logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
21m 50s

The Infinite Monkey’s Guide to... The Su...

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Brian Cox and Robin Ince trawl through the Monkey Cage back catalogue to reveal whether science and the supernatural can sit side by side. They hear how comedian Lucy Beaumont believes alien life has visited Hull, and challenge the physics and psychology of ghosts with Prof Richard Wiseman. Has our brain evolved to conjure up ghostly apparitions and demonic forces? Is there real science behind some of our most common paranormal experiences? And they unpick the practical difficulties for Santa delivering gifts, discovering that quantum physics could just make it possible.

New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you’re in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF

Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Up next
Oct 29
Ghosts - Isy Suttie, Laurence Rickard, Ciarán O'Keeffe and Chris French
Things that go bump in the night meet the cold light of science as Jessica Fostekew and Prof Adam Rutherford investigate why ghosts continue to haunt our imaginations. Joining them for some spooky science are psychologists Chris French and Ciaran O'Keeffe, comedian Isy Suttie and ... Show More
42m 58s
Oct 22
Nothing Really Matters - Hugh Dennis, Ria Lina, Harry Cliff and Yvette Fuentes
Jessica Fostekew and Adam Rutherford tackle one of the biggest and strangest questions in science: what is nothing? Starting with the earliest philosophers and journeying through to today's cutting-edge experiments, they ask whether true nothingness can ever exist.Joining them to ... Show More
42m 14s
Oct 15
The First Britons - Tim Minchin, Prof Chris Stringer and Dr Selina Brace
The Infinite Monkey Cage returns for a brand-new series, with Professor Adam Rutherford and comedian Jessica Fostekew swinging into the cage as guest presenters. In this first episode, they find out who were the very first people to land on the British Isles… if they even were Is ... Show More
42m 51s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2018
The Infinite Monkey Cage
A special edition of the science and comedy podcast hosted by Brian Cox and Robin Ince. 
18m 56s
Jul 2022
105: Our Experiences With Ghosts!
This week we're talking all things supernatural. Ghosts? Ufo's? ALIENS??? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
52m 49s
Oct 2023
The Pre Of Life
What are "Ghosts?" Are they real? If so, what are they made of? Watch as the guys try to solve the mysteries of the spiritual world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
57m 9s
Oct 2012
Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board
<p>Ever reach out to the spirit world with an ouija board? Or stare into a dark mirror for Bloody Mary? Perhaps peer-assisted levitation was more your style. In this episode, Robert and Julie bust through the fantasy of these paranormal parlor tricks and examine the underlying sc ... Show More
32m 21s
Aug 2024
Summer picks: the science of ‘weird shit’
The psychologist Chris French has spent decades studying paranormal claims and mysterious experiences, from seemingly impossible coincidences to paintings that purportedly predict the future. In this episode from April 2024, Ian Sample sits down with French to explore why so many ... Show More
18m 59s
May 2016
The Science of Coincidence
<p>What are we to make of coincidence? From the numerological cats cradles we weave around famous events to the curious ways human lives converge through time, coincidence seems to fly in the face of reason and even suggest the supernatural. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your ... Show More
50 m
Mar 2020
Science Shambles Tech Run
Welcome to a live QnA edition of our Science Shambles podcast. Please keep in mind that today is a tech run for the show so there may be a few little glitches here and there, bear with us! Science Shambles is hosted by comedian Robin Ince and physicist Dr Helen Czerski. Guests on ... Show More
1h 13m
Jan 2024
Cosmic Queries – Science Epiphany
<p>What would a wormhole actually look like? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice break down a grab bag of questions about nothingness, the nature of miracles, the role of AI in scientific discovery and more!</p><p>NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode ... Show More
52m 34s
Apr 2024
Spirit Mediums and Non Local Minds
tail spinning
53m 46s