logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
49m 31s

Going home

Bbc World Service
About this episode

This week we’re looking at a political agreement that will hand back sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. In the 1970s, the UK removed the entire Chagossian population to make way for a US military base. The islanders have been fighting for their right to return ever since. If deal can be agreed, the islanders are hoping they will have the chance to go home.

And this got us thinking about all things home-related.

First up, we discover the intriguing reasons why you can’t smell your own home, then we take a closer look at our homes and all the creatures that live there, before finding out about the ‘home scars’ created by limpets.

Next we hear from Dr Nadescha Zwerschke, a scientist who spent time on Rothera research station in Antarctica. She reveals how she made this isolated outpost feel like home.

Also, we reveal that global talks to agree a reduction in plastics have collapsed, which could have an impact on all our homes from a pollution perspective.

And finally – a type of pasta that would be no good for your homecooked recipes.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Tristan Ahtone and Godfred Boafo Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Harrison Lewis and William Hornbrook Sound engineer: Gavin Wong

Up next
Aug 28
A very dry episode
Vast swathes of Europe and Asia are experiencing drought conditions, thanks to relentless heatwaves and lack of rain. This week, we find out why drought conditions could unexpectedly lead to an increase in water-borne disease. Next up, we take a trip to Lake Malawi to discover wh ... Show More
49m 30s
Aug 21
Fashionably late
News of an Australian library book finally finding its way home 150 years after it was borrowed has the Unexpected Elements team thinking about things that get forgotten, filed away or simply turn up much later than expected.We start with the story of a meteorite from Mars that s ... Show More
49m 31s
Aug 14
Light entertainment
As Europe experiences its first total solar eclipse in almost 30 years this week, Unexpected Elements investigates the surprising science that emerges when sunlight is blocked out. We travel to the forests of Italy, where we investigate whether trees can communicate their eclipse ... Show More
49m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2022
Return of the Chagos Islanders
When a boat carrying a group of Chagos Islanders landed on their homeland this week, it represented return after half a century of exile. The Islands were once part of British-run Mauritius, and in 1972, Britain removed the inhabitants, so it could hand one of the islands over to ... Show More
28m 36s
Feb 2025
230. Britain’s Last Colony: Trump, Brexit, and Russia-Ukraine (Ep 2)
The future of the Chagos Islands hangs in the balance as world leaders debate how really owns the islands and who should be allowed to live there. Since the 1970s, the evicted Chagossian people have been using legal channels to fight their expulsion from their Indian Ocean homes, ... Show More
38m 40s
Mar 2022
Episode 9: My Little Secret
Getting out and going home. Survivors recount what it was like to go home and whether getting "back to normal" will be possible.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
25m 1s
Jul 2025
Intermediate | Fog or Smog?
In today's ChinesePod lesson we're headed back to our hometown. Lots of things have changed, some of them good and some of them not. Learn all about talking about the past in this reflective podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1408 
16m 36s
Jul 2019
Awaiting a Public Pardon
In this episode of ‘Mal Amal' we're listening to the stories of domestic workers currently living in shelters. They're waiting for their rights to be reinstated so they can fulfil their sole aim of to returning home to their country and family.This episode is supported by the Hei ... Show More
11m 3s
Mar 2020
Destiny
Part VII: People try to come home. But does home want them anymore? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
30m 16s
Dec 2022
Climate science and politics
As the COP27 environment summit draws to a close we look at some of the issues still to be resolved. BBC Environment correspondents Victoria Gill and Georgina Rannard join us from the meeting. And we head to the houses of parliament in the company of a group of teenagers who are ... Show More
27m 47s
Aug 2024
Home At Last
First: The nightmare is finally over for three Americans now back on US soil after the biggest prisoner exchange since the Cold War. We have new details on the painstaking negotiations that led to this historic agreement.  Plus: Top vice presidential hopefuls are canceling their ... Show More
40m 23s