Why do cats purr?

Loading player...
Chris Smith from The Naked Scientists takes on YOUR questions with Africa Melanie from CapeTalk. Why can only some animals be domesticated? Why do cats purr? Can senses change after surgery? Why don't I have a runny nose during sleep? How old is moon dust? Why do scars last until old age? Plus scientists detect a black hole that's munching on a neutron star...
For more podcasts by The Naked Scientists, head to nakedscientists.com/podcasts.

PLUS, you can follow the team on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook; @nakedscientists.
2 May 2019 English United Kingdom Science

Other recent episodes

What is behind the global Microsoft outage?

Voyager 1 passes the "light day" 25 billion-kilometre milestone. We also ask whether artificial sweeteners are bad for us but still better than sugar, hear what would happen if the thyroid gland stopped working, wonder why we sometimes hear sounds that aren't there, and hear how do we decide whether…
13 Nov 23 min

What does a percentage chance of rain really mean?

What's the evidence that vaccines don't cause autism? Can brain oxygen deprivation lead to memory loss? Do babies bond with their dads as much as with their mums? Do parrots socialise like other animals? What does a percentage chance of rain in a weather forecast actually mean? How can we…
6 Nov 19 min

Why the nose knows: how important is smell?

Introducing "Smellyvision": this week, we talk about new tech that transmits smells alongside sounds and pictures, and ask whether smell is our most underrated sense. Also, are Bill Gates' fears that AI will erode our intellect well-founded, and why do some worry it might lead to better biological weapons? Meanwhile,…
30 Oct 22 min

Is static electricity down to positive or negative charges?

Why has everyone got a cold at the moment? How does an elemental diet treat inflammatory bowel disease? How does chlorine clean up drinking water? What is cholera? Can silver sterilise surfaces and water? Is static electricity down to positive or negative charge? What is reverse osmosis water filtering, and…
22 Oct 20 min

Is AI damaging our ability to think for ourselves?

How do dogs decode human speech? Can they actually understand one another, and do they bark with an accent? Also, do all animals pair for life? Why are biometric fingerprint scanners tricky for older people? And is AI damaging our ability to think for ourselves? Plus, what's the problem with…
16 Oct 20 min