The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

Lyssna

Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries sent by listeners.

Antal avsnitt: 56

Senaste avsnittet: 7 september, 2018

Länk till podd: The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

En podcast av: BBC Radio 4

Vetenskap & medicin

Avsnitt

2018-09-07 | 33 min

A World of Pain

Play

"Why do people experience pain differently when they go through the same event?" asks Claire Jenkins from Cwmbran in Wales.Professor of Pain Research, Irene Tracey, welcomes Adam in to the room she calls her 'Torture Chamber'. Burning, electrocuting, lasering and piercing are all on the menu, but which will hurt the most?Hannah speaks to Steve Pete from Washington who has a rare genetic condition which means he doesn't feel pain. For chronic sufferers, this sounds like heaven, but a life without pain has brought untold suffering to him and his family, including the tragic story of his brother, Chris.We look at how the body creates pain, why some people feel it more than others, and how this knowledge could help scientists treat pain more effectively in the future.Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah FryProducer: Michelle Martin.

En podcast från BBC Radio 4

Till avsnittet

2018-08-31 | 26 min

The Random Request

Play

Two random questions in this episode. "Is anything truly random, or is everything predetermined?" asks Darren Spalding from Market Harborough.Hannah and Adam go in search of random events, from dice throws to lava lamps. Can we predict the outcome of any event? And "how do computers manage to pick random numbers?", asks Jim Rennie from Mackinaw in Illinois.Joining them are a random selection of experts: mathematician Colva Roney-Dougal, technology journalist Bill Thompson, Science Museum Curator Tilly Blyth and quantum physicist Jim AlKhalili.Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah FryProducer: Michelle Martin.

En podcast från BBC Radio 4

Till avsnittet

2018-08-24 | 38 min

The Running Joke

Play

"How fast can a human run and would we be faster as quadrapeds?" This question flew in via Twitter from historian Greg Jenner. Is there a limit to human sprinting performance? In this episode we investigate the biomechanics of running, statistical trends in human performance and which kind of monkey runs the fastest.But first, an experiment. Due to some spurious and possibly fictional injuries, neither Hannah nor Adam are fit enough to take part in a sprint trial at the University of Bath. So long-suffering Producer Michelle steps up to the challenge and into the starting blocks. Not known for her love of athletics, or exercise of any sort, how will she fair in the ultimate speed test?Biomechanist Peter Weyand from Texas discusses the role of different muscle types in speed versus endurance. Sports scientist Polly McGuigan reveals why Usain Lightning Bolt is still the fastest man in the world. And Prof of Sports Engineering Steve Haake reveals how fast a man can run like a monkey.Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam RutherfordProducer: Michelle Martin.

En podcast från BBC Radio 4

Till avsnittet

2018-08-17 | 24 min

The Alien Enterprise Part 2

Play

Do alien civilisations exist? When will ET phone home?In the second part of our alien double bill, Hannah and Adam boldly go in search of intelligence. They may be some time.What will aliens look like? Where should we look for them? And what are the chances of finding complex life in the cosmos? Featuring astronomer Seth Shostak from the SETI Institute in California, exoplanet hunter Sara Rugheimer from the University of St Andrews and zoologist Matthew Cobb from Manchester University,Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam RutherfordProducer: Michelle Martin.

En podcast från BBC Radio 4

Till avsnittet

2018-08-10 | 25 min

The Alien Enterprise Part 1

Play

Mike Holcombe from Largs in Scotland asks, "How do we look for alien life and what are we expecting to find?"In the first of two episodes on the search for ET, Hannah and Adam look for life inside the Solar System. How do we define life and why we obsessed with finding it on Mars? Or should we be looking for space squid on Europa instead?Features interviews with planetary scientist Monica Grady from the Open University, senior astronomer Seth Shostak from SETI and zoologist Matthew Cobb from the University of Manchester.Send your Curious Cases for consideration in to curiouscases@bbc.co.ukPresenters: Hannah Fry, Adam RutherfordProducer: Michelle Martin.

En podcast från BBC Radio 4

Till avsnittet