Why do my cables keep getting tangled?

Can science explain why cables and headphones become tangled up and knotted?

• 31 mins

Am I a psychopath?

A CrowdScience listener wants to know if she is a psychopath.

• 35 mins

Do I really have to clean my recycling?

We tackle questions about the best ways to recycle.

• 31 mins

Can video games help me or harm me?

What’s the scientific evidence for how gaming affects us?

• 34 mins

How can smart tech tackle climate change?

How can clever computing help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

• 37 mins

Why is human skin so rubbish?

We’re dissecting our skin’s structure and roles and asking if science can give it a boost

• 34 mins

How did our ancestors sleep?

How have our sleep patterns changed over history and pre-history?

• 27 mins

Can we save our night skies?

How to combat the light pollution that blots out starry skies and disrupts wildlife

• 31 mins

Can we transfer electricity wirelessly?

Could power be beamed into hard to reach communities?

• 34 mins

How did eyes evolve?

How did evolution produce the clever organs with which you’re reading this?

• 35 mins

How do flowers know when to bloom?

Find out what influences when flowers open and the various factors that slow the process

• 32 mins

Do plants have immune systems?

Can plants remember diseases or stressful events they have previously experienced?

• 32 mins

Does the planet need snails?

Gardeners might see snails as their enemy, but they are vital to life on earth

• 35 mins

Can we grow a conscious brain?

With advances in stem cell research, could we grow a human brain? And would we want to?

• 35 mins

Should I have kids?

Is it responsible to bring a new person into existence?

• 36 mins

Could we completely switch to renewable energy?

The island that’s run almost entirely on renewable energy

• 34 mins

Can COP26 deliver on climate change?

We head to the COP26 climate conference to hear about plans to slow down global warming

• 39 mins

Can we recycle concrete?

Concrete has a big CO2 footprint – so can we turn waste into new structures?

• 26 mins

Would my cat survive in the wild?

Do our pampered house cats lose their survival instincts?

• 30 mins

Which is better: Optimism or pessimism?

Is being optimistic really the best way to live your life?

• 32 mins

What's the best way to make a decision?

Life is full of choices – but how can we make the best ones?

• 35 mins

How can I keep fruit & veg fresh for longer?

The ancient preservation techniques that help prevent food waste

• 33 mins

CrowdScience Christmas bonanza

What better way to see out 2021 than to look back at our favourite things from the year?

• 31 mins

How do you like your eggs in the morning?

Investigating questions about the science behind eggs cooking and eggs hatching

• 40 mins

Why do we get bored?

CrowdScience reveals why boredom is anything but boring.

• 30 mins

Are big-heads smarter?

Is a bigger head a sign of a higher intelligence? Marnie Chesterton unpicks the science

• 28 mins

Does dark matter still matter?

CrowdScience finds out if we're any closer to unravelling the mysteries of dark matter.

• 30 mins

How does my radio work?

Explore the science of sound, journeying from the microphone to a radio receiver near you

• 29 mins

Is the ‘sunshine cure’ a real thing?

Does living somewhere sunny make us happier and healthier?

• 26 mins

Are we too selfish to save the planet?

How can humans overcome self-interest and work together for the common good?

• 34 mins

How do you navigate in space?

when spacecraft leave Earth, how do they navigate?

• 31 mins

How did we discover fire?

How did we discover fire, and how did that knowledge spread around the world?

• 31 mins

How high can insects fly?

Insect superhighways, bees up mountains & flies in space – just how high can insects go?

• 27 mins

Does massage work?

There are many claims about the benefits of massage. But which – if any – are true?

• 34 mins

Is maths real?

Is maths a human construct to help us make sense of reality Or is maths reality itself?

• 32 mins

Why do animals migrate? Part 1

How are migrating animals able to reliably navigate sometimes over thousands of miles?

• 37 mins

Why do animals migrate? Part 2

How do animals accurately orientate themselves whilst journeying thousands of miles?

• 43 mins

How many fossils are there?

Have we already found the last T. rex? Or are there many more to be discovered?

• 27 mins

How should we measure cleverness?

Are current tests of intelligence capturing all the different kinds of human smartness?

• 44 mins

Why did the ancient Maya abandon their cities?

What caused the prosperous Maya civilisation to collapse 1000 years ago?

• 34 mins

How do you balance on a bicycle?

It’s like riding a bike – you never forget. But why not?

• 34 mins

How far could gene editing go?

With leaps in gene editing technology how might humans alter their genome?

• 32 mins

Does photographic memory exist?

Why do some people have better memories than others?

• 35 mins

Why does ancient stuff get buried?

Archaeology means digging - but why does human history end up underground?

• 29 mins

Why can't I find gold in my back yard?

CrowdScience asks why precious metals and minerals are only found in certain places.

• 42 mins

Why do bright lights make me sneeze?

From sneezes and snot to saliva, we delve into the bodily fluids found in our faces.

• 37 mins

Human v machine

How efficient are humans?

• 31 mins

What is a quantum computer?

What exactly are quantum computers? And when will they replace the computers we use now?

• 31 mins

Can we get better at accepting death?

How can we make the end of life a more positive experience for all involved?

• 34 mins

What is healthy hair?

How can this nonliving structure be 'healthy' - and why is it concentrated on our heads?

• 33 mins

Are artistic brains different?

Myck the artist from Malawi wants to know if there’s something different about his brain.

• 35 mins

Are viruses the key to fighting infections?

Can bacteria-munching viruses help with the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance?

• 32 mins

Why is this song stuck in my head?

CrowdScience burrows into the niggling world of earworms

• 32 mins

Are humans naturally clean and tidy?

Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe

• 28 mins

Can smells fill you up?

CrowdScience explores how different smells affect your appetite.

• 33 mins

What is white?

CrowdScience explores what makes an object appear white.

• 28 mins

What happens to insects in the winter?

Marnie explores the many canny ways insects have adapted to survive extreme temperatures

• 40 mins

Can animals count?

CrowdScience finds out whether there are some creatures that have a way with numbers.

• 31 mins

Is there a language of laughter?

Do we all laugh at the same things or is there a language to learn first?

• 27 mins

Why don’t some things burn?

Why do some things burn, while others refuse to catch fire?

• 28 mins

Why are fish fish-shaped?

There are over 30, 000 species of fish – are they really all a similar shape?

• 32 mins

Why am I gay?

CrowdScience looks at what science can - and can't - tell us about homosexuality.

• 35 mins

How is mental health being supported in Africa?

CrowdScience visits Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss mental health with a live audience

• 26 mins

Why can't I change my accent?

Why are accents so hard to change even when you speak a language perfectly?

• 28 mins

When does weather change become climate change?

Heatwaves, floods and drought. Is it climate change, or is it just weather?

• 34 mins

How long before all the ice melts?

CrowdScience heads to Greenland to understand the story of melting in a warming world.

• 32 mins

Where do we go when the seas rise?

We see Greenland’s ice is melting - so where should we go to live in the future?

• 36 mins

Why don’t we fall out of bed when we’re asleep?

Answering the sleep questions that have been keeping CrowdScience listeners awake.

• 33 mins

How do we behave in crowds?

Crowds gather in all sorts of places. But is there a science to how they move and behave?

• 26 mins

What gives clouds their shapes?

Marnie turns to the skies to figure out how clouds form and how they get their shapes.

• 29 mins

Could my house run out of air?

Blocking up gaps might reduce energy bills, but can you make your home too airtight?

• 31 mins

What is friction?

Everything that moves involves frictional losses, but what actually is it?

• 36 mins

Why are my parents so annoying?

Blood is thicker than water but why are parents so annoying?

• 31 mins

Bullying Parrots and Glacial Cocktails

Work-place bullying between two parrots plus arctic cocktails with 5000 year old glacier

• 29 mins

How do you balance on a bicycle?

What’s going on when we ride a bicycle, how do we stay upright? CrowdScience investigates

• 27 mins

What happens to insects in the winter?

Marnie explores the many canny ways insects have adapted to survive extreme temperatures

• 27 mins

Why do we get jealous?

Crowdscience grapples with the green-eyed monster in close relationships.

• 29 mins

Where does the sand in a desert come from?

Lonely desert dunes have a romantic image, but how did they get there in the first place?

• 27 mins

How bad is our noise problem?

How does noise pollution impact wildlife and humans, and why do we hate certain sounds?

• 35 mins

Who’s afraid of public speaking?

Why does the thought of public speaking fill so many of us with terror?

• 28 mins

Are yoga claims bogus claims?

Which of the many claims about yoga are backed up by science?

• 28 mins

Where does our fat go when we exercise?

Where does our fat go when we exercise?

• 34 mins

Do climbing plants know where they’re going?

Marnie Chesterton finds out how clever climbing plants are.

• 29 mins

Can robots be soft?

CrowdScience uncovers how nature is weaving its way into robotic design

• 29 mins

Why do some people have panic attacks?

Sweating, nausea, chest pain: panic attacks affect 1 in 14 people but what is going on?

• 41 mins

How do my ears sense direction?

How do we hear a sound and immediately know where it’s coming from?

• 37 mins

What does flying do to my body?

We take to the skies to find out what effect working at 35,000 feet has on one's health.

• 37 mins

Is there anyone out there?

How many planets in the universe could be harbouring alien life?

• 27 mins

Do we have a sense of time?

Anand Jagatia finds out whether we have a sense of time, like our sense of taste or touch.

• 35 mins

What's living inside my gut?

Trillions of microbes live inside our gut. What impact do they have on our body?

• 32 mins

What are Ostriches for?

Flightless wings, flawless eggs, priceless feathers… meet the ostrich!

• 28 mins

Why am I so lazy?

Is laziness biological, psychological … or even a real thing?

• 37 mins

Can sea-swimming improve my health?

Can sea swimming improve my health?

• 33 mins

Why is the sun at the centre?

With astronomers and physicists, we unpack how we know the Earth revolves around the sun

• 27 mins

Is there a connection between memory and speech?

Caroline Steel finds out how dementia affects our ability to speak

• 28 mins

Can Artificial Intelligence teach itself?

What happens if artificial intelligence starts learning from its own material?

• 26 mins

Why can’t I see images in my head?

Anand Jagatia discovers what mental images are for and why some people don’t have them

• 38 mins

Human v machine

How efficient are humans?

• 27 mins

Why do I crave unhealthy foods?

What are food cravings and why do we crave unhealthy foods instead of healthy ones?

• 30 mins