logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
22m 8s

The Infinite Monkey's Guide To… Tiny Thi...

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Brian Cox and Robin Ince shuffle through the archive to find the smallest things in the world of science, from a particle so tiny nobody has ever actually seen it, to the millions of microbes we’re all made up of. They ask the short-of-stature comedian Andy Hamilton how he’d feel about being three times bigger, which he admits could come in handy if he ever met a mammoth, leading to an unexpected discussion about a potential new TV gameshow format. Entomologist Erica McAlister is back to tell the team about her favourite fly, which can burrow into a human head to lay its eggs, and we learn about a project to make ants glow in the dark using nano-gold which went a little bit wrong.

New episodes will be released on Wednesdays. If you’re in the UK, listen to the full series on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF

Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Episodes featured: Series 16: What particles remain to be discovered? Series 19: Microbes: Secret rulers of the world? Series 6: Does size matter? Series 23: In praise of flies Series 24: Astronauts

Up next
Aug 20
Illuminating Light - Jess Wade, Russell Foster and Bridget Christie
What is light? How has it shaped our understanding of the universe, our biology, and even our culture? In this illuminating episode Brian Cox and Robin Ince shine a spotlight on the fascinating science and history of light. From sun and circadian rhythms to the dazzling complexit ... Show More
42m 23s
Aug 13
Moths v Butterflies - Katy Brand, Jane Hill and Chris Jiggins
What really separates a moth from a butterfly? Is it just a matter of day and night, or is there more to this fluttering feud than meets the eye? Professor Brian Cox and Robin Ince flap into the fabulous world of Lepidoptera with Professor Jane Hill, Professor Chris Jiggins, and ... Show More
42m 8s
Aug 6
Technofossils - Sarah Gabbott, Mark Miodownik and Aurie Styla
Brian Cox and Robin Ince dig deep into the strata of an imagined human history to unearth the curious concept of technofossils. Joined by paleobiologist Sarah Gabbott, material scientist Mark Miodownik and comedian and tech enthusiast Aurie Styla the panel unearth how the everyda ... Show More
42m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Cosmology (THE UNIVERSE) Part 1 Encore with Katie Mack
Stars. Black holes. THE GAWDANG UNIVERSE. Astrophysicist and cosmologist Dr. Katie Mack (@astrokatie) re-introduces us to this 2017 episode along with some bonus updates on astrophysics, her career, and the book she’s published since we last heard from her. Katie also tells us he ... Show More
1h 33m
Sep 2020
What If the Universe is Bouncing? - Guest: Anna Ijjas
It's easy to forget that long standing scientific theories are in fact, theories and therefore are subject to revision and change as new information comes to light or we develop new ways to understand our Universe. The current accepted theory on the creation of our Universe is, o ... Show More
32m 9s
Dec 2021
The building blocks of the universe
Most of the matter in the universe is dark matter, an invisible, untouchable, mysterious substance. Scientists don’t know what exactly dark matter is, despite decades of searching. But recently, they got a new clue in the form of an extremely tiny dancer.This episode is a remix o ... Show More
54m 54s
Feb 2023
Scotohylology (DARK MATTER) with Flip Tanedo
It’s invisible. It’s mysterious. It’s all around us – and no one knows what it is. Let’s have a fun existential crisis by pondering Dark Matter! The world’s most affable and endearing theoretical particle physicist, Dr. Flip Tanedo of UC Riverside, makes the Large Hadron Collider ... Show More
1h 16m
Sep 2023
Cosmology (THE UNIVERSE) Part 2 Encore with Katie Mack
Dr. Mack returns with a new introduction and updates on… listener questions! The universe, dimensions, asteroid bags and cosmic vertigo with the amazing Astro Katie, AKA Dr. Katie Mack. Part 1 was a primer on all things cosmological, from particle physics to black holes, so liste ... Show More
38m 54s
May 2023
The Physics Behind The Perfect Gummy Candy
This week for our science news roundup, superstar host of All Things Considered Ari Shapiro joins Short Wave hosts Emily Kwong and Regina G. Barber to discuss the joy and wonder found in all types of structures. The big. The small. The delicious. We ask if diapers can be repurpos ... Show More
9m 17s
Jun 2023
New Star Trek Season, Same Ol' Sci-Fi
Season 2 of the critically acclaimed Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered June 15 (streaming on Paramount+). So today, Short Wave Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber chats with two Trekkie physicists about the science powering the show and why they love the franchise. Astr ... Show More
14m 42s
Jun 2022
Dipterology (FLIES) with Bryan Lessard
DO NOT YOU SKIP THIS ONE. Listen. Give flies a chance. Everyone loves a bee, but meanwhile flies are out here with all kinds of bodies and adaptations, inhabiting the least inhabitable lands, pollinating your future lunch, shimmering in rainbows, having lifelong love affairs, and ... Show More
1h 12m
Oct 2020
What If Matter Was Replaced by Antimatter? - with Liz Landau
Have you ever wondered if there are parallel universes? Earlier this year, a NASA study suggested there might be another universe where time goes backwards. Could that be a universe made of antimatter? Why did matter win over antimatter after the Big Bang? If there is an antimatt ... Show More
34m 31s
Aug 2022
52 - The Large Hadron Collider and All Its Glory
We pick up last episode's theme of particle colliders and dive into the most exciting one running today - the LHC. What is it, how does it work, and what new physics can it still reveal?For ad-free episodes and other exclusives, join us for $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon. ... Show More
28m 7s