logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
50m 22s

Not so random acts of kindness

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Ahead of international Random Acts of Kindness Day, Marnie Chesterton and an invited panel look at some of the science behind nature’s better nature.

Are mother spiders in Africa behind the ultimate act of kindness? How are lightning and lava lamps involved in the quest for a truly random number? And the engineer trying to bring more compassion to the machines we use every day.

We also hear about the technology helping archaeologists discover lost worlds in South America, the maths that might benefit your love life, and Marnie receives her very own random act of kindness - a surprise trip to a lab to meet some of the most extraordinary creatures on the planet.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Andrada Fiscutean and Camilla Mota Producer: Dan Welsh, with Tom Bonnett, Katie Tomsett and Alex Mansfield

Up next
Jul 3
Stuck in a cycle
Pakistan has recently announced that they plan to abolish the 18% sales tax on menstrual products like pads or tampons. UN Women has welcomed the decision, saying that when these products become more affordable it means more girls and women stay in school and the workforce. For t ... Show More
49m 30s
Jun 26
Dividing lines
This week South Korea announced they will be adjusting the Civilian Controlled Zone that borders the demilitarised area between North and South Korea. The reshuffle will allow thousands of civilians to be able to move with more freedoms, but for the Unexpected Elements team, it’s ... Show More
49m 29s
Jun 19
Anyone for chips?
The spiralling cost and short supply of microchips – something the tech journalists have dubbed ‘RAMageddon’ – has the Unexpected Elements team investigating all things chip-related. We start things off by finding out about a mini cervix-on-a-chip and how this could help us bette ... Show More
49m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2021
The Kindness Test
When was the last time you did something really kind for someone or someone else did something really kind for you?In the Kindness Test Claudia Hammond and guests are looking at the place of kindness in today’s world, asking what it really means, what happens in our brains when w ... Show More
42m 10s
Mar 2022
The Anatomy of Kindness Results
Claudia Hammond and guests announce the results of the biggest ever public science project on Kindness. With over sixty thousand participants from across the world this unique work helps to fill some of the research gaps and learn more about how kindness is viewed within society ... Show More
56m 29s
Dec 2020
Do animals exercise?
<p>At Christmas, is there a better gift than knowledge? CrowdScience has cooked up its own version of 'secret Santa', with members of the team setting one another the challenge of answering surprising questions from all over the world. </p><p>Are humans the only animals to exerci ... Show More
37m 44s
Aug 2025
Radical Kindness
<p>Why do some people risk their own lives to help another person, or give away their fortunes for the benefit of strangers? This week, we talk with psychologist and neuroscientist <a href="https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014RYGZAA4/abigail-a-marsh">Abigail ... Show More
1h 4m
Oct 2015
Episode 5: Compassion
tail spinning
18m 14s
Jul 2022
Pure kindness
What can the latest research tell us about whether there is any such thing as pure kindness? Claudia Hammond meets a man who has done an exceptionally altruistic act for someone who was seriously ill. What prompts acts of kindness like this? Specialists from the fields of psychol ... Show More
26m 27s
Dec 2021
CrowdScience Christmas bonanza
<p>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens – CrowdScience has covered a lot this year. And what better way to see out 2021 than to look back at a few of our (and your!) favourite things? Great questions are right at the top of the team’s list – especially with the way that for ... Show More
31m 43s
Feb 2025
How selfish are we really? - Jo Brand, Matti Wilks and Steve Jones
Brian Cox and Robin Ince kindly open the door for each other as they step into understanding altruism, asking why humans have evolved to help each other. Joining them to explore the human tendency to be kind is evolutionary biologist Steve Jones, psychologist Matti Wilks and come ... Show More
42m 26s
Mar 2022
The Anatomy of Kindness
In the Anatomy of Kindness, a three part documentary series, broadcaster, author and psychologist Claudia Hammond interrogates what it means to be kind, who we are kind to and the benefits of being a kind boss.For the first of the three programmes Claudia examines our motivations ... Show More
28m 50s