Space Archaeology
The Infinite Monkey Cage
BBC
4.7 • 9.4K Ratings
🗓️ 8 June 2020
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian and writer Sara Pascoe, biological anthropologist Alice Roberts and space archaeologist Sarah Parcak. They look at how archaeology today looks far more Star Wars than Indiana Jones, as an archaeologist's list of kit can now include satellites and lasers. They discover how searching for clues from space has led to the discovery of several ancient lost Egyptian cities and how the study of ancient DNA and artefacts reveals our similarities, not differences, with our ancient forebears.
Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:04.4 | Hello, I'm Brian Cox, and I'm Robin Hitz. |
| 0:08.0 | This is the Infinite Monkey Cage. |
| 0:09.6 | For the first time since lockdown, we are joined by an audience remotely connected, one-by-one, |
| 0:14.7 | in their own attic, basements, sheds. |
| 0:17.6 | Many of them know idea whether they're human, replicant, robot, or just some other form |
| 0:21.4 | of algorithm. |
| 0:22.4 | So yeah, I just want to stop you there, Robin, because I don't understand that intro. |
| 0:24.9 | Because a replicant or a robot may not have any idea whether they are a replicant or a robot, |
| 0:30.5 | or respectively the fact that they're connected by Zoom or remotely. |
| 0:33.8 | Doesn't matter, does it? |
| 0:34.8 | No, no, no, no. |
| 0:35.8 | I think it's good, Brian. |
| 0:36.8 | I think it's good that not every replicant knows it's a replicant, Brian, or Brian V6.2 |
| 0:43.8 | is only the best. |
| 0:44.8 | Anyway, today we are combining space, genetics, and archaeology. |
| 0:50.1 | It's Star Wars, meets Indiana Jones, which will, of course, allow fans of both franchise |
| 0:54.8 | to do their favourite thing, which is to go to chat rooms and go, ah, wasn't as good |
| 0:58.4 | as when I was eight years old. |
| 0:59.7 | I feel very let down by the more recent sequels to the Inifida. |
| 1:03.6 | I would like to meet, by the way, one Star Wars fan who really seemed to have ever liked |
| 1:08.4 | a Star Wars film. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.