197 episodes

Brian Cox and Robin Ince host a witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists' eyes.

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    • Science
    • 5.0 • 44 Ratings

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Brian Cox and Robin Ince host a witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists' eyes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    Higgs Boson

    Higgs Boson

    Brian Cox and Robin Ince visit CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva in search of the Higgs boson. Joining them on their particular quest is comedian Katy Brand, actor Ben Miller and physicists Tevong You and Clara Nellist. They find out which particle is the one you’d most want to spend time with at a party, how cosmology is inspiring experiments in the collider and why the Higgs Boson - known as the 'god' particle' - is of so much interest to science.

    Producer: Melanie Brown
    Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

    Cats v Dogs

    Cats v Dogs

    Brian Cox and Robin Ince sniff and paw their way through the evidence to put to rest the age-old debate of whether cats are better than dogs. They’re joined by TV dragon and dog devotee Deborah Meaden, comedian and cat compadre David Baddiel, evolutionary scientist Ben Garrod and veterinarian Jess French. They learn how the domestication of our four-legged companions by humans has had a profound impact on their physiology, temperament and methods of communication. They debate which species is the most intelligent and skilled and try to lay to rest the most important question of all – which one really loves you?
    Producer: Melanie Brown
    Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

    • 42 min
    Poison

    Poison

    Brian Cox and Robin Ince delve into the murky world of historical poisonings. Joining them to add their drops of killer insight are comedian Hugh Dennis, chemist Andrea Sella and Agatha Christie aficionado and former chemist Kathryn Harkup. They find out just how easy poison was to get your hands on and how people literally got away with murder until chemists developed tests for substances like arsenic. Bottles of deadly substances are passed around our expert panel with some trepidation and we learn how seemingly innocuous garden plants can be deadly in the wrong hands.
    Producer: Melanie Brown
    Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

    • 42 min
    Asteroids

    Asteroids

    Brian Cox and Robin Ince journey through the asteroid belt to discuss space rocks with Dr Who companion John Bishop, professor of planetary science Sara Russell and astrophysicist Alan Fitzsimmons. They learn that these seemingly innocuous rubble like rocks can hold secrets to the formation of the solar system but just don’t jump on one – you may shoot straight through it! They find out about the latest space missions that are trying to bump into or grab bits of asteroids and how these technological feats are helping to avoid the end of life on earth as we know it.
    Producer: Melanie Brown
    Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

    • 42 min
    Could it be magic?

    Could it be magic?

    Brian Cox and Robin Ince pull scientific explanations out of a hat and go down the rabbit hole to explore the science of magic with comedian Alan Davies, sleight of hand artist Laura London and two experts in the psychology of magic Richard Wiseman and Gustav Kuhn. They ask what our predilection to be bamboozled by sleight of hand can tell us about how our minds work. Alan has a card trick played on him and we learn how our choices aren’t always what we think they are.
    Producer: Melanie Brown
    Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

    • 42 min
    Egyptian Mummies

    Egyptian Mummies

    Brian Cox and Robin Ince peel back the layers to explore mummification and the science of Ancient Egypt. They are joined by comedians Russel Kane, Lucy Porter and bio-medical Egyptologists Rosalie David and Lidija McKnight from the University of Manchester, as they learn about the scientific techniques that are helping to uncover the lives of Ancient Egyptians, including that of a woman who died running away from an axe murderer. They find out that much of modern western medicine was built on the Ancient Egyptians sophisticated pharmacology, though they should probably avoid the treatment for migraines which involves being slapped in the head by a fish.
    Producer: Melanie Brown
    Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

    • 42 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
44 Ratings

44 Ratings

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