Unexpected Elements

This week’s news of an AI agent managing to hack into an Australian government website has the Unexpected Elements team exploring the sneaky science of infiltration.
Marnie Chesterton is joined by science journalists Paul Adepoju and Andrada Fiscutean to discover how South African drongo birds have developed an ingenious technique to protect their nest from cuckoo eggs, and to hear about the unusual approach being developed to help get eyedrops past the body’s immune system so they can reach the retina.
We’re also joined by Dr Bart Geert, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Wyoming in the US, to explore the science of how to manipulate clouds to try to help produce more rain in drought-ridden areas.
We also find out about how the tracking data that comes from tagging wild dogs in Zambia could help to ensure better approaches to their conservation in the future. We hear about your cases of pareidolia, and learn why aging leads to men going bald but also growing longer hair on other parts of the body.
All that and more in this week’s Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Dan Welsh with Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Imy Harper and Robbie Wojciechowski

When a NATO fighter jet was sent to investigate what appeared to be a suspicious drone near Vilnius airport, the culprit turned out to be something rather less threatening: a flock of birds. Inspired by this case of mistaken identity, the Unexpected Elements team explores the science of getting things wrong.
We discover why our brains are so eager to spot faces in everyday objects, from clouds to power sockets, and hear how this tendency may have evolved as a shortcut for detecting friends and foes. We also investigate the widespread issue of mislabelled cell lines that have found their way into thousands of scientific studies, raising questions about research reliability and reproducibility.
Then we meet Alex Donovan from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University, who tells us the story of brain organoids, or "mini-brains", a field of research born from an apparent laboratory mistake that has gone on to transform neuroscience.
Elsewhere, we hear how a WhatsApp message helped identify a devastating banana disease outbreak in Tanzania, ask whether anybody else in the world has exactly the same face as you, and explore how the venom of the Gila monster ended up inspiring drugs now used by millions of people around the world.
All that plus more unexpected elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Ella Hubber with Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Robbie Wojciechowski

With the United Nations encouraging wider use of the Equal Earth map, a projection designed to better represent the true size of Earth's landmasses, the Unexpected Elements team have been thinking about distortion and the surprising new ways we can see the world and beyond.
We discover that every city's subway system has its own unique microbial fingerprint, so distinctive that researchers can identify a location from a simple swab. Then we meet the black-capped chickadee, a tiny bird whose remarkable memory-map helps it keep track of thousands of hidden food stores.
Astrophysicist Miguel Zumalacárregui joins us to explain gravitational lensing, the phenomenon that bends and distorts light as it travels through the Universe. We hear how these cosmic distortions help astronomers study distant galaxies, dark matter and even black holes.
We also learn why Europe's mountain summits are becoming greener while still losing rare plants, ask why many continents seem to point downwards, and explore the story behind the online maps in our pockets.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Andrada Fiscutean and Paul Adepoju
Producers: Alice Lipscombe Southwell, with Ella Hubber and Debbie Kilbride

Roald Dahl Day is celebrated each year on 13 September. Dahl gave us much-loved children’s books like Matilda, The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which have captivated kids for generations.
Dahl is also a controversial figure, and made anti-semitic remarks that his family have since apologised for. We explore the separation of art and artist, and go looking for the science hidden in Dahl’s fantastical stories.
We find out about the scientists brewing up chocolate – not in a factory, but in a laboratory. And remember how the BFG sent ‘golden dreams’ into kids’ bedrooms? We hear how anaesthetists are ensuring that patients enjoy good dreams while sedated. And remember Bruce Bogtrotter, the much-loved side character in Matilda who famously scoffed a gigantic chocolate cake? Inspired by his story, we decided to chew over the science behind eating competitions with Professor James Smoliga from Tufts University School of Medicine.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, Tristan Ahtone and Sandy Ong
Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Sophie Ormiston and Debbie Kilbride

The 80th birthday celebrations of the late, great Queen frontman Freddie Mercury have us marvelling at mercury at an elemental level: as a killer, a cure and more.
First, we hear about how to make a telescope mirror out of a spinning bowl of liquid mercury. Then we hear about killer queens; it’s a gruesome tale of pheromone-induced ant warfare.
Next, Freddie’s rare condition that caused him to have four extra incisors in his upper jaw leads us to discuss the secrets hidden within our teeth. We’re joined by archaeologist Carolyn Freiwald from the University of Mississippi, whose work on the teeth of ancient people tells us much about both their lives and our own.
Also, the secret to getting rid of earworms, ancient civilisations hidden beneath the Amazon, and why you should never mess with dimethyl mercury.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, Kai Kupferschmidt and Camilla Mota
Producer: Lucy Davies, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Imy Harper and Debbie Kilbride