dog or human? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out if it's possible to revise for exams, become a mechanic or pick up a new language in your sleep! Do those CDs really work? Plus, we ask how many calories our bodies actually absorb from the food we eat. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this lucrative Question of the Week we find out how paper notes and metal coins are minted and printed in the money making factories of the UK. Plus, we ask if and how subliminal CDs work... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out about the physics behind wet T-shirt competitions! Why is it that pale clothing becomes transparent with the addition of water? Plus, in a totally unrelated question, we ask how money is made... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this seasonal Question of the Week we explore how removing the lovely white reflective stuff might cause the whole world to warm up. Plus, we ask how wet T-shirt competitions work (the science behind it, that is)! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Got an urgent call that needs to overcome virtually infinite gravity? This Question of the Week explores if mobile calls from black holes are possible. Plus, we ask if ploughing up the snow can worsen global warming. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We discover whether life in the Cretaceous period was as seasonal as it is today. Did dinosaurs put up with leaves on the line too? Plus, we ask whether it's possible to make a call from a black hole. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out if evaporation works in cold weather too! Is it worth using the tumble dryer, after all? Plus, we ask if the seasons have always sat in the same part of the solar year... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out whether a giant hulk of steel can disrupt a bird's navigation system. Would a 350,000 ton tanker do the trick? Plus, we ask how cold it can be before hanging out the washing becomes pointless. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out if the old adage is true - do pets really look similar to their owners? Or is it just that we only tend to remember those that do look similar? Plus, we ask why pigeons like settling on oil tankers... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this environmentally-themed QotW we find out how nations across the globe add up their greenhouse gas contributions. Does everyone do CO2 accounts in the same way? Plus, we ask why it is that pets look like their owners. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists