Signals, seaweed and space
Unexpected Elements
BBC
4.4 • 567 Ratings
🗓️ 25 May 2023
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On the anniversary of the first telegraph being sent, the team discover how the telegraph was used as a colonial tool in Ghana, and how an eccentric Brazilian emperor helped spark a communications revolution.
They also reveal how tiny worms have helped scientists work out how our hearing works, and how bioelectricity might help focus your mind and heal your wounds.
There’s a tale of evil seaweed causing havoc for coastal communities, a scientist studying misophonia makes a pitch for The Coolest Science in the World, and there’s a listener question about how chickens fly.
And Marnie delves into a lesser known history of space flight, with the tale of a Zambian man who dreamt of being an astronaut.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Can I just say? |
| 0:01.5 | You're about to listen to a BBC podcast. |
| 0:04.0 | It's such a wonderful listen. |
| 0:05.6 | So nice. |
| 0:06.5 | There are loads more like it on BBC sounds. |
| 0:08.8 | Different paces, different heights. |
| 0:10.6 | The roof is buckling. |
| 0:11.9 | Where you can also listen to live sports commentary. |
| 0:14.2 | It's right foot goes for goal. |
| 0:16.7 | And then enjoy even more podcasts full of analysis and reaction to the big stories. |
| 0:21.6 | The stat that is astonishing is they ended with the lowest amount of possession. |
| 0:25.2 | And she's had to live with that. |
| 0:26.8 | So if you love sport, a passion, it's almost like a religion. |
| 0:29.7 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:31.7 | Sort of expecting that every week now. |
| 0:35.8 | BBC Sounds, music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:43.2 | This week, I was down on the British coast near a city called Plymouth. |
| 0:48.5 | A few hundred years back, when ships were the primary way of trading goods or invading a country, this place was a bustling hub. |
| 0:57.1 | And it needed a lighthouse to guide ships away from jagged rocks. |
| 1:01.7 | Over the years there have been a handful of designs and I was shocked to find out that one had burned down. |
| 1:08.9 | Less surprising once I discovered that it was one made of wood and two lit by naked flames. |
| 1:16.2 | Of course, nowadays we have electricity, but before that, ships at night were warned to safety |
... |
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