Curious Cases

BBC

5.0 (1)
SCIENCE
UPDATED WEEKLY

Ad-free listening to curious science mysteries

₸1 290,00/month or ₸12 990,00/year

Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain tackle listeners' conundrums with the power of science!

4 JAN • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

The Fastest Fly

The buzz of a fly hovering just above your head has got to be one of the most irritating sounds around, but this week we try to work out just how fast they could be flying. Could a claim horseflies reach speeds of up to 90 mph possibly be true, and Dara wants to know if this is what makes them so difficult to swat? Entomologist Erica McAlister is better known as the ‘fly lady’ and speaks up in defence of these tiny creatures, explaining there are 7,000 known species in the UK alone. Which makes it all the more shocking there are several that don’t have wings. For Professor Graham Taylor the question of speed comes down to a simple calculation, and the team try to work out whether a horsefly beats its wings fast enough relative to its size to travel so rapidly. He explains horseflies aren't clever, but scientists are interested in their simple brains and are studying them to use as models for drones and mini robots. Contributors: Dr Erica McAlister, Natural History Museum Professor Graham Taylor, Oxford University Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

29 min
28 DEC • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

Bored to Death

Anyone who has ever done a long car journey with kids will be familiar with the idea of being bored to death – but can this feeling really be fatal? Hannah and Dara hear about a club where members count roundabouts and collect milk bottle tops, but boredom expert Wijnand van Tilburg explains these dull-sounding hobbies might actually have mental health benefits. He explains that science and comedy are stereotypically both seen as exciting subjects but warns them their chat about Venn diagrams might tip the balance the other way. Mind-wandering specialist Mike Esterman reveals why we're rubbish at staying on task when there are more rewarding things to do, and sets the pair a challenge to play a computer game that distracts them with pictures of cute babies and fluffy animals. Contributors: Dr Wijnand van Tilburg: University of Essex Dr Mike Esterman: Boston Attention and Learning Lab Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

29 min
21 DEC • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

Freeze Me When I Die

When you die, would you want to be frozen so that one day you might be brought back to life? Listener Elspeth wants to know if that’s even possible. So Hannah and Dara embark on a quest to explore the chiling science of ‘cryobiology’: preserving living things at really low temperatures. It turns out there are already thousands of people alive who were once suspended in antifreeze and stored in liquid nitrogen - when they were just a small clump of cells! There’s even a frog which can turn into a ‘frogsicle’ for months on end. But re-animating full size humans is a challenge no one has solved…yet. Will some miraculous nanotechnology of a distant future solve the problem? Contributors: Professor João Pedro de Magalhães: University of Birmingham Hayley Campbell: Author and broadcaster Professor Joyce Harper: UCL Dr Hanane Hadj-Moussa: The Babraham Institute, Cambridge Garrett Smyth: Cryonics UK Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

27 min
14 DEC • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

Night Walkers

Wake up! It’s time for a dreamy new episode of Curious Cases all about the science of sleepwalking. Listener Abigail has done some strange things in her sleep, from taking all the pictures off the wall, to searching for Turkish language courses. And she wants to know: WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? It turns out Abigail is not alone. Hannah and Dara hear weird and wonderful stories of extreme sleepwalkers - from the lady who went on midnight motorbike excursions, to the artist who does all his best work while asleep. They delve into the neuroscience to find out how you can remain in deep sleep while walking, talking or even peeing in your mum's shopping basket. They learn about some cutting edge research where the participants were sleep deprived and then half-woken with scary sounds, and they zero in on the key triggers, from a boozy night out to a squeaky bed. Contributors Professor Russell Foster: University of Oxford. Professor Guy Leschziner: King’s College London and Guys’ and St Thomas’ hospital Lee Hadwin: the sleep artist Professor Francesca Siclari: The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

28 min
7 DEC • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

A lemon-powered spaceship

Fruit-powered batteries are the ultimate school science experiment, but they’re normally used to power a pocket calculator. This week’s listener wants to know if they could do more, and sends the team on a quest to discover whether they could used to send a rocket into space? Professor Saiful Islam is the Guinness World Record holder for the highest voltage from a fruit-based battery, but disappoints the team when he reveals they produce very little power. He used 3,000 of them and only managed a measly 2 Watts. Given that spaceships are famously difficult to get off the ground, it seems a lemon battery might just fail the acid test. Author Randall Munroe is undeterred and suggests alternative ways to get energy from citrus, including burying them to make oil. Then the team discuss the pros and cons of switching to a lemon-based diet. For battery expert Paul Shearing, all this raises a serious question, about how we will power the planes of the future. He suggests solar power could play a part in short-haul flights and discusses some of the exciting battery materials being tested today. Contributors: Randall Munroe, author Professor Paul Shearing, Oxford University Professor Saiful Islam, Oxford University Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

29 min
30 NOV • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

Be More Athlete

Are you more of a rhino or a kitten? More like a tortoise or a hare? Listener Ivy wants to know what makes a good athlete and so Hannah and Dara tackle the science of sport. Our curious duo get to grips with the rigours of training tailored for endurance events vs those based on more explosive bursts of activity. They consider the contribution of genetics, fast vs slow twitch muscle fibres, the unique advantage of Michael Phelps's body proportions and whether butterfly really is the most ridiculous stroke in swimming. And after a rigorous scientific analysis, Dara turns out to be ideally suited for…netball. Much to his surprise. Contributors Dr Polly McGuigan: University of Bath Dr Mitch Lomax: University of Portsmouth Professor Alun Williams: Manchester Metropolitan University Dr Josephine Williams: Sports psychologist Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

28 min
4 DAYS AGO

7. Invincible Moss Piglets

Listener Vivienne has heard that tardigrades - aka moss piglets - have special powers of survival. Radiation? Drought? Extreme cold? NO PROBLEM. Does that mean they could survive an apocalypse? And could they even help us master space travel!? Hannah and Dara learn how to find these little moss piggies in roof gutters and garden corners. And they're amazed by their capacity to dry out and hunker down for decades before springing back to life. But calamity strikes when it turns out that fine glass tubing - in the form of pipettes - is their natural predator. And worse is to come: our curious duo learn that there may be some tardigrades stuck on the moon, and one researcher has even fired them out of a gun. All in the name of science. But they have survived at least 5 mass extinctions so far. So their chances of surviving the next one are pretty good. As long as pipettes aren't involved. Contributors Dr James Frederick Fleming: Natural History Museum of Norway and the University of Oslo Dr Nadja Møbjerg: University of Copenhagen Dr Thomas Boothby: University of Wyoming Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

29 min
16 NOV

6. The Shock Factor

If there’s one type of discharge you really want to avoid, it’s lightning, but what happens when it hits you? We hear from lightning survivor Kerry Evans, and discover that the best place to shelter – if you ever find yourself in a similarly charged storm – is in a car, or low to the ground. And why this is never a good time to take a selfie. Dr Dan Mitchard from Cardiff University’s excitingly-named Lightning Lab explains why there's no lightning at the poles, and the presenters lament that polar bears and penguins are missing out. We all know about the gods of lightning, but the mysticism doesn't stop there. Above cloud level there are many other types of unusually-named phenomena, reaching to the edge of space, including sprites, trolls and even pixies. And Professor Karen Aplin reveals that lightning has even been discovered on other planets, in a science story that could affect our plans to colonise Mars. Contributors: Dr Daniel Mitchard, Lightning Laboratory, Cardiff University Professor Karen Aplin, University of Bristol Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

29 min

See All (153)

The day’s top stories from BBC News, including the latest on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, plus bringing you developments on US politics and the climate. Delivered twice a day on weekdays, daily at weekends.

4.4 (37)

DAILY NEWS
A weekly programme that illuminates the mysteries and challenges the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.

5.0 (1)

SCIENCE
Season 5: Finding Mr Fox. Investigating a plot to smuggle around a hundred million dollars’ worth of cocaine. Also: Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods. Women accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of rape. And: The Abercrombie Guys. Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. Delve into a World of Secrets: the global investigations podcast from the BBC. Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling. Latest season: Finding Mr Fox. Investigating a plot to smuggle around a hundred million dollars’ worth of drugs from Brazil to Europe and the miscarriage of justice that followed. But where is the man Brazilian police believe to be at the centre of it all? As the Rich Harvest yacht set off from Brazil to Europe, the sailors on board thought their transatlantic crossing would be the trip of a lifetime. When they stopped for repairs on the African tropical islands of Cape Verde, the lives of the Brazilian crew would be changed forever. Yemisi Adegoke and Colin Freeman retrace the boat’s journey along “Highway 10.” It's a true crime story of smuggling, scandal, narcotics, police raids and injustice, with one question at the centre of it all… where is Mr Fox? Previous seasons of World of Secrets: Season 4: Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods. Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed – then owner of Harrods, one of the most famous shops in the world – is accused of rape and attempted rape by women who worked for him. Now they refuse to be silenced any longer. Season 3: The Apartheid Killer. All the victims were black and the youngest was just 12 years old. Some relatives are still searching for the graves. They were killed during a three-year bloodbath in the 1980s, in the South African city of East London – by one person. He killed so many, he lost count. In piecing together this story, we expose the disturbed past and racial injustices of South Africa itself. Season 2: The Disciples. The cult of Nigerian prophet TB Joshua. A story of miracles, faith and manipulation, told by people from around the world, who gave up everything for one of the most powerful religious figures of the century. Lured by TB Joshua’s claimed healing powers, they live as disciples in a guarded Lagos compound, cut off from family and friends. Season 1: The Abercrombie Guys. An investigation into claims of sexual exploitation made against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. He and his British partner were accused by several men, recruited for sex events they hosted around the world. #WorldofSecrets

5.0 (1)

DOCUMENTARY
In the third season of her podcast, Dua Lipa: At Your Service, pop powerhouse Dua Lipa has candid, uplifting and insightful conversations with the people who inspire her most about topics like reinvention, sex and relationships, psychedelics, and more. Season Three will include conversations with internationally renowned artists, thought leaders and cultural icons. Season Three of At Your Service will also invite listeners to explore the vast landscape of human experiences, and celebrates the power in sharing stories and insights into the world around us. Following Season Three's premiere with Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg, Dua will welcome an extraordinary lineup of guests including BLACKPINK's Jennie Kim, renowned relationship expert Esther Perel, star of Netflix's You and podcaster Penn Badgley, drag icon Sasha Velour, and the incomparable Billie Eilish. New episodes of At Your Service will be released every Friday at 12pm UK time. The Dua Lipa: At Your Service podcast is the sweeping companion piece to Dua's Service95 newsletter, a global style, culture, and society editorial platform created to help the reader make sense of the world.

4.4 (22)

PERSONAL JOURNALS
Global perspectives on one big story. In-depth insights from the BBC, the world's most trusted international news provider. Make sense of the news with our experts around the world, every Monday to Friday. Episodes will be ready by 10:30 GMT. Host Katya Adler and our BBC teams guide you through one major global news story each episode. From Beijing to Boston, Baghdad to Bangalore, our unrivalled reach will take you beyond the headlines to help understand and explore what’s happening. The Global News Podcast brings you the latest updates and, on The Global Story, we will drill deep into a single story. From the climate emergency, to the burning questions around Artificial Intelligence, to the movements of money and markets, and the power of the ballot and the bullet. Katya Adler has been a BBC correspondent and editor for more than 25 years, covering conflicts in the Middle East, political and economic crises in Europe, and drug cartels in Mexico. The Global Story team would like to hear your stories and experiences on the issues that we’re covering on the podcast. Please get in touch: theglobalstory@bbc.com #TheGlobalStory and tell us your thoughts on what you would like us to talk about.

4.3 (3)

NEWS
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.

4.4 (5)

HISTORY