Why do we itch?
Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe
CrowdScience gets a lot of questions about a lot of subjects, but sometimes there are questions that keep coming up again and again, with listeners all around the world asking similar things. This week we’re going to scratch one of those itches…. what is itching?
So: why do we itch? What’s the point? Is it physical or psychological, and what’s going on in the body and the brain when we feel itchy?
With the help of a dermatologist and a neuroscientist, presenter Anand Jagatia attempts to get to the bottom of something that affects us all – those tingly scratchy feelings that make you want to scratch yourself.
We’ll also be finding out whether scratching an itch is helpful, discovering some of the things that can cause an itch and wondering whether we can prevent them in the first place.
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- Fri 15 May 2026 19:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service
- Mon 18 May 2026 01:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service except Americas and the Caribbean
- Mon 18 May 2026 04:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia & East Asia only
- Mon 18 May 2026 08:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service
- Mon 18 May 2026 12:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service Australasia, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa only
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CrowdScience
Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe