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Curious Cases
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BBC Radio 4
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain tackle listeners' conundrums with the power of science!
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain tackle listeners' conundrums with the power of science!
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Progress
Duration
Release Date
13. 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
04 Jan 2025
29 MINS
29:51
04 Jan 2025
12. 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
28 Dec 2024
30 MINS
30:21
28 Dec 2024
11. 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
21 Dec 2024
28 MINS
28:21
21 Dec 2024
10. 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
14 Dec 2024
28 MINS
28:39
14 Dec 2024
9. 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
07 Dec 2024
29 MINS
29:56
07 Dec 2024
8. 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 Perry: Sports psychologist
Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production
30 Nov 2024
29 MINS
29:56
30 Nov 2024
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
23 Nov 2024
28 MINS
28:47
23 Nov 2024
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
16 Nov 2024
28 MINS
28:35
16 Nov 2024
5. The Taste of Words
11 year old Esther visualises days of the week in a kind of 3D structure. It’s something called ‘synaesthesia’ and she wants to know why it happens - and why other people don’t experience things the way she does.
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain explore the vibrant and varied ways different people experience the world, from the man who tastes individual words - including all the stops of the tube - to the composer who sees music in shapes and colours.
And along the way, they figure out why Mozart is white wine while Beethoven is red.
Contributors:
Professor Julia Simner: Professor of Psychology,University of Sussex Professor Jamie Ward: Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Sussex James Wannerton, President of UK Synaesthesia Association CoriAnder: electronic music producer
Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production
09 Nov 2024
29 MINS
29:55
09 Nov 2024
4. In the Groove
It’s sometimes said that timing is everything and this week the pair investigate the mystery of rhythm, discovering why some of us might be better at staying in tempo.
From the daily cycle of dawn and dusk to sea tides and circadian clocks, rhythm governs many aspects of our lives, and cognitive psychologist Dr Maria Witek says it makes sense we also place great importance on its presence in music. She specialises in ‘groove’, or the feeling of pleasure associated with moving to a beat – and it’s not just something the dancers among us enjoy; groove has even been used to treat patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
Neuroscientist Professor Nina Kraus has studied drummers’ brains and found their neurons fire with more precision. She explains that teaching kids rhythm can improve their language and social skills. But no need to take her word for it, because Skunk Anansie’s drummer Mark Richardson is in the studio to put Hannah to the test. Can she handle a high hat at the same time as a snare?
Contributors: Dr Maria Witek, University of Birmingham Professor Nina Kraus, Northwestern University Mark Richardson, drummer with Skunk Anansie
Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production
02 Nov 2024
30 MINS
30:44
02 Nov 2024