A science heist
Unexpected Elements
BBC
4.4 • 565 Ratings
🗓️ 31 October 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The daylight robbery of precious crown jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris has us stealing your attention to inspect heists and crime scenes in science.
We explore how stealthy spiders use tricks and deceit to rob precious prey from one another, and we look at how seagulls and other birds have the advantage when it comes to stealing food from humans. We also learn how our immunological security systems try to prevent bacteria from doing an iron-heist from our cells and blood.
But what about figuring out whodunnit? Forensic ecologist and palynologist Professor Patricia Wiltshire shares how pollen can be instrumental when solving crimes and how thorough, detailed forensic work can help uncover the truth when unravelling mysteries.
We also hear about the tensions between elephants and humans in Kenya, why we prefer the taste of certain foods, and how the code to a famous puzzle-filled sculpture might have finally been cracked.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Phillys Mwatee and Kai Kupferschmidt Producers: Imaan Moin, with Lucy Davies, Eliane Glaser and Robbie Wojciechowski
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | In 2019, we began investigating the disappearance of Dr. Ruzha Ignatva. |
| 0:14.0 | I believe we are a very special network. |
| 0:16.0 | A scammer who stole billions from investors around the world. |
| 0:21.4 | She's on the FBI's 10 most wanted list. |
| 0:24.5 | And now we have some unmissable updates. |
| 0:27.8 | She has money and when you have money, you have power. |
| 0:30.6 | Join me, Jamie Bartlett, as the hunt for the missing crypto queen continues. |
| 0:35.5 | Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:41.4 | Thank you. This in Crypto Queen continues. Listen first on BBC Sounds. 810 years ago, the British bad King John was doing such a bad job of running Britain |
| 0:48.5 | that he ended up having to sign a document called the Magna Carta. In short, it said that no |
| 0:54.0 | king or government is above the law. |
| 0:56.2 | It's an icon of liberty and rights. But from Bad King John's perspective, a terrible blow. |
| 1:03.0 | The bad luck continued and the following year, pursued by his enemies, his entourage was caught by |
| 1:09.0 | fast rising tides and a wagon containing his crown jewels |
| 1:13.1 | was washed away. Metal detectorists in the north of England still hunt for the lost gold and |
| 1:19.3 | jewels, but the document that guarantees you a fair trial among other rights is available to view |
| 1:25.4 | any time you want in the British Library |
| 1:27.5 | and is arguably a much greater treasure. |
| 1:31.7 | I'm Marnie Chesterton from the BBC World Service. |
| 1:34.7 | This is Unexpected Elements. And talking of treasures with me today, I have assembled the perfect crew for a serious knowledge heist. |
| 1:57.7 | Cracking the complex codes of science journalism in Berlin, Germany, we have |
... |
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