The Infinite Monkey Cage

By BBC Radio 4

Technology

What's The Infinite Monkey Cage about?

Witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists' eyes. With Brian Cox and Robin Ince

4.8

1,404 ratings

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LAST EPISODE

Introducing Robin Ince’s La...

03.10.2021

Robin explores the origins of laws that seem to govern our everyday lives but which aren’t really laws at all. You can hear all five episodes of the series in the Scientifically podcast where you can also find other great ...

The Infinite Monkey Cage episodes:

03.10.2021 Introducing Robin Ince’s Laws That Aren’t Laws Robin explores the origins of laws that seem to govern our everyday lives but which aren’t really laws at all. You can hear all five episodes of the series in the Scientifically podcast where you can also find other great ...
02.15.2021 A History of Rock A History of Rock Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by rock enthusiasts Ross Noble, Paleontologist Susie Maidment and Geologist Chris Jackson to look at the history of rock. Unfortunately for Ross, this turns out to mean actual rolling ...
02.08.2021 The Fundamentals of Reality The Fundamentals of Reality Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by Nobel prize winning physicist Frank Wilczek, cosmologist Janna Levin, and comedians Eric Idle and Sara Pascoe to look at what physics has revealed about the reality of our ...
02.01.2021 The Science of Cooking The Science of Cooking Brian Cox and Robin Ince get their chef's hats on as they look at the science of cooking. They are joined by comedian Katy Brand, author and food critic Grace Dent, material scientist Mark Miodownik and ...
01.25.2021 Neanderthals The Neanderthals Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by hominids Alan Davies, Neanderthal expert and author Rebecca Wragg Sykes, and paleontologist and woolly mammoth expert Tori Herridge and learn just how misunderstood our ancestors have been. The image of ...
01.18.2021 Under our Night Sky Under The Night Sky Brian Cox and Robin Ince discover the importance of the night sky to human history and how our relationship with the stars has changed over the centuries. They are joined by star-gazer Jon Culshaw, astronaut Tim ...
01.11.2021 In Praise of Flies In Praise of Flies Brian Cox and Robin Ince kick off a new series of Infinite Monkey Cage with a look at probably the least revered or liked group of insects, the flies. They are joined by fly sceptic David ...
08.26.2020 Does Time Exist? Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by actor and writer Mark Gatiss, theoretical physicists Carlo Rovelli and Fay Dowker to ask timely questions about time. Is time real, does it exist in the fundamental laws of physics, and if ...
07.20.2020 What is Life? Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedians Jo Brand and Ross Noble, alongside Nobel prize winner Sir Paul Nurse and geneticist Prof Aoife Mclysaght to ask the biggest question of all: What is Life and how did it ...
07.14.2020 The Human Brain Brian Cox and Robin Ince look at the amazing capabilities of the super-adaptable, ever-changing human brain. They are joined by US talk show host Conan O'Brien, and neuroscientists David Eagleman and Gina Rippon to find out how the 3lb organ ...
06.29.2020 When the Monkeys Met the Chimps Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by Dr Jane Goodall DBE, comedian Bill Bailey and primatologist Dr Cat Hobaiter to find out what we've learnt in the 60 years since Jane first discovered the chimpanzees of Gombe. From tool ...
06.22.2020 The Sun Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by a dazzling panel of sun worshippers from actor, comedian and musician Tim Minchin to solar scientist Professor Lucie Green and biologist Professor Steve Jones. They look at how the evolution of life ...
06.15.2020 An Astronaut's Guide to Isolation Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by a stellar panel of space travellers as they get tips on surviving isolation from a group with a truly unique insight. They are joined by astronauts Helen Sharman, Chris Hadfield, Nicole Stott ...
06.08.2020 Space Archaeology Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian and writer Sara Pascoe, biological anthropologist Alice Roberts and space archaeologist Sarah Parcak. They look at how archaeology today looks far more Star Wars than Indiana Jones, as an archaeologist's list ...
06.01.2020 Black Holes Brian Cox and Robin Ince look at the weird and wacky world of black holes as they ask a question that has been troubling scientists for years: What happens if you push Matt Lucas into a black hole? They are ...
05.25.2020 The End of the Universe Brian Cox and Robin Ince are back for new series, for now at least, as they take an upbeat look at all the different ways our Universe might end. They are joined by legendary comedians Steve Martin and Eric Idle, ...
02.12.2020 UFO special UFO SPECIAL Brian Cox and Robin Ince host a close encounter of the 1st kind with comedian Lucy Beaumont, astronomer Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Director of Jodrell Bank Professor Tim O’Brien, and science presenter Dallas Campbell to ask if UFOs and aliens ...
02.12.2020 Lucy Beaumont's Close Encounters Brian Cox and Robin Ince send comedian Lucy Beaumont to investigate UFO sightings in the extra-terrestrial hotspot of... Hull! Lucy is joined by her mum GIll Adams who claims to have experienced a number of close encounters of the third ...
02.10.2020 Quantum Worlds Quantum Worlds Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Katy Brand, and physicists Sean Carroll and Jim Al-Khalili as they enter the strange and bizarre world of quantum mechanics. Schroedinger's famous thought experiment stuck a cat in a ...
02.03.2020 Fire Fire! Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Ed Byrne, forensic chemist Niamh Nic Daeid and biologist Adam Rutherford, as they explore the science of fire and how it has impacted the evolution of life on earth. They ...
01.27.2020 Coral Reefs The Magic of Coral Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by comedian Marcus Brigstocke and marine biologists Professor Callum Roberts and Dr Heather Koldewey as they look at the amazing creatures that create and colonise coral reefs. ...
01.20.2020 Conspiracy Theories Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by comedian Shazia Mirza, science writer and cancer researcher Dr David Robert Grimes and psychologist Prof Karen Douglas to look at the weird world of conspiracy theories. From Flat Earth believers ...
01.13.2020 Science of Laughter The Science of Laughter Brian Cox and Robin Ince return for a new series of science/comedy chat. They are joined on stage, appropriately enough, by comedian Frank Skinner, as they look at the science of what makes us laugh, why ...
10.14.2019 Brits in Space Brits in Space! Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by astronaut and author of "The Astronaut Selection Test Book", Tim Peake, first British astronaut Helen Sharman and comedian Mark Steel for a Brits in Space Special. Tim and Helen ...
10.07.2019 Anniversary of the Periodic Table The Periodic Table How well do you know your Fe from your Cu, and what the heck is Np?? Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Katy Brand, Prof Polly Arnold and Prof Andrea Sella to celebrate the ...
09.30.2019 Science of Dreaming Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Bridget Christie, neuroscientist Professor Penny Lewis and psychologist Richard Wiseman to explore the science of dreaming. Our dreams have fascinated humans for millennia and then Freud came along and told us ...
09.23.2019 Clever Creatures Those Clever Creatures Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by comedian and author Danny Wallace, ornithologist Professor Tim Birkhead and marine biologist Helen Scales to look at animal intelligence. We have all heard about clever chimps that ...
09.16.2019 Dinosaurs Brian Cox and Robin Ince return for a new series of their multi-award winning science/comedy show. They kick off with arguably any child's first interest in science - dinosaurs! They are joined by comedian Rufus Hound and palaeontologists Susannah Maidment ...
07.25.2019 Astronaut Special (Repeat) In this episode from 2017, Brian Cox and Robin Ince transport the cage to the Starmus Festival in Trondheim, Norway, for an extraordinary gathering of astronauts. They are joined on stage by NASA astronauts Sandra Magnus and Terry Virts, ESA ...
07.20.2019 The Infinite Moonkey Cage A special hour long episode of the hugely popular science/comedy show, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo moon landings. Recorded at Cocoa Beach, Florida just down the road from Cape Canaveral, Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by ...
04.18.2019 Introducing The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford present highlights from their podcast which investigates questions sent in by listeners using the power of science.
02.11.2019 How We Measure the Universe How to Measure the Universe Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by comedian Jo Brand, and physicists Prof Jo Dunkley and Dr Adam Masters to look at how we go about measuring our universe, from measuring the ...
02.04.2019 How to Build a Bionic Human How to Build a Bionic Human. Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by "supervet" Noel Fitzpatrick, Dr Kevin Fong and comedian Lucy Beaumont to learn how to build a bionic human. They'll be looking at the development ...
01.28.2019 Are humans still evolving? Are humans still evolving? Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian and author David Baddiel, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics Aoife McLysaght, and geneticist and broadcaster Adam Rutherford to ask whether human beings are still evolving? Has the invention ...
01.21.2019 Origin of Numbers The origin of numbers and can fish count? Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by mathematician Dr Hannah Fry, comedian Matt Parker and neuroscientist Prof Brian Butterworth to ask where numbers come from and can fish count? They'll be ...
01.14.2019 The Future of Humanity The Future of Humanity Brian Cox and Robin Ince take on the entire future of our civilisation, as they are joined by Astronomer Royal and former head of the Royal Society Lord Rees, Baroness Cathy Ashton and comedian, actor and ...
01.07.2019 Microbes: Secret Rulers of the World? Microbes: Secret Rulers of the World? Brian Cox and Robin Ince return for a new series of the hugely popular, award-winning science/comedy show. This week they are joined by comedian Ed Byrne, oceanographer Dr Jon Copley and planetary scientist Prof ...
08.13.2018 GCHQ The Code Breakers Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Katy Brand, as they transport the cage of infinite proportions to the home of modern day cryptography and codebreaking., GCHQ. They'll be discovering how far we've come from ...
08.09.2018 Special Bonus Edition Brian Cox and Robin Ince reminisce about their favourite moments from 100 episodes of The Infinite Monkey Cage.
08.06.2018 The Human Voice The Human Voice Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian and beatboxer Beardyman, acoustic engineer Prof Trevor Cox and neuroscientist Prof Sophie Scott to explore the amazing capabilities of the human voice. They chat about chatting, vocalise about ...
07.30.2018 Immune System The Immune System Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Shappi Khorsandi, Prof Dan Davis and Prof Steve Jones to look at our amazingly complex and clever immune system. They look at how the human body fights disease, ...
07.23.2018 Invasion Invasion! Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Phill Jupitus, bat expert and ecologist Professor Kate Jones and forensic botanist Dr Mark Spencer to look at the problems caused by alien invasions, although not of the little green ...
07.16.2018 Big Data Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by Danny Wallace, mathematician Hannah Fry and science writer Timandra Harkness. They'll be going big on Big Data, and asking just how big is it? They'll be looking at where Big ...
07.11.2018 The Infinite Monkey Cage 100 Monkey Cage 100! Brian Cox and Robin Ince celebrate the 100th episode of the hit science/comedy show, by inviting some very well known monkey cage alumni to join them. Brian Blessed, Eric Idle, Katy Brand, Dave Gorman and Andy Hamilton ...
02.12.2018 Volcanoes Volcano! Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Jo Brand and Volcano experts Professor Tamsin Mather and Professor Clive Oppenheimer. They look at the very latest technology that is used to predict the next big volcanic eruption, as ...
02.05.2018 How Animals Behave How Animals Behave Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Rufus Hound, Zoologist and broadcaster Lucy Cooke and Professor Rory Wilson to discover how we learn about what animals are up to when we are not looking, and ...
01.29.2018 Teenage Brain The Teenage Brain Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by impressionist Rory Bremner, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Professor of Zoology at Manchester University Matthew Cobb to look at the working of the teenage brain, ...
01.22.2018 Antibiotics Antibiotics Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Chris Addison, Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, and Professor Martha Clokie to look at the history and future for antibiotics. Producer: Alexandra Feachem.
01.15.2018 The Secret Life of Birds The Secret Life of Birds Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by guests including Katy Brand, Steve Backshall and Professor Tim Birkhead to uncover the secret life of birds. They'll be looking at some of the extraordinary and cunning ...
01.08.2018 When Two Stars Collide When Two Stars Collide Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by comedian Dara O'Briain, Professor Sheila Rowan of Glasgow University and Professor Nils Andersson of Southampton University to look at last summer's spectacular discovery of gravitational waves ...

Older episodes

The Infinite Monkey Cage

What's The Infinite Monkey Cage about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Infinite Monkey Cage episodes:

Introducing Robin Ince’s Laws That Aren’t Laws

A History of Rock

The Fundamentals of Reality

The Science of Cooking

Neanderthals

Under our Night Sky

In Praise of Flies

Does Time Exist?

What is Life?

The Human Brain

When the Monkeys Met the Chimps

The Sun

An Astronaut's Guide to Isolation

Space Archaeology

Black Holes

The End of the Universe

UFO special

Lucy Beaumont's Close Encounters

Quantum Worlds

Fire

Coral Reefs

Conspiracy Theories

Science of Laughter

Brits in Space

Anniversary of the Periodic Table

Science of Dreaming

Clever Creatures

Dinosaurs

Astronaut Special (Repeat)

The Infinite Moonkey Cage

Introducing The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry

How We Measure the Universe

How to Build a Bionic Human

Are humans still evolving?

Origin of Numbers

The Future of Humanity

Microbes: Secret Rulers of the World?

GCHQ

Special Bonus Edition

The Human Voice

Immune System

Invasion

Big Data

The Infinite Monkey Cage 100

Volcanoes

How Animals Behave

Teenage Brain

Antibiotics

The Secret Life of Birds

When Two Stars Collide

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