A storm of science
Unexpected Elements
BBC
4.4 • 565 Ratings
🗓️ 7 November 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As rescue and relief efforts in the Caribbean are ongoing after Hurricane Melissa, Unexpected Elements looks at the science of storms.
We explore how AI might help us better predict the weather patterns, and whether it could act as an early warning signal to help us prepare for natural disasters, and we look at what a sinkhole off the Coast of Belize has helped reveal about 6000 years of storm history in the Caribbean.
Giles Harrison, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Reading University helps explain the unexpected link between bees and storm clouds. We also investigate whether storms with female names are more deadly, your letters have us contemplating banana varieties, and whether wind turbines could ever have an effect on the breeze.
Presenter: Alex Lathbridge, with Andrada Fiscutean and Leonie Joubert Producers: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins with Eliane Glaser, Minnie Harrop, and Lucy Davies
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. |
| 0:51.6 | So, this week I tried my hand at pottery. A friend of mine took me to a class in the back of a little shop in London, thought it would be fun and relaxing. |
| 0:56.2 | Turns out that I'm very bad at getting clay to do anything, |
| 1:01.4 | where everyone else was able to spin their pottery wheel and manipulate the clay into teapots, |
| 1:07.1 | vases and bowls. I was fighting to create anything other than a disappointed brown snake. |
| 1:11.7 | What made it worse was probably the teacher coming over and telling me things like, |
| 1:18.1 | well, it's about taking part and at least you had fun doing it. What's so unexpected about that? |
| 1:24.4 | Well, my friend asked me to split the bill. That can only mean one thing. I'm Alex Laughbridge from the BBC World Service. This is Unexpected Elements. |
| 1:42.9 | And while I might have been working lonely as a cloud at my potter's wheel, I am flying solo no more, because joining me for the show today are two incredible science journalists. |
| 1:52.9 | From Bucharest in Romania, it's Andrada Fiscutian. |
| 1:56.0 | Hi, Alex. Buna pottery? Wow. |
| 1:59.2 | Yeah, I know. And from Johannesburg, South Africa, it's Leone Joubert. |
| 2:03.8 | Dumi Lang, hello, and Huchanit. I'm going to translate it into English and it sounds like, |
| 2:08.5 | Alex, you are really fantastic at pottery and don't feel bad. In any case, this is the show where |
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