HeyJaredUnexpected Elements
The news you know, the science you don’t. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe. From Afronauts, to why we argue, to a deep dive on animal lifespans: see the world in a new way.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 11
- Latest publication
- Sep 11, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 3, 2026
Latest episodes
The phizz-whizzing science of Roald Dahl (opens the original)
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Roald Dahl Day is celebrated each year on 13 September. Dahl gave us much-loved children’s books like Matilda, The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which have captivated kids for generations. Dahl is also a controversial figure, and made anti-semitic remarks that his family have since apologised for. We explore the separation of art and artist, and go looking for the science hidden in Dahl’s fantastical stories. We find out about the scientists brewing up chocolate – not in a factory,
The show must go on (opens the original)
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The 80th birthday celebrations of the late, great Queen frontman Freddie Mercury have us marvelling at mercury at an elemental level: as a killer, a cure and more. First, we hear about how to make a telescope mirror out of a spinning bowl of liquid mercury. Then we hear about killer queens; it’s a gruesome tale of pheromone-induced ant warfare. Next, Freddie’s rare condition that caused him to have four extra incisors in his upper jaw leads us to discuss the secrets hidden within our teeth. We’r
A very dry episode (opens the original)
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Vast swathes of Europe and Asia are experiencing drought conditions, thanks to relentless heatwaves and lack of rain. This week, we find out why drought conditions could unexpectedly lead to an increase in water-borne disease. Next up, we take a trip to Lake Malawi to discover why a tiny fly could help us rewrite the science of insects. Also on the show, we’re joined by Professor Dan Parsons from Loughborough University in the UK, who tells us about the rivers that lurk beneath the sea. Elsewher
Fashionably late (opens the original)
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News of an Australian library book finally finding its way home 150 years after it was borrowed has the Unexpected Elements team thinking about things that get forgotten, filed away or simply turn up much later than expected. We start with the story of a meteorite from Mars that spent millions of years travelling through space before ending up in a university drawer. Then, we investigate why scientists believe California may be centuries overdue for a massive earthquake known as "The Big One". N
Light entertainment (opens the original)
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As Europe experiences its first total solar eclipse in almost 30 years this week, Unexpected Elements investigates the surprising science that emerges when sunlight is blocked out. We travel to the forests of Italy, where we investigate whether trees can communicate their eclipse plans to each other. We learn about an ambitious scientific plan to launch a wall of bubbles the size of Brazil into outer space. And we contemplate whether astronauts will ever need to take rice cookers the moon. Also
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