How Bird-Like Were Dinosaurs?

Birds are dinosaurs, but did their extinct relatives move, look, or sing like they do?

• 26 mins

Can Volcanoes Power the World?

Eruptions cause chaos and destruction, but could they also be an energy source?

• 33 mins

Why can’t I remember my accident?

CrowdScience goes hunting for lost memories

• 33 mins

Why Do We Bury Our Dead?

The practice of burial stretches back deep into prehistory, but how did it evolve?

• 29 mins

Is Recycling All Our Waste at Home Possible?

Could we recycle all of our unwanted household materials ourselves?

• 30 mins

Could a ‘zombie’ virus kill us all?

Might ancient ice from the Antarctic depths contain deadly viruses?

• 31 mins

Where was the last place humans made home?

Our species started in Africa, but what was the last habitable landmass we reached?

• 29 mins

Does brain size matter?

Why have a big brain if a small one would do?

• 28 mins

What do clouds feel like?

We turn our gaze skywards to tackle three questions about what’s going on above us

• 32 mins

Why am I shy?

Is shyness written in our genes, or more to do with our upbringing?

• 31 mins

When will an African visit Mars?

We head to South Africa’s biggest science festival for a debate before a live audience

• 32 mins

Why do we like some animals and hate others?

What makes us fawn over a puppy, but run away from rats?

• 31 mins

Which milk is best for me and the planet?

Is switching from dairy milk to plant-based milks a healthier choice?

• 32 mins

What are dreams for?

Do we actually need to dream? Is there an evolutionary reason for it?

• 29 mins

Why do we find things beautiful?

Humans seem programmed to appreciate beauty – but why?

• 30 mins

Will we ever know what the universe is made of?

CrowdScience finds out if there’s a limit to what physicists at CERN can discover

• 35 mins

Could viruses help fight super-bugs?

CrowdScience travels to Georgia in search of solutions to antibiotic resistance

• 30 mins

Did cooking make us human?

When did we switch from eating our food raw, to heating it?

• 30 mins

How does a single cell become me?

How do trillions of individual cells work together to build bodies?

• 27 mins

Could dark matter harbour dark life?

Marnie Chesterton answers Indian listener Gautam’s question about dark life

• 31 mins

Could our household microbes help or harm us?

We revisit our episode on dust to decide what we should do with our invisible housemates

• 32 mins

How are we evolving?

How are we changing genetically to adapt to modern lifestyles and our environment

• 33 mins

Can singing improve our health?

Could this much-loved musical pastime improve our mental and physical strength?

• 32 mins

Are there new ways to beat depression?

We investigate how science is uncovering new ways to help beat long-term depression

• 26 mins

What’s the best way to breathe?

Can certain breathing techniques improve your exercise performance?

• 30 mins

Can we prevent traffic jams?

Should our cities cater less for cars and what are the alternatives?

• 34 mins

Why do some people eat soil?

What drives the body to crave something that isn’t real food?

• 33 mins

Who were the first farmers?

The story of how our ancestors tamed plants and animals

• 28 mins

Where’s my time machine?

When will sci fi’s favourite technologies become reality?

• 42 mins

Why do we pull faces when we concentrate?

We tackle the science of scowling, gesturing, and counting

• 33 mins