Curious Cases

By BBC Radio 4Science

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Typical duration
29 min
per episode
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Curious Cases episodes

November 06 Too Cute
Why do we find the young of other species cute?
Finding baby humans adorable makes evolutionary sense, ensuring that we care for them properly. But what about babies of other species? Hannah and Dara go down a fluffy rabbithole of cuteness: pondering the science behind things that make us go 'ahhhh'; exploring the phenomenon of 'cute aggression'; and discovering there can be such a thing as cuteness overload.
We also discover what Dara would look like as an elf, and what happens when you make Hannah scientifically less cute. Brace yourselves...
If you have a scientific mystery for the team to investigate, contact them on [email protected].
Contributors:
Anthony Little – Reader in Psychology at the University of Bath
Daniel Mills – Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at the University of Lincoln
Chris Holliday – Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and Visual Cultures Education at King's College London
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
29 min
October 30 Tessellation Proliferation
We may think of tessellation as being about how to tile a flat plane but this week we reveal how repeating patterns actually occur all over the place, and can even help us solve some of nature's most complex problems.
The presenters start with the simple principal that for shapes to fill a space without leaving any gaps or overlapping, the angles in the corners have to add up to exactly 360° - which means squares, triangles and hexagons are all strong contenders. Then they try their hand at creating their own tiles, based on a technique referred to as the 'Escher' method.
If you have an everyday mystery for the team to investigate, contact them on [email protected].
Contributors:
Dr Katie Steckles
Prof Mark Miodownik
Dr Vince Gallo
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
29 min
October 23 Yawn Chorus
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 [email protected]
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
29 min
October 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': amazing geometric patterns that, in certain circumstances, will appear on the surface of a vibrating liquid. They discover how the renowned physicist Michael Faraday accidentally discovered this remarkable phenomenon in the 19th Century; debate whether they could ever occur in a swimming pool; and find out what on earth alligators have to do with it.
Along the way, the pair encounter eerie ‘square’ seas and learn about new ways satellites are helping us to understand the ocean’s wildest waves!
If you have an everyday mystery for the team to investigate, contact them on [email protected].
Contributors:
Cédric Beaume - Associate Professor in Applied Mathematics at the University of Leeds
Lucy Bricheno - Group Head of Coastal Ocean at Liverpool’s National Oceanography Centre
Glynn Holt - Former Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Boston University
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
29 min
October 09 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 another scientific rabbit hole.
Our intrepid duo consider how one fertilised egg can somehow become two babies, why those babies aren’t quite genetic photocopies, and why even identical twins gradually become more different as they grow up. They also find out how studying twins is helping scientists learn lessons about how all of us age - and explore the classic, movie-perpetuated mystery of “twin telepathy”… could there maybe, possibly, be something to it?!
There’s also just time to address the tricky issue of cloning. From Dolly the sheep to regenerative medicine, cloning science has paved the way for some serious breakthroughs; but could we ever clone a human? And more to the point, should we?
Expect sheep, sci-fi, identical cousins, and a dash of disproven twin mythology, as Curious Cases makes its return!
If you have an everyday mystery for the team to investigate, contact them on [email protected].
Contributors:
Xand van Tulleken - Doctor, broadcaster and Honorary Associate Professor of Infection and Population Health at University College London
Kevin Sinclair - Professor of Developmental Biology and Head of Animal Sciences at the University of Nottingham
Claire Steves - Principal Investigator at TwinsUK and Professor of Ageing and Health at King’s College London
Chris van Tulleken - Doctor, broadcaster and Professor of Infection and Global Health at University College London
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
29 min
September 29 Trailer
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain return for a new series, and a whole lot of new problems to solve!
1 min
January 02 Frosty Fractals
One winter morning, listener Jane opened her curtains to find her car roof covered in breathtaking, fern-like frost so intricate it looked like a William Morris print. But how does something as ordinary as ice create patterns so beautifully complex?
Hannah and Dara explore this crunchy, slippery, delicately patterned branch of chemistry to uncover the rules and mysteries that govern the extra-ordinary world of ice. Why does ice come in so many shapes and sizes? And does all ice form at 0 degrees Celsius? Is every snowflake truly unique? We have questions a plenty for our eager chemists, who, as all good chemists do, have a few demonstrations up their sleeves to help explain.
And we explore nature’s hidden geometry to find why these frost ferns follow the same rules as lightning bolts, river deltas and even human lungs.
You can send your everyday mysteries for the team to investigate to: [email protected]
Contributors
Sarah Hart – Professor Emerita of Mathematics, Birkbeck University of London
Christoph Salzmann – Professor of Physical and Materials Chemistry, UCL
Dr Thomas Whale – Lecturer, Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds
Producer: Emily Bird
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
30 min
December 31, 2025 Mining for Gold (GOLD!)
From pharaohs' tombs in Ancient Egypt and medieval currency, to priceless royal jewellery and Spandau Ballet songs - gold has been prized for millennia.
But it's only really in the last century or so that we've started uncovering its usefulness in less decorative applications.
Today, gold is used in masses of electricals; it's also revolutionised part of the manufacturing sector by stopping a dangerous reliance on mercury as a catalyst; and it's vital to space missions. Although there are also some more frivolous modern uses for gold, as Hannah and Dara discover. (Gold-leaf in your cocktail, anyone?)
Challenged to find out whether all the world's mined gold would really fit in an Olympic swimming pool, our science-savvy duo discover that this antisocial element might just be the best darn thing on the periodic table...
Contributors:
- Graham Hutchings, Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Cardiff
- Frances Wall, Professor of Applied Mineralogy in the Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter
- Tim Peake, Astronaut
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
28 min
December 19, 2025 Phantom Pain
What exactly is 'phantom pain' and how does it work?
Hannah and Dara investigate a medical phenomenon that's been known about for centuries but is often misunderstood; and involves masses of unanswered questions.
The condition 'phantom pain' is when someone gets a sensation of pain that feels like it's coming from a part of their body that's no longer there - so that could be an amputated limb, or perhaps something that has been removed, such as a tooth or an organ. It's thought to be caused by how the brain and body process pain and physical awareness, but there's still debate around what exactly is going on neurologically.
Researchers around the world are looking into the condition; in the meantime, people who experience phantom pain - like today's studio guest Lynn - often have to try out a range of treatments, to find out what combination works best for them. But as the team discover, pain is deeply subjective - and in this case, there is really no 'right answer'...
Contributors:
- Tamar Makin, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, where she leads the Plasticity Lab;
- Lynn Williams, a qualified therapist and upper limb amputee who volunteered as a subject for one of Tamar’s research programmes;
- Carlos Roldan, Associate Professor in the Department of Pain Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center;
- Keren Fisher, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who’s worked in the NHS for more than four decades; largely in pain management at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
Producers: Emily Bird & Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Audio Production
29 min
December 12, 2025 Tortoise Tomfoolery
Tortoises have traditionally been the poster child for slowness. These ancient, armoured reptiles are solitary, territorial and all-too-often dismissed as dull.
In fact, tortoises have distinct personalities. They have changeable moods, can learn simple tasks, remember certain useful information for years and even recognise familiar people.
But can they play?
Hot on the trail of tortoise tomfoolery, Hannah and Dara explore the stereotype-smashing studies that show there's far more to these creatures than previously thought; and find out that these complex behaviours might apply not only to the turtle clan, but potentially other reptiles as well...
To submit your question to the Curious Cases team, please email: [email protected]
Contributors:
- Anna Wilkinson, Professor of Animal Cognition at the University of Lincoln
- Unnar Karl Aevarsson, Herpetologist at ZSL London Zoo
- Gordon Burghardt, Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Psychology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
29 min