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.

 

#337

Down The Rabbit Hole

75 years ago, Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland hit our screens, welcoming us into a techn... more

Yesterday

49 MINS

49:30

Yesterday


#336

Bald caps, sparrow raps and lightning claps

If you were lucky enough to be at rapper Pitbull's recent concert in Hyde Park in London, ... more

24 Jul 2026

49 MINS

49:30

24 Jul 2026


#335

A scientific odyssey

As the film adaptation of the Odyssey bursts onto screens around the world this week, here... more

17 Jul 2026

50 MINS

50:00

17 Jul 2026


#334

Everyone needs a hero

A mysterious vigilante in Mexico nicknamed “Batman” has inspired the Unexpected Elements t... more

10 Jul 2026

49 MINS

49:30

10 Jul 2026


#333

Stuck in a cycle

Pakistan has recently announced that they plan to abolish the 18% sales tax on menstrual p... more

03 Jul 2026

49 MINS

49:30

03 Jul 2026


#332

Dividing lines

This week South Korea announced they will be adjusting the Civilian Controlled Zone that b... more

26 Jun 2026

49 MINS

49:29

26 Jun 2026


#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