Hello and welcome to mysteries of science.

My name is Dan and I'm the editor of Science and Nature, the monthly magazine from the team behind the week junior.

And I'm Michael, the acting deputy editor.

On this podcast, we investigate weird events, strange creatures and mysterious places.

We're back for a brand new season of mysteries and we're back with a bang.

Yes, so on the 28th of March, 1949, so around 75 years ago, British astronomer Fred Hoyle was on a radio show, much like this one, and first used a term which many of you will be familiar with. The Big Bang.

I've definitely heard of that before. The Big Bang, I think, is how scientists believe our universe began. Is that right?

Yes, although, even though he came up with the term the Big Bang, when Fred Hall used it, he was actually making fun of the theory.

He didn't quite believe in it.

Oh, so the Big Bang is kind of like a joke term.

Yeah, he was like, oh, this Big Bang.

He wasn't kind of using it maybe the way that we use it today.

I guess it's a bit of a strange theory that the universe began with a bang.

So let's begin with a bang here.

How do we know it happened?

Yes, how do we know it happened?

You know, what is it exactly?

And what can it tell us about the nature of our universe?

I think we'd better go back to the beginning to get some answers.

This is Mysteries of Science.

So, Michael, the big bang, big weighty topic to start off this new season.

Where do we start?

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