Is everyone accounted for?
Unexpected Elements
BBC
4.4 • 565 Ratings
🗓️ 10 April 2026
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This month, India began the immense undertaking of surveying its population of 1.4 billion people in the world’s largest ever census. Inspired by this huge task, the Unexpected Elements team explores some population science.
First, counting – or miscounting – populations. The global human population may be much larger than previously thought as research shows counts may have missed those living in more remote areas. And we learn about the species stuck in a neverending “species limbo”, where they’ve gone unseen for decades but still can’t officially be declared extinct.
Next, we’re joined by geneticist Dr Ambroise Wonkam, one of the researchers behind the Three Million African Genomes project, who tells us why sequencing more African genomes is the key to unlocking a wealth of vital genetics knowledge.
Also, Mumbai’s out of tune musical road, how we know volcanoes are extinct, and the weight of the internet.
All that, plus many more unexpected elements.
Presenter: Caroline Steel, with Chhavi Sachdev and Candice Bailey. Producers: Lucy Davies, with Ella Hubber, Imy Harper and Georgia Christie.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts. |
| 0:07.3 | Their company's success helped build a nation. |
| 0:10.9 | The company is such a big part of Korea's economy. |
| 0:13.5 | But who are the family behind one of the world's tech giants? |
| 0:17.2 | They often say, look, we built the nation. |
| 0:19.5 | And without us, South Korea as it exists today, |
| 0:22.6 | would simply not be here. Inheritance, Samsung explores the real-life dramas of the Lee family |
| 0:28.3 | and their company. They are the equivalent of royalty. Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:35.9 | So this week, I made a friend. I've been on holiday on the Isle of Sky, a beautiful, |
| 0:42.8 | mountainous island off the west coast of Scotland. I was only there for 10 days or so, |
| 0:48.0 | but I kept running into the same person. She was playing pool next to me in a pub, |
| 0:53.5 | serving me coffee in a cafe, and then finally, |
| 0:56.5 | we happened to swim together in one of skies many crystal clear but freezing cold lakes. |
| 1:03.2 | This series of encounters may sound incredibly unlikely, but when you look at the numbers, |
| 1:08.9 | it makes sense. Where I'm from, London, there are about 6,000 people per square kilometre. |
| 1:15.7 | While on the Isle of Sky, each square kilometre is only home to six. |
| 1:21.0 | It's funny how more social connection seems to come from fewer people. |
| 1:25.6 | I'm Caroline Steele. From the BBC World Service, this is |
| 1:29.4 | unexpected elements. |
| 1:43.5 | Speaking of strong social connections, I'm joined by two friends who happen to also be incredibly talented journalists. |
| 1:50.8 | In Johannesburg, South Africa, we have Candice Bailey. |
| 1:53.5 | Hi, Candice. |
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