How many flies have ever existed?

Flies are everywhere. But just how many have ever lived?

• 30 mins

How does a snake climb a tree?

What gives snakes their gravity-defying climbing skills?

• 27 mins

What is the weight of the internet?

Simple question, tricky answer. To weigh the internet, what should we put on the scales?

• 37 mins

Why am I afraid of this building?

How do buildings affect our emotions – whether fear or sadness, wonder or joy?

• 26 mins

Why is a ship a ‘she’?

Why are nouns coded as male or female in some languages but not others?

• 30 mins

Why is my handwriting so messy?

Alex Lathbridge explores the genetics, culture and neuroscience of handwriting

• 29 mins

How do fish survive in the deep ocean?

What allows fish to cope with the immense water pressure of the ocean depths?

• 27 mins

Can we improve the shipping container?

This simple metal box enables so much global trade. But could we make it more efficient?

• 32 mins

Why am I symmetrical?

Why is one side of the human body pretty much a mirror image of the other side?

• 31 mins

Can my body regenerate?

Where do our healing powers begin and where do they end?

• 31 mins

What is the voice inside my head?

What’s the science behind the silent inner voice many of us experience?

• 28 mins

Is the car an apex predator?

The car is a killer but does that make it top of the food chain?

• 39 mins

Are we mature by 18?

Why is 18 considered the start of adulthood in many places? Does science back this up?

• 29 mins

How did the Moon affect the dinosaurs?

The Moon was once much closer to Earth. How did its gravity affect a dinosaur’s weight?

• 30 mins

Why don’t sunflowers fall over?

With huge heads on spindly stalks, how do sunflowers defy gravity to stay standing?

• 26 mins

What's the fairest voting system?

Is there a perfect way to elect politicians?

• 32 mins

Why do my armpits smell?

Deodorant hasn’t been around forever, so is there any evolutionary reason for body odour?

• 26 mins

Why do languages fade from us?

Can learning multiple languages make us forget our native tongue?

• 26 mins

Why do some mushrooms glow?

We explore the mysterious phenomenon of bioluminescence

• 29 mins

Why is my house getting sunnier?

A mysterious shift in sunshine through one listener’s window requires investigation

• 30 mins

What does my voice say about me?

What shapes the sound of your voice? And is everybody’s voice unique?

• 31 mins

Why can't my dog live as long as me?

And how do some animals tackle the ageing process head on?

• 28 mins

Can I improve my sense of direction?

Why some people get lost while others have a great sense of where they are

• 29 mins

Why am I good at jigsaw puzzles?

What skills do you need to complete a jigsaw puzzle? And why do we enjoy them?

• 32 mins

Why does pain sometimes feel good?

What makes people seek out unpleasant or painful sensations, like eating chilli?

• 29 mins

Will the Earth ever lose its Moon?

Anand Jagatia is joined by a panel of experts to answer listener questions about the Moon

• 26 mins

I didn’t know that!

Did you know that flies fly in rectangles and fish hide by lighting themselves up?

• 26 mins

Why am I embarrassed when I fall?

Falling can be serious – so why do we find it embarrassing or even funny?

• 26 mins

Is beer better without alcohol?

How does non-alcoholic beer differ from the original - and is it better for us?

• 32 mins

Which animal has the biggest carbon footprint?

Humans emit far too much planet-warming carbon, but what about other species?

• 28 mins