Unexpected Elements

Gaming-inspired science


Listen Later

This week, get ready for a whole loot box of gaming-related stories!

First up, we find out about a video game that could give people the power to battle misinformation.

We also hear how scientists are putting harbour seals in front of a computer monitor to decipher how they navigate under the water.

And Dr Brett Kagan from Cortical Labs joins us down the line to tell us why he taught a clump of brain cells to play the 1970s arcade game Pong.

Along the way, we discover what happens when artificial intelligence tries to explain idioms, we learn about a tiny frog named after Bilbo Baggins and try to establish whether or not video games benefit your brain.

All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Kai Kupferschmidt and Leonie Joubert
Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Margaret Sessa Hawkins, Imaan Moin and Minnie Harrop

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Unexpected ElementsBy BBC World Service

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

333 ratings


More shows like Unexpected Elements

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,721 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

883 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,046 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,444 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,806 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,808 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,071 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,930 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

614 Listeners

Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

Nature Podcast

763 Listeners

Ask the Naked Scientists by Dr Chris Smith

Ask the Naked Scientists

77 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

960 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

432 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

418 Listeners

Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

826 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

828 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

734 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

247 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

351 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

478 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,184 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

753 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

111 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,626 Listeners