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On 21st April 2025, Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, died.
His funeral took place on 26th April, with thousands of mourners crowding into St Peter’s Square to pay their respects.
Following the death of a Pope, there are centuries-old traditions and rituals that must be followed, and that got the Unexpected Elements team thinking about the science surrounding loss.
Next, we are joined Carl Öhman from Uppsala University in Sweden, who reveals what happens to our data when we die and why we should care about it.
Plus, we discuss the precious materials hiding in our old devices, and find out whether animals mourn.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Andrada Fiscutean and Edd Gent
By BBC World Service4.5
336336 ratings
On 21st April 2025, Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, died.
His funeral took place on 26th April, with thousands of mourners crowding into St Peter’s Square to pay their respects.
Following the death of a Pope, there are centuries-old traditions and rituals that must be followed, and that got the Unexpected Elements team thinking about the science surrounding loss.
Next, we are joined Carl Öhman from Uppsala University in Sweden, who reveals what happens to our data when we die and why we should care about it.
Plus, we discuss the precious materials hiding in our old devices, and find out whether animals mourn.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Andrada Fiscutean and Edd Gent

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