Some dam awesome science
Unexpected Elements
BBC
4.4 • 565 Ratings
🗓️ 12 September 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The inauguration of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam has us looking at how we decide when, where, and even whether to build dams.
But humans aren’t the only ones building dams – Loren Taylor of the Beaver Institute joins us to talk all about nature’s hydroengineers and the wide-spread benefits beavers (and their dams!) have on ecosystems.
Also on the program, how close are we to clean energy from space, the science behind holding your breath for a really, really, really, REALLY long time, and how natural sounds can be turned into musical instruments. All that, plus more unexpected elements.
Presenter: Alex Lathbridge with Andrada Fiscutean and Katie Silver Producers: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Robbie Wojciechowski.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Oh, hello. You have chosen a BBC podcast, but before you listen to it, we thought you might like |
| 0:05.0 | our podcast too. You might. You might. It is called Sightracked with me, Nick Grimshaw. And me, |
| 0:09.7 | Annie Mack. And we talk about the week in music. All the news, all the cultural happenings in the |
| 0:15.2 | UK and beyond. And great guests. And it's on BBC Sounds. Yes, where you can also enjoy lots of playlists, music mixes and |
| 0:22.6 | live radio, everything from my six music breakfast show to Radio 3 Unwind. But obviously, |
| 0:28.9 | start with our podcast sidetrack. Obviously. Obviously. So if you like music, listen on BBC |
| 0:33.7 | Sounds. So this week, I decided to cycle into the office one morning. |
| 0:41.3 | Usually, I can never find a rental bike near the train station, but that day, one was |
| 0:46.4 | perched on the corner. |
| 0:47.7 | Well, as I was waiting at the traffic lights to cross London Bridge, I realised why this |
| 0:52.3 | was the reject bike when the seat dropped unexpectedly |
| 0:55.5 | and my feet went straight into a puddle. I learnt my lesson that morning. If things seem too |
| 1:01.9 | good to be true, you'll end up peddling in wet socks. And that can only mean one thing. I'm |
| 1:07.9 | Alex Lathbridge from the BBC World Service. This is Unexpected Elements. |
| 1:25.2 | Joining me today is Andrade Fiskutan in Romania. |
| 1:29.1 | Good Alex, nice to see you again. |
| 1:30.7 | And if it makes you feel a little bit better, I often pick the worst trolley at the supermarket. |
| 1:36.9 | Yeah, that's not the same thing at all. |
| 1:39.1 | And of course, joining me is Katie Silver in Singapore. |
| 1:43.1 | Hi, Alex. Thanks for having me. Great to join you both. |
| 1:46.0 | Okay, so to make me feel somewhat better about my incredibly wet socks, have either of you had any bad weather this week? |
| 1:53.9 | I couldn't see the eclipse because it was cloudy, so if that counts. |
... |
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