Unexpected Elements Podcast
The news you know, the science you don鈥檛. 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.
Episodes to download
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How does biometric data work?
Friday
Europe鈥檚 new entry/exit system has us looking at the science behind biometric data.
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Why are gold prices so high?
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Record-high gold prices have us searching for science nuggets
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The strongest stuff in the Universe
Fri 10 Oct 2025
The Unexpected Elements team are flexing their muscles and tackling all things strong.
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Science inspired by Taylor Swift
Fri 3 Oct 2025
Taylor Swift鈥檚 new album The Life of a Showgirl inspires this week鈥檚 episode.
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Two-hundred years of trains
Fri 26 Sep 2025
The anniversary of the first passenger steam train has us examining the science of trains
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Pirate science ahoy!
Fri 19 Sep 2025
For International Talk Like a Pirate Day, we set anchor on some swashbuckling science.
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Some dam awesome science
Fri 12 Sep 2025
How do we decide when, where, and even whether to build dams?
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Punk rock science
Fri 5 Sep 2025
A new, spiky dinosaur has us riffing through all things punk, rock and metal.
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Where do beaches come from?
Fri 29 Aug 2025
With people visiting the seaside, we investigate bucketloads of beach-based science
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Mountains of overtourism
Fri 22 Aug 2025
As Nepal makes 97 non-Everest peaks free to climb, we look at the science of overtourism.
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Why do we follow trends?
Fri 15 Aug 2025
The fad for ugly-cute Labubu dolls has us playing around with the science of trends.
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Floods, mangroves and rampaging tractors
Fri 8 Aug 2025
This week, the team discusses the causes of floods and possible solutions.
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Traffic science
Fri 1 Aug 2025
A Shanghai robo-traffic-cop has the team contemplating the science of traffic.
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Trailer: 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle
Mon 28 Jul 2025
The epic space story of a sci-fi dream that changed spaceflight forever
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The science of ageing
Fri 25 Jul 2025
The world鈥檚 oldest president presents us with the chance to explore some ageing science.
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How dust affects the world
Fri 18 Jul 2025
A new report on the dangers of dust sends us storming off into dust-related science.
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Sharks, albatrosses, the Jaws theme and fishing
Fri 11 Jul 2025
Shark Awareness Day sends us on a deep dive into marine biology.
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Cargo ships, chemical spills and caribou
Fri 4 Jul 2025
The X-Press Pearl disaster takes us on a voyage through shipping-related science.
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A roarsome episode
Fri 27 Jun 2025
This week, a brand-new dinosaur sent us on a palaeontological stomp.
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Some really cool science
Fri 20 Jun 2025
This week, ice hockey鈥檚 Stanley Cup sent us skating into ice-related science
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Defuse and diffuse
Fri 13 Jun 2025
World War II bombs were defused in Cologne, Germany, so we鈥檙e exploring diffusion science
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Gaming-inspired science
Fri 6 Jun 2025
The Nintendo Switch 2 has sent us on a supersonic spin into gaming-related science
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Mission unexpectedly possible
Fri 30 May 2025
Turning lead into gold, talking to animals and time travel seem impossible but are they?
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Enduring it all
Fri 16 May 2025
We're looking at the science that helps you put one foot in front of the other.
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Ant antics
Fri 9 May 2025
A Kenyan court sentenced four men for ant smuggling, so we鈥檙e getting into ant antics!
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In memoriam
Fri 2 May 2025
The death of the Pope inspired Unexpected Elements to look at the science of loss
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An eggciting episode
Fri 18 Apr 2025
The Christian celebration of Easter got us thinking about egg-related science.
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Navigating northward
Fri 11 Apr 2025
The Northern lights have us wondering how to go north (and other unexpected directions).
