The Silurian Hypothesis

In December 1900 three lighthouse keepers vanished without a trace from a deserted island in Scotland. To this day no one knows exactly what happened to them. Find out all about this strange situation in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Private equity is a business operation where companies are bought and run at their leanest to maximize returns for a handful of investors. It can be a lifeline for a flailing company or run it into the ground. Either way, PE firms make out like bandits.See omnystudio.com/listener ... Show More

Why aren't there lemurs in Africa? That question created a whole theory about a lost continent. Turns out it's not true.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

What if most of what we know about history is false? According to proponents of the Tartarian conspiracy, not too long ago Earth was home to an incredibly advanced civilization based in Eurasia, and extending around the world -- until a series of catastrophic mud floods and enemy ... Show More

There are over 7 billion people living on the earth right now. Tens of millions are born and die each year. Every single one of us leaves signs of our existence in the air, water, soil -- even space. But these signs won't last forever. Our buildings will be gone in a few hundred ... Show More

If an advanced civilization existed on earth several million years ago, would we actually be able to detect that they were here? It may sound like conspiracy theorist bait, but a serious and balanced look at the question reveals a lot about geology, climate and the search for ali ... Show More

Could human engineering stabilise the Earth's climate and chemistry in the long term? Tim Lenton of Exeter University explains why the Gaia hypothesis is the key to understanding the future of life on Earth. But what about life beyond Earth? Justin Rowlatt speaks to astronomer Li ... Show More

How do human civilization decide who owns what? It's a devilish, dangerous, and disturbing question absolutely riddled with conspiracy. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the concept of "terra nullius" -- the idea that, if you have the right flag and a solid army, y ... Show More

Among all the continents of Earth, Antarctica remains both the most inhospitable and the most mysterious. Today the only humans on the landmass are researchers and their support staff, charged with studying climate change, the local ecosystem and the unique creatures that call th ... Show More

For as long as humans have believed the Earth was round, there have been skeptics. But could Aristotle, Magellan, NASA and over 2,000 years of historical beliefs all be wrong? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

Fragments of a map from the 1500s sparked a theory that’s been going strong for decades. It holds that extraterrestrials have been visiting Earth for thousands of years, gifting humans with advanced tech far beyond our means. Today we investigate the mysteries that make aliens se ... Show More

Cultures around the world have myths that speak of a mysterious underground kingdom that exists deep within the earth, hidden away from the primitive and violent surface-dwellers: which is us. Picture a society untouched by time, unscathed by war, and unaffected by natural disast ... Show More