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

334 ratings


More shows like Unexpected Elements

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,588 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

891 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,049 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,470 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,758 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,043 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,091 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

604 Listeners

Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

Nature Podcast

762 Listeners

Ask the Naked Scientists by Dr Chris Smith

Ask the Naked Scientists

79 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

93 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

974 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

413 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

417 Listeners

Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

826 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

828 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

236 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

337 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

475 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,180 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

723 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

1,632 Listeners