The Infinite Monkey Cage

Nature's Shapes - Dave Gorman, Sarah Hart and Thomas Woolley


Listen Later

Brian Cox and Robin Ince unpick the hidden codes behind the shapes we see in nature with mathematicians Sarah Hart & Thomas Woolley and comedian Dave Gorman.

The panel marvel at how evolution so often beats mathematicians to finding the most elegant solutions, after all, it’s had millennia to experiment. How do trees achieve the optimal distribution of leaves and why are tortoise shells so geometrically exciting?

Plus we learn why the cheetah got its spots, thanks to the work of Thomas Woolley’s mathematical hero, Alan Turing, how numbers can be more or less irrational, and why Dave Gorman has a vendetta against oblongs.

Producer: Melanie Brown

Exec Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Assistant Producer: Olivia Jani

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

The Infinite Monkey CageBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

1,846 ratings


More shows like The Infinite Monkey Cage

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,713 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

531 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

876 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,054 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

298 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,534 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,104 Listeners

No Such Thing As A Fish by No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As A Fish

4,880 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

484 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

417 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

412 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

764 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

238 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

477 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

351 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

235 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

327 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,214 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

109 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

74 Listeners

What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel by WTF Productions

What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel

93 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

679 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

582 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

627 Listeners

We Can Be Weirdos by Global

We Can Be Weirdos

196 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

378 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

244 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

53 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

78 Listeners

The Rest Is Science by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Science

396 Listeners

The History Bureau by BBC

The History Bureau

102 Listeners