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

How many fossils are there?

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

• 30 mins

Can I predict the future?

There are ordinary people among us who are exceptionally good at predicting the future

• 36 mins

Global infertility: Could The Handmaid’s Tale become reality?

What could cause mass infertility? Marnie Chesterton investigates

• 40 mins

How can I motivate myself?

We put science to the test to try and find out how can we best motivate ourselves.

• 37 mins

Do we need more space stations?

Would more satellites and space stations help us get further into the solar system?

• 31 mins

Are extroverts really happier?

We probe the links between happiness, personality and culture

• 27 mins

Can my migraines be cured?

What’s happening in my brain when I get a migraine? CrowdScience investigates

• 33 mins

Could I learn to think like Sherlock Holmes?

What does science have to say about the famous fictional detective?

• 34 mins

Is a vegan diet better for your health?

Many people follow a plant based diet, but is a vegan diet really better for your health?

• 33 mins

Do green spaces make us healthier?

Is there more to living alongside greenery?

• 33 mins

How can I live a longer life?

What is the secret to living healthily into very old age?

• 26 mins

Is maths real?

Is maths a tool created by humans? Or is it reality itself?

• 32 mins

Will my salmon swim home?

Could we repopulate salmon rivers?

• 34 mins

Can my stutter be cured?

Most of us take speaking for granted, but for Breeda it has been a lifelong struggle

• 34 mins

Why do I get sleepy?

We ask what happens in our body and brain when tiredness takes over

• 29 mins

Can a machine read my mind?

How machine learning is enabling minds to start melding with machines

• 42 mins

Should I stop eating palm oil?

Is palm oil environmental foe or poverty-fighting crop? Graihagh Jackson investigates

• 36 mins

Could humans hibernate during interstellar travel?

Hibernation could allow people to travel long distances in space. How realistic is it?

• 35 mins

Would humans exist if dinosaurs were still alive?

We explore an alternative reality where dinosaurs still roam the earth

• 35 mins

Can I save the insects?

The world’s insects are in trouble. What can each of us do to help them?

• 29 mins

Did Crowdscience change your life?

We delve into the Crowdscience archive to hear how our shows changed listeners’ lives

• 27 mins

How does the sun affect my body and mind?

We explore the power of light to impact our health and wellbeing.

• 33 mins

What is empathy?

What drives our feelings of compassion for others – what is happening in our brains?

• 38 mins

How low-carbon can CrowdScience go?

We try to find out the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint

• 40 mins

What is infinity?

We tackle impossible-sounding questions on topics from infinity to quantum mechanics

• 33 mins

Could we survive an extinction event?

Are humans capable of outwitting asteroids, volcanoes or other causes of mass extinction?

• 38 mins

Can digital technology transform West Africa?

A panel of experts discuss how digital technology and AI are transforming West Africa.

• 32 mins

How did humans discover medicine?

Diseases have always been with us, but when did we first find ways to cure them?

• 31 mins

What is cancer?

We take a look at cancer treatment’s dark past, its current state and future

• 37 mins

Why do insects prefer to bite certain people?

Why are some people magnets for mosquitos and others not? CrowdScience investigates

• 36 mins

What’s the weirdest weather?

Our expert panel tackle multiple meteorological queries in the CrowdScience inbox.

• 37 mins

Why are we obsessed with crime?

Kay from Hamburg wants to know where our obsession with crime comes from

• 31 mins

Introducing 13 Minutes to the Moon Season 2

Jump on-board a doomed mission to the Moon. Apollo 13: the extraordinary story

• 3 mins

What are scientists doing about coronavirus?

CrowdScience goes into labs to meet researchers urgently searching for COVID-19 solutions

• 30 mins

Can I trust DNA ancestry tests?

How much do DNA tests really tell you about your ancestors?

• 33 mins

Can science explain why I love shopping?

Crowdscience investigates the brain science behind our buying behaviour

• 36 mins

Will a placebo boost my sports performance?

Can we trick ourselves into running faster or playing better?

• 26 mins

How can I reduce stress?

Listener Keith from Lincolnshire wants to know how to reduce stress - he's a firefighter.

• 26 mins

What makes a spider spin a web?

How instincts let spiders build complex structures

• 26 mins

Why do you sweat more than me?

What affects how much and where we sweat?

• 33 mins

How do I learn maths when school’s shut?

We tackle maths questions sent in by high school students in lockdown

• 34 mins

What is the smallest particle?

We tackle particle physics questions from around the world

• 31 mins

Does my toilet make sense?

Is it time to reinvent the flush toilet?

• 39 mins

How does a language begin?

How does one language become two, or even 7000?

• 30 mins

Why can’t you tickle yourself?

In this kids special, we explore a raft of questions from our younger listeners

• 45 mins

Would you risk your life to save another?

Why do some people put themselves in danger to help others?

• 32 mins

Were my atoms once your atoms?

What is the likelihood that an atom in your body has been used in someone else’s body?

• 36 mins

Do animals have consciousness?

What does it feel like to be a cat or a cuttlefish?

• 36 mins

What’s the point of blood types?

We, like most animals, have a variety of different blood types. But what are they for?

• 35 mins

Is barefoot running better?

How does a bare foot change our running pain and performance

• 31 mins

Could earthworms help transform the future of farming?

As they work the soil worms can hugely increase its fertility but there’s a downside.

• 37 mins

How is human sound affecting sealife?

Are peaceful seas an illusion? We find out how human sound affects life under the waves.

• 37 mins

Are some soaps better than others?

How was soap discovered, and what else is used for washing around the world?

• 34 mins

Why do conspiracy theories exist?

Why do conspiracy theories exist and why are we seeing so many in this pandemic?

• 39 mins

Does air traffic affect our weather?

Has reduced air travel due to pandemic lockdown affected our weather and climate?

• 33 mins

What is the point of slime?

Squelching into the science of slime.

• 33 mins

What’s the yeast doing inside my bread?

Yeast: the tiny organism with massive potential

• 33 mins

Why does running water make me need the toilet?

What does science say about controlling urination, and other bodily functions?

• 30 mins

Why do we like spicy food?

Join the CrowdScience dinner party as we tackle listeners’ food questions

• 35 mins

Why am I embarrassed to be naked?

We all have naked bodies – so why are we so embarrassed to show them?

• 32 mins

What makes stuff sticky?

Our world would fall apart without adhesives - but how do they hold things together?

• 32 mins

Why do planets spin?

Crowdscience answers listeners’ celestial questions

• 33 mins

Why do I blush?

Does blushing have some sort of evolutionary purpose? And why do we yawn?

• 32 mins

Am I related to a virus?

Although they’re not technically ‘alive’ might viruses hold a place in our family tree?

• 28 mins

Can I learn to sing in tune?

Why are some of us tone deaf, and can you improve your singing with practice?

• 32 mins

Why are elephants so big?

An episode dedicated to the curious minds of our younger listeners

• 31 mins

How can I beat pain?

Listener Bebeto wants to know how to get rid of a pain in his wrist

• 39 mins

How does a breeze become a gale?

Why are some winds friendly and others fierce?

• 27 mins

Can we prevent wildfires?

How can we reduce the spread of forest fires?

• 32 mins

Are humans naturally clean and tidy?

What hygiene instincts do we have, and are they fit for purpose?

• 31 mins

Will our spacecraft ever reach the stars?

How spaceship engineering could power us through interstellar space

• 28 mins

Was I born clumsy?

Simon is sick of knocking stuff over, so CrowdScience looks at the science of clumsiness

• 36 mins

Do animals exercise?

Some of the CrowdScience team answer listeners' questions from all over the world

• 37 mins

Is a fungus intelligent?

Fungal networks are entangled with life on Earth and even show signs of intelligence.

• 29 mins

What are the limits of human endurance?

Meet the athletes pushing against the limits of human endurance

• 33 mins

Are there downsides to deep cleaning?

Could overzealous hygiene routines damage our immune system or promote superbugs?

• 33 mins

Will giving up alcohol improve my sperm count?

Investigating how lifestyle can affect male fertility

• 35 mins

Can being happy help me fight infection?

Can happiness boost immunity?

• 39 mins

Can I improve my sense of direction?

Why do some people navigate with ease whilst others struggle to find their way?

• 39 mins

Can we build houses from living trees?

Treehouses are magical but are they viable dwellings for modern living?

• 32 mins

Why do men rule the world?

Listener Paula from Kenya wants to know why men rule the world

• 37 mins

Why does it feel so good to swear?

How swearing relieves pain and helps us bond with others

• 33 mins

How does my mind talk to my body?

The nerve connecting mind and body

• 39 mins

Can space exploration be environmentally friendly?

Are the space junk and carbon footprint issues of extra-terrestrial endeavours solvable?

• 39 mins

Do animals use medicine?

Find out how animals cure their illnesses

• 30 mins

If a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound?

If a tree falls in a forest, and there’s no-one there to hear it, does it make a sound?

• 39 mins

Why do we gossip?

Are we hardwired to seek out salacious stories and can we harness gossip for good?

• 37 mins

Why does grief leave me feeling this way?

Grief can be crippling. Why have we evolved to be so affected by loss?

• 36 mins

What can we learn from wastewater?

Sewage testing could help stop the spread of disease

• 37 mins

Why are seeds such different sizes?

Why are seeds the size they are? Does their size affect how big the plant grows?

• 34 mins

Why is learning stuff harder as you get older?

Why as children we effortlessly absorb new skills but as adults we don’t

• 35 mins