Unexpected Elements

The news you know, the science you don’t.

World Service,333 episodes

Episodes

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A storm of science
Hurricane Melissa has us thinking about the science of storms
07 Nov 2025,49 mins
A science heist
The Louvre jewel theft has us inspecting heists and crime scenes in science.
31 Oct 2025,49 mins
How does biometric data work?
Europe’s new entry/exit system has us looking at the science behind biometric data.
24 Oct 2025,49 mins
Why are gold prices so high?
Record-high gold prices have us searching for science nuggets
17 Oct 2025,49 mins
The strongest stuff in the Universe
The Unexpected Elements team are flexing their muscles and tackling all things strong.
10 Oct 2025,49 mins
Science inspired by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl inspires this week’s episode.
03 Oct 2025,49 mins
Two-hundred years of trains
The anniversary of the first passenger steam train has us examining the science of trains
26 Sep 2025,49 mins
Pirate science ahoy!
For International Talk Like a Pirate Day, we set anchor on some swashbuckling science.
19 Sep 2025,49 mins
Some dam awesome science
How do we decide when, where, and even whether to build dams?
12 Sep 2025,49 mins
Punk rock science
A new, spiky dinosaur has us riffing through all things punk, rock and metal.
05 Sep 2025,49 mins
Where do beaches come from?
With people visiting the seaside, we investigate bucketloads of beach-based science
29 Aug 2025,49 mins
Mountains of overtourism
As Nepal makes 97 non-Everest peaks free to climb, we look at the science of overtourism.
22 Aug 2025,49 mins
Why do we follow trends?
The fad for ugly-cute Labubu dolls has us playing around with the science of trends.
15 Aug 2025,49 mins
Floods, mangroves and rampaging tractors
This week, the team discusses the causes of floods and possible solutions.
08 Aug 2025,49 mins
Traffic science
A Shanghai robo-traffic-cop has the team contemplating the science of traffic.
01 Aug 2025,49 mins
Trailer: 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle
The epic space story of a sci-fi dream that changed spaceflight forever
28 Jul 2025,3 mins
The science of ageing
The world’s oldest president presents us with the chance to explore some ageing science.
25 Jul 2025,49 mins
How dust affects the world
A new report on the dangers of dust sends us storming off into dust-related science.
18 Jul 2025,49 mins
Sharks, albatrosses, the Jaws theme and fishing
Shark Awareness Day sends us on a deep dive into marine biology.
11 Jul 2025,50 mins
Cargo ships, chemical spills and caribou
The X-Press Pearl disaster takes us on a voyage through shipping-related science.
04 Jul 2025,49 mins
A roarsome episode
This week, a brand-new dinosaur sent us on a palaeontological stomp.
27 Jun 2025,49 mins
Some really cool science
This week, ice hockey’s Stanley Cup sent us skating into ice-related science
20 Jun 2025,49 mins
Defuse and diffuse
World War II bombs were defused in Cologne, Germany, so we’re exploring diffusion science
13 Jun 2025,49 mins
Gaming-inspired science
The Nintendo Switch 2 has sent us on a supersonic spin into gaming-related science
06 Jun 2025,49 mins
Mission unexpectedly possible
Turning lead into gold, talking to animals and time travel seem impossible but are they?
30 May 2025,51 mins
Story time
The news you know, the science you don't
23 May 2025,50 mins
Enduring it all
We're looking at the science that helps you put one foot in front of the other.
16 May 2025,49 mins
Ant antics
A Kenyan court sentenced four men for ant smuggling, so we’re getting into ant antics!
09 May 2025,49 mins
In memoriam
The death of the Pope inspired Unexpected Elements to look at the science of loss
02 May 2025,49 mins
Kenya believe it?
The Unexpected Elements team visits Nairobi, Kenya.
25 Apr 2025,49 mins