Curious questions from around the world
World Service,Β·43 episodes
Why are British Conservatives called Tories? Is there any real evidence of alien life?
What is the origin of "sixes and sevens"? Why do Australians call British people "poms"?
Where do pounds come from? How much is a billion? Why don't birds collide?
Do left handed pianos exist? Who were the first diplomats?
How do ships use lights for navigation? Has the Turin Shroud been accurately dated?
What became of the "doomsday comet"? What is the life cycle of the bumble bee?
Can anything travel faster than light? Does water divining work?
Can genetic coding cure short-sightedness? Do boomerangs really come back?
What is a five pound note worth? Could antisense gene therapy cure cancer?
Is Aids a disease or a syndrome? Why is the Houses of Parliament's clock called Big Ben?
What are the long term effects of coffee? Why was the Irish potato famine so deadly?
What happened to George Bernard Shaw's bequest to promote the reform of English spelling?
Can physicists explain electrical storms? Why are mosquitoes increasing in numbers?
Was there anything before the Big Bang?
How did Romans do maths with their numerical system?
Why are counter staff in banks called tellers? What is sudden adult death syndrome?
What causes the weather phenomenon called El Nino?
Is it possible to develop lung cancer from passive smoking?
Why does everything in space rotate on its own axis?
What happened to the head of the Aboriginal warrior Yagan?
Are crop circles magical, meteorological, or man-made?
Has another planet been found in our solar system? What makes a proper poem?
Do ships really disappear in the Bermuda Triangle?
Do mosquitoes have an ecological purpose? Did ancient Egyptians brew beer?
Does eating grapefruit shrink your stomach? What language did Jesus speak?
What is the origin of the US dollar symbol?
What is the best way to clear landmines? How accurate was Mayan astronomy?
Why does lightning sometimes look green? Why don't insects drown when it rains?
Why and when did humans start shaking hands? Do humans only use 10% of their brains?
Why does Britain compete as one team in the Olympics but as four teams in the World Cup?
