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This last weekend, a friend and I undertook an epic quest, or as other people say, went on a mini-break.

On my long weekend in Spain, I was determined to find and consume cockinas,

tiny local clams that you can't get in the UK.

First day, no cockinas.

Second day, the place we trekked to had run out.

By the final day, I was panicking.

No one likes to fail at a holiday quest.

Our seaside city had a big market where tourists and locals alike jostled for standing space at tapas bars that cook produce on site.

And normally, I'm averse to such crowds, but greedy determination had me sweeping through the bustling hordes like a predator on the

hunt. In the final hour of the market, I found a counter two or three people deep in punters

that served my precious dish, and I made my presence known. Despite the buffeting by waves of passing bodies, I waved a hand and bellowed

coquinas, por favor. Fresh, delicious clams appeared and the other diners made a little space for me

and my pal to eat them. They tasted extra sweet, seasoned by my victory.

I'm Marnie Chesterton from the BBC World Service.

This is Unexpected Elements.

This is Ane that chats through the science behind the news.

So let's meet the panel of global science broadcasters here to help me do that.

In Singapore, we have Sandy Ong. Hello, Sandy.

Hello, Moni. It's good to see you again. You too.

And joining us from Nairobi, Kenya, it's Phyllis Mwate. Hello, Phyllis. Hello, Manny. Hujaumbo.

Now, this is a science show inspired by the news, or rather, we take our start point from one news headline. And where we go from there is pretty much limitless because we're only bound by the realms of science. And as we know,

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