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Mysteries of Science

The Truth About Dragons

Mysteries of Science

Fun Kids

Kids & Family, Education For Kids

4.6681 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Dan and Ciaran open an archive case: Are dragons real?

Why do stories of fire-breathing, winged beasts appear in cultures across the world – and can science explain their origins?

We're on the quest for answers; from Viking myths to Chinese legends, dinosaur fossils, and even the lair of real-life Komodo dragons. Legendary author Cressida Cowell, dino-expert Nick Crumpton, and Chester Zoo’s own Komodo dragon keeper, Matthew Cook help unpick which mysteries are real and which ones are rubbish. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome back, Mysteries of Science fans. This is the hottest podcast for curious kids.

0:05.6

I say this because from the archives, we're opening up a scorching case. It's about dragons.

0:12.1

These legendary fire-breathing, winged, scaly creatures that sit on top of treasure hordes

0:17.9

have sparked the imaginations for centuries. But were dragons ever

0:22.6

real? Or is there a grain of truth hidden in the smoke? Hold onto your curiosity. This legendary

0:30.0

mystery is about to heat up. Hello and welcome to mysteries of science. I'm Dan, the editor of

0:37.1

Science and Nature, the monthly magazine

0:38.8

from the team behind the week junior. And I'm Curian, the Features Editor. Today we are going to be

0:45.2

talking about one of my favorite cryptozoological animals of all time. And that word,

0:51.4

cryptozoological, means that it's something that's not actually proven to exist.

0:56.6

Yeah, what a great word. Well, we've tackled a few different cryptozoological mysteries before.

1:03.4

Let me think, Bigfoot. Do you remember that one? And Loch Ness Monster, they spring to mind.

1:08.7

But today we're searching for something even bigger. Dragons.

1:13.7

This is so exciting. They are one of the most widespread, fantastical beasts of all. I think

1:19.5

it's fair to say. They turn up in stories and legends all the way across Africa, Asia and Europe.

1:26.1

And even today, they keep flying back into our lives through films, TV shows and books.

1:32.6

So our investigation is going to take us all around the world and back to the time of the dinosaurs.

1:40.4

On the way, we're going to meet a real-life dragon tamer, an expert on prehistoric creatures,

1:46.0

and the wonderful Cressida Cowell, author of How to Train Your Dragon and the current Children's Laureate.

1:54.0

I am determined to find proof of dragons existing today.

1:59.0

All right, well, let's see what we can do. We are off to a flying start.

2:03.6

See what I did there?

...

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