We Didn't Start the Fire

One winter morning, listener Jane opened her curtains to find her car roof covered in breathtaking, fern-like frost so intricate it looked like a William Morris print. But how does something as ordinary as ice create patterns so beautifully complex?Hannah and Dara explore this cr ...  Show more

From pharaohs' tombs in Ancient Egypt and medieval currency, to priceless royal jewellery and Spandau Ballet songs - gold has been prized for millennia. But it's only really in the last century or so that we've started uncovering its usefulness in less decorative applications.Tod ...  Show more

California’s catastrophic 2020 wildfire season kicked off midway through the hottest August on record with a dry thunderstorm in which 12,000 lighting strikes ignited hundreds of fires over the course of a week. America’s best fire researchers have been trying to learn more about ...  Show more

Grab your fire extinguisher and hang on to your eyebrows, we’re building FIRES today. We’ll hear all about how our ancient ancestors learned to wield a flame, tame it, transport it, and use it to make tools, keep us warm, and maybe even make us smarter. So get ready for sharp ...

Fire looks random but there is a scientific dedication to understanding how it behaves. Host Chris Russell speaks with leading Fire Scientist and former forest fire-fighter, Dr Thomas Duff, about his studies into how bushfires behave in hot, dry climates. Dr Duff explains how we ...  Show more

Soviet-era spacecraft Kosmos-482 lands, though no one is certain where. Physicists turn lead into gold. Overdose deaths are down, in part thanks to the availability of naloxone. Flamingos make underwater food tornadoes. Chimps use leaves as a multi-tool. Recommended reading: A Ne ...  Show more