Unexpected Elements Podcast
The news you know, the science you don鈥檛. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe. From Afronauts, to why we argue, to a deep dive on animal lifespans: see the world in a new way.
Episodes to download
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A year with Covid -19
Boxing Day 2020
Looking back on how the virus emerged and the scientific response
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Covid -19 鈥� Mutations are normal
Sat 19 Dec 2020
Viral mutations happen all the time but we still need to be wary of their impact.
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The unchecked spread of Covid-19 in Manaus
Sat 12 Dec 2020
Around three-quarters of the city鈥檚 population are thought to have been infected
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Freak weather getting even freakier
Sat 5 Dec 2020
This year has seen record-breaking Atlantic hurricanes, and now an Australian heatwave
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Vaccines 鈥� the Covid confusion
Sat 28 Nov 2020
The problems with incomplete or contradictory trial data published by press release.
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Covid- 19 鈥� Good news on immunity
Sat 21 Nov 2020
Immunity to the virus may last longer than previously thought
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Covid-19 defeats US Marines
Sat 14 Nov 2020
The virus spread amongst recruits despite a range of thorough precautions
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Coronavirus spreads from mink to humans
Sat 7 Nov 2020
What does transmission of coronavirus from mink to humans mean for the future vaccine?
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Covid -19 mortality
Sat 17 Oct 2020
Why is there such a range in the number of deaths from Covid -19 between countries?
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Do Covid鈥�19 mutations matter?
Sat 10 Oct 2020
Results from the most detailed investigation to date into mutations in the Covid-19 virus
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Are children the biggest Covid-19 spreaders?
Sat 3 Oct 2020
Are children are spreading the virus more than any other group
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Why Covid -19 vaccines may not stop transmission
Sat 26 Sep 2020
They're only designed to prevent disease developing, none have been tested against spread
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Malaria resistance breakthrough
Sat 19 Sep 2020
Discovered in East Africa, the finding holds promise for completely new treatments.
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Covid -19 science versus politics
Sat 12 Sep 2020
Are the politicians finally coming round to the scientist鈥檚 views on the way forward?
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Nyiragongo - is Goma under threat?
Sat 5 Sep 2020
More than 2 million people live around this volcano, which has become more active
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Covid-19 Therapy Controversy
Sat 29 Aug 2020
Is convalescent plasma really a 鈥榯remendous鈥� treatment for Covid-19?
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Putin鈥檚 Covid-19 vaccine
Sat 15 Aug 2020
Despite widespread alarm, Russia is not about to roll out an untested vaccine.
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Counting the heat health threat from climate change
Sat 8 Aug 2020
Future heat death toll; infections we catch from wildlife;
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NASA rover heads for Mars ancient lake
Sat 1 Aug 2020
NASA 2020 rover launched on fresh search for life on Mars
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Making a Covid-19 vaccine for two billion people
Sat 25 Jul 2020
The challenge of making two billion Covid-19 vaccine doses within the year.
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How long do Covid-19 antibodies last?
Sat 18 Jul 2020
New research on how long our defences against the coronavirus last.
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Rwanda鈥檚 game changing coronavirus test
Sat 11 Jul 2020
African scientists have developed a reliable, quicker and cheaper mass testing method
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Record high temperatures 鈥� in the Arctic
Sat 27 Jun 2020
Siberia has seen 38 degrees Celsius, 100 degrees Fahrenheit
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Covid -19 hope for severe cases
Sat 20 Jun 2020
A readily available drug prevents some deaths, and others may also be useful
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Food security, locusts and Covid -19
Sat 13 Jun 2020
Efforts to irradiate locust swarms and save harvests continue despite the pandemic
