
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


It’s been 24 years since the release of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, which left audiences captivated by the story of Maximus the gladiator, played by Russell Crowe. Now, Gladiator II is hitting the cinemas, so this week we enter the arena to take a look at some gladiatorial science.
We hear about an angry little fish that fights off its rivals in mouth-to-mouth combat, we discover how humans have looked to nature to design better armour, and we find out about the perfume that Julius Caesar would have worn.
We also speak to Dr Chris Nowinski, a former WWE professional wrestler who's now a pioneering neuroscientist. He’s leading some research into how to prevent concussions in sport, and is co-founder of The Concussion Legacy Foundation.
That, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Christine Yohannes and Chhavi Sachdev
By BBC World Service4.5
336336 ratings
It’s been 24 years since the release of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, which left audiences captivated by the story of Maximus the gladiator, played by Russell Crowe. Now, Gladiator II is hitting the cinemas, so this week we enter the arena to take a look at some gladiatorial science.
We hear about an angry little fish that fights off its rivals in mouth-to-mouth combat, we discover how humans have looked to nature to design better armour, and we find out about the perfume that Julius Caesar would have worn.
We also speak to Dr Chris Nowinski, a former WWE professional wrestler who's now a pioneering neuroscientist. He’s leading some research into how to prevent concussions in sport, and is co-founder of The Concussion Legacy Foundation.
That, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Christine Yohannes and Chhavi Sachdev

7,639 Listeners

876 Listeners

1,046 Listeners

5,520 Listeners

1,799 Listeners

720 Listeners

1,763 Listeners

1,049 Listeners

1,920 Listeners

599 Listeners

766 Listeners

90 Listeners

965 Listeners

407 Listeners

410 Listeners

821 Listeners

757 Listeners

217 Listeners

331 Listeners

476 Listeners

3,177 Listeners

1,003 Listeners

720 Listeners

113 Listeners

1,002 Listeners