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Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries sent by listeners.
One winter morning, listener Jane opened her curtains to find her car roof covered in breathtaking, fern-like frost so intricate it looked l...
From pharaohs' tombs in Ancient Egypt and medieval currency, to priceless royal jewellery and Spandau Ballet songs - gold has been prized fo...
What exactly is 'phantom pain' and how does it work? Hannah and Dara investigate a medical phenomenon that's been known about for centuries...
Tortoises have traditionally been the poster child for slowness. These ancient, armoured reptiles are solitary, territorial and all-too-ofte...
Could you survive an eternal winter? Or is endless summer sun a more appealing prospect? Lots of us are grateful for the seasonal changes th...
Could immortality ever be possible for humans? It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but floating in oceans around the world is a ti...
Space: the final frontier, a deep dark realm full of questions and mysteries - many of which science can't yet satisfactorily answer. But th...
Whether you’re stuck in traffic, waiting at the airport whilst delay after delay is announced or just really missing someone far away, a lot...
Cold and flu season is well and truly upon us, and whilst most of us are busy bemoaning the pesky viruses behind our sniffles and chesty cou...
It has been said that you can't start a fire without a spark, but as Hannah and Dara are about to discover, that's not true! Welcome to the...
Are you a lucky person? Do the cards just fall well for you? Whether it's always finding a parking spot when you need one or chance encounte...
It turns out that the whole world wobbles. Everything has a natural frequency - the rate at which it moves when disturbed - be it a cup of t...
We can all picture a crab, but did you know that nature has reinvented those claw clicking, sideways scuttling crustaceans at least five sep...
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain return to Curious Cases HQ for a brand-new series. And curios, there’s a lot to unpack! Coming soon to BBC Soun...
The term 'bird brain' might suggest our feathered friends are stupid, but Hannah and Dara learn it's completely untrue. They play hide and s...
Could you ever trade memories with someone else? Fancy downloading the experience of landing on the moon, winning an Oscar or performing at...
Can you slow down time by hurtling through space at breakneck speed? Could listener Saskia’s friend - currently one year older - end up the...
How big can animals really get before they collapse under their own weight or run out of snacks? Could a 12-foot comedian survive their firs...
Think of a shark and you'll probably conjure up images of Jaws, but it turns out their skin is also covered in tiny teeth. Hannah and Dara i...
Why do we giggle, snort, and bust a gut laughing? Is it just humans being weird, does it serve some higher function or do other animals crac...
Ever wondered why some people are mosquito magnets and other people barely get bitten? Hannah and Dara grapple with the question of whether...
The team test the theory that you can use the weather to predict pain, separating science fact from fiction. It's an area with a huge amount...
From mouldy bread to athlete’s foot, fungi don’t exactly scream “home improvement.” But what if this misunderstood kingdom is the secret to...
What happens in your brain when Cupid’s arrow strikes? As a teenager, Alison developed an intense crush on George Harrison from the Beatles....
Hannah and Dara tackle a disarmingly simple question: is anything in the universe truly invisible? After ruling out mysterious Nordic spirit...
For any of you who have ever told a porkie pie, don't worry, this week we hear why we all do it... and discover that deception is actually g...
“Diamonds are nonsense!” Hannah boldly proclaimed in a previous episode. But listener Guy is a diamond enthusiast, and he and his diamond-lo...
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain return to tackle listener's questions with the power of science!
The buzz of a fly hovering just above your head has got to be one of the most irritating sounds around, but this week we try to work out jus...
Anyone who has ever done a long car journey with kids will be familiar with the idea of being bored to death – but can this feeling really b...
When you die, would you want to be frozen so that one day you might be brought back to life? Listener Elspeth wants to know if that’s even p...
Wake up! It’s time for a dreamy new episode of Curious Cases all about the science of sleepwalking. Listener Abigail has done some strange t...
Fruit-powered batteries are the ultimate school science experiment, but they’re normally used to power a pocket calculator. This week’s list...
Are you more of a rhino or a kitten? More like a tortoise or a hare? Listener Ivy wants to know what makes a good athlete and so Hannah and...
Listener Vivienne has heard that tardigrades - aka moss piglets - have special powers of survival. Radiation? Drought? Extreme cold? NO PROB...
If there’s one type of discharge you really want to avoid, it’s lightning, but what happens when it hits you? We hear from lightning survivo...
11 year old Esther visualises days of the week in a kind of 3D structure. It’s something called ‘synaesthesia’ and she wants to know why it...
It’s sometimes said that timing is everything and this week the pair investigate the mystery of rhythm, discovering why some of us might be...
9 year old listener Koby sends Hannah and Dara on a mission to find the shiniest thing in the world. And so they enter a world of mirrors… T...
Would you eat food that fell on the floor? That’s the question Hannah and Dara are getting their teeth into this week as they put the so-cal...
While chatting at the back of class, best mates Abi and Sofia got curious about bubbles. How do you make really giant ones? Could you even g...
Curious Cases is returning! Superstar mathematician and broadcaster Hannah Fry teams up with legendary comedian and fellow science nerd Dara...
There is a bizarre number in maths referred to simply as ‘i’. It appears to break the rules of arithmetic - but turns out to be utterly esse...
This episode will render you oblivious, conked out and blissfully unaware. It’s about anaesthetics: those potent potions that send you into...
‘Can we bring back extinct species?’ wonders listener Mikko Campbell. Well, Professor Fry is pretty excited by the prospect of woolly mammot...
The Great Pyramids of Giza are awesome feats of engineering and precision. So who built them - and how? Was it a mysteriously super-advanced...
Magnets are inside loads of everyday electronic kit - speakers, motors, phones and more - but listener Lucas is mystified: what, he wonders,...
Close your eyes and think of a giraffe. Can you see it? I mean, *really* see it - in rich, vivid detail? If not - you aren’t alone! We’ve ha...
What do you get if you smash two hydrogen nuclei together? Helium and lots of energy. That’s no joke – it's nuclear fusion! Nuclear fusion i...
Sneezes, wheezes, runny noses and red eyes - this episode is all about allergies. An allergic reaction is when your immune system reacts to...