This Glass Was Made By Lightning

The Rest Is Science

Goalhanger

Science, Physics, Mathematics

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Could a bolt of lightning become a permanent geological relic? How small would you have to squash a hamster to turn it into a black hole? Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens dismantle our perceptions of scale and texture, moving from the glassy "fulgurites" forged in sandy soil to the mathematical threshold of the Schwarzschild radius. They explore the counter-intuitive geometry of the Earth, calculate the extreme density required to collapse domestic life into a gravitational singularity and examining the crystalline remains of atmospheric discharge. This is an investigation into the smooth, the sharp, and the impossibly dense, proving that the world we touch is rarely as it seems. ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit ⁠⁠https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience⁠⁠ Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli OakleyVideo & Social: Bex TyrrellAssistant Producer: Imee MarriottProducer: Becki HillsSenior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-CarterHead Of Digital: Samuel OakleyExec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Cancer Research UK.
0:02.7	So when most people think of naked mole rats, their unusual relationship to cancer probably
0:08.5	isn't the first thing that comes to mind.
0:10.3	But maybe it should be because it is incredibly rare for them to develop cancer, which
0:16.0	could be partly down to their unique immune system, or it might be the way that their cells respond to damage.
0:22.6	So scientists are studying their biology for its cancer-fighting secrets.
0:26.6	It's a reminder that discoveries can sometimes come from places you don't expect.
0:30.6	Cancer Research UK is the world's largest charitable funder of cancer research.
0:34.6	Thousands of scientists of doctors and nurses work across
0:38.2	more than 20 countries to help turn discoveries in the lab into new tests, new treatments,
0:45.0	and new innovations. And the impact is clear. Over the past 50 years, the charity's pioneering
0:50.8	work has helped double cancer survival in the UK, meaning more people
0:55.3	living longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.
0:59.5	For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, their breakthroughs and how
1:03.8	you can support them, visit cancerresearch.org.org.forward slash rest is science.
1:10.8	This episode is brought to you by Vanta.
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	...

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