logo
episode-header-image
Oct 23
28m 26s

Yawn Chorus

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

We often associate yawning with being tired or bored - but this week's episode explores whether it could be a clever way to cool down our brains?

Hannah and Dara discover humans aren't the only species that yawn. From cats to chimpanzees and even fish, plenty of other vertebrates engage in this ancient behaviour which scientists believe evolved hundreds of millions of years ago. And it doesn't always happen as a spontaneous reflex to feeling tired but can also be triggered by watching other people do it.

If you have an everyday mystery for the team to investigate, contact them on curiouscases@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Stephen Jackson - Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Nottingham Laura Kelley - Associate Professor in Behavioural Ecology at University of Exeter

Dr Andrew Gallup - Professor of Behavioral Biology at Johns Hopkins University

Producer: Lucy Taylor Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem A BBC Studios Production

Up next
Oct 16
Making Waves
What happens when you give water a really good shake? You might expect splashing, spilling and general aquatic chaos - but under exactly the right conditions, something much stranger can happen... In this episode, Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain dive into the world of 'Faraday waves ... Show More
28m 20s
Oct 9
Identical(ish)
Ever wondered how close nature can get to making a human clone? And what happens if identical twin brothers marry identical twin sisters and have babies - how similar are they? Our listener Chris has been pondering this very issue, and his question takes Hannah and Dara down anot ... Show More
28m 29s
Sep 29
Trailer
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain return for a new series, and a whole lot of new problems to solve! 
49s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Scary science
In the week where many celebrated Halloween we are wondering about that tingle down your spine, the dryness in your mouth, the racing pulse - might it actually be good for you? We also look into a special frequency of sound, just below our human hearing range, that might cause ra ... Show More
50m 16s
Oct 2023
8. In the Habit
What is the secret to ageing well? Humankind has been in search of an answer for millions of years. But one man believes he may have found the beginnings of an answer, and it’s hiding in a convent.Hannah Fry tells a tale of a single scatter graph which might reveal the key to lon ... Show More
14m 14s
Sep 2024
14. Whispers from the Cosmos
In a shabby brick hut in 1967, a young researcher spots a bizarre, pulsing signal: a cosmic whisper picked up a huge receiver she helped to build. Is it just mundane interference - or could it be alien life? Hannah Fry shares a tale of one woman’s journey through the male-dominat ... Show More
15m 31s
Mar 2024
Uncharted: The doctor will see you now
Hannah Fry explores two tales of data and discovery.Two couples are brought together by a tragedy and a tatty piece of paper, which reveals a serial murderer hiding in plain sight. And, across the world in Singapore, a metro system is misbehaving wildly. The rail engineers and co ... Show More
27m 25s
Oct 2012
Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board
<p>Ever reach out to the spirit world with an ouija board? Or stare into a dark mirror for Bloody Mary? Perhaps peer-assisted levitation was more your style. In this episode, Robert and Julie bust through the fantasy of these paranormal parlor tricks and examine the underlying sc ... Show More
32m 21s
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
Oct 2023
9. Access Denied
A young researcher gains access to a secretive data set and discovers something shocking. What happens when a system designed to help people harms them instead? Hannah Fry tells a tale about the mysterious realm of artificial intelligence.Episode Producers: Lauren Armstrong-Carte ... Show More
14m 10s
May 2024
Unexpected birthday party
It’s time for an unexpected celebration and we look to science for advice on clothes, cake and how presenter Marnie and panellists Christine and Candice can improve their singing. We also hear about the sleuths who have tracked down an animal that’s been presumed extinct for almo ... Show More
49m 29s
May 2018
Why Do We Dream?
Adventures in Dreamland "Why do we dream and why do we repeat dreams?" asks Mila O'Dea, aged 9, from Panama.Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford delve into the science of sleep. From a pioneering experiment on rapid eye movement sleep, to a brand new 'dream signature' found in the brai ... Show More
26m 48s
Jun 2022
Crumbs, squishing babies, bee deaths
Can our eyes change colour? What would happen if a planet disappeared from our solar system? Why don't we all have the same sense of taste? Dr Karl answers these questions and more, on triple j Mornings with Lucy Smith. 
39m 30s