logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
27m 25s

Uncharted: The returning soldier

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Hannah Fry explores two tales of data and discovery.

In a few specific years across the 20th Century, the proportion of boys born, mysteriously spiked. We follow one researcher’s obsessive quest to find out why.

And next, a tale of science and skulduggery. Michael Mann was a respected climate scientist, unknown outside of a small academic circle, until he produced a graph that shocked the world and changed his life forever.

Producer: Ilan Goodman

Up next
Jul 7
Tooth and Claw: Killer Whales
Investigating the black-and-white apex predator of the sea – the killer whale! Able to predate even great white sharks, this marine mammal is the largest member of the dolphin family. From tropical seas, to the Arctic and Antarctic, killer whales (or orcas) are found across the w ... Show More
26m 28s
Jun 30
The Life Scientific - Tim Peake
What's it like living underwater for two weeks? What's the trickiest part of training to be an astronaut? What are the most memorable sights you see from space? Several extreme questions, all of which can be answered by one man: Major Tim Peake. After a childhood packed with outd ... Show More
26m 29s
Jun 3
How does heat affect our health?
What effect will warming temperatures have on health? One place to look for answers is Bulgaria. In the summer of 2023, Bulgaria experienced numerous heatwaves, leading to the country experiencing one of the highest rates of heat mortality in Europe. But how are these numbers cal ... Show More
49m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2022
Robin Ince and the joy of popular-science books
Long-term listeners will know that the December episode of Physics World Stories is a celebration of the year’s best popular-science writing. This year, Andrew Glester is joined by comedian and writer Robin Ince, author of the recent book The Importance of Being Interested: Adven ... Show More
26m 32s
Dec 2023
Titans of Science: Chris Hadfield
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.In today’s programme: Nausea in pregnancy, scientists have solved why it happens and what we can do about it. Also, COP28 is over, but what was actually achieved And what scien ... Show More
52m 45s
Oct 2022
Nobel Prize 2022: The science behind the winners
For the scientific community, the Nobel Prize announcements are an important part of the yearly science calendar. The award is one of the most widely celebrated and gives us a moment to reflect on some of the leading scientific work taking place around the world. This year’s winn ... Show More
57m 18s
Oct 2022
Nobel Prize 2022: The science behind the winners
For the scientific community, the Nobel Prize announcements are an important part of the yearly science calendar. The award is one of the most widely celebrated and gives us a moment to reflect on some of the leading scientific work taking place around the world. This year’s winn ... Show More
30m 19s
Dec 2016
Neil de Grasse Tyson on Pluto
The US science superstar, Neil de Grasse Tyson grew up in the Bronx, and studied astrophysics at Harvard, Columbia and Princeton Universities before becoming director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. But he's best known for his TV and movie appearances, his books, podc ... Show More
27m 55s
Sep 2019
Oceans, ice and climate change; Neolithic baby bottles; Caroline Criado-Perez wins RS Book Prize
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's special report on the oceans and cryosphere makes pretty grim reading on the state of our seas and icy places. Ocean temperatures are rising, permafrost and sea ice are melting, sea levels are rising and marine life is either moving ... Show More
35m 17s
Dec 2019
Ten years of Zooniverse; what happened to volcano Anak Krakatau and visualising maths
Adam Rutherford talks to Chris Lintott about the citizen science platform he set up ten years ago. Zooniverse is a place where the public can help scientists analyse huge swathes of data. Projects such as spotting distant galaxies, counting penguins and tagging WW2 diaries have a ... Show More
30m 17s
Jul 2022
Inside Sentience
Marnie Chesterton and guests mull over the saga of an AI engineer who believes his chatbot is sentient. Also, climate scientists propose a major leap in earth system modelling, that might cost £250m a year but would bring our predictive power from 100 km to 1km. And the story of ... Show More
28m 10s
Jan 2024
12 days of Christmas - science version
Marnie Chesterton & Victoria Gill embark on a science-themed version of the classic Christmas song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ in this festive edition of BBC Inside Science. Twelve of the biggest moments of the year in science include discussion about a very special treefrog disco ... Show More
28m 20s
Jun 2010
Popular Science
Physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince return for a new series of Radio 4's witty, irreverent and unashamedly rational look at the world according to science. In a special programme recorded as part of this year's Cheltenham Science Festival, Brian and Robin are joined by sp ... Show More
28m 5s