Let the games begin

The Winter Olympics has the Unexpected Elements team looking into some of the incredible science behind the sports. First up, the tale of India’s lone luge pilot: how did using old train tracks as sled runners give him a competitive edge? Then, we look at the physics behind a cheating scandal that has rocked the ski jumping world. Scientific studies tell us exactly how much difference changing a single stitch in a costume can make. Did you know there are different types of ice? Professor Christoph Salzmann has discovered three of them, and tells us what makes them unique. Plus dinosaurs, disease, and whether we laugh with an accent. All on this week’s Unexpected Elements. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Chhavi Sachdev and Tristan Ahtone Producers: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins, with Lucy Davies, Imy Harper and Tim Dodd

You can listen to Let the games begin online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Let the games begin is an episode from The Science Hour by BBC.

This episode is 51:19 long.

This episode was published on Feb 6, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Science Hour when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.