Unexpected Elements podcast

Unexpected Elements

The news you know, the science you don’t. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe. From Afronauts, to why we argue, to a deep dive on animal lifespans: see the world in a new way.

The news you know, the science you don’t. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe. From Afronauts, to why we argue, to a deep dive on animal lifespans: see the world in a new way.

 

#331

Anyone for chips?

The spiralling cost and short supply of microchips – something the tech journalists have d... more

19 Jun 2026

49 MINS

49:30

19 Jun 2026


#330

The beautiful game

As the Fifa Men’s World Cup kicks off this week in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, ... more

12 Jun 2026

49 MINS

49:30

12 Jun 2026


#329

Science bears fruit

Long live the king – of mangoes! In India the famed ‘king of mangoes’, the Alphonso mango,... more

05 Jun 2026

51 MINS

51:37

05 Jun 2026


#328

Celebrating science on Africa Day

How do you translate the latest science work across the 2000 different languages spoken ar... more

29 May 2026

49 MINS

49:30

29 May 2026


#327

Unexpected enhancements

Have you ever wondered what happen to salmon when too much cocaine seeps into their rivers... more

22 May 2026

49 MINS

49:30

22 May 2026


#326

Hantavirus outbreak and what’s in a name

An outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship has us looking at the unexpected s... more

15 May 2026

49 MINS

49:30

15 May 2026


#325

One hundred years of Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough is arguably the world’s favourite broadcaster, and this week he’s b... more

08 May 2026

49 MINS

49:30

08 May 2026


#324

The soaring price of condoms

The blockade on the strait of Hormuz has led to an unexpected consequence – condom prices ... more

01 May 2026

49 MINS

49:32

01 May 2026


#323

Chernobyl: 40 years later

On 26th April 1986, Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine exploded, re... more

24 Apr 2026

49 MINS

49:30

24 Apr 2026


#322

The ribbiting science of frogs

In 2025, Russian-born scientist Kseniia Petrova picked up some spliced frog embryos from a... more

17 Apr 2026

49 MINS

49:31

17 Apr 2026


#321

Is everyone accounted for?

This month, India began the immense undertaking of surveying its population of 1.4 billion... more

10 Apr 2026

49 MINS

49:30

10 Apr 2026