Marnie Chesterton

Why is probably multilayered and we've not discovered the full underlying mechanisms yet. How long do sea cucumbers live and can these fragments, if you left them and they had an okay time, do they eventually grow an entire new sea cucumber?

Anni, täällä Singapuolta, missä olen, ja Yhdysvalloissa, erityisesti Suomessa, kuukauppaita ovat suurin piirtein rauhallisia. Mielestäni kysymys on, kuinka monta kuukautta kuukautta syödään, ja onko niiden kulutus onnistunut mitään ongelmia? Kuukautta kuukautta syödään noin 1800.

then the corals have more disease. Annie, I feel like we could carry on talking about sea cucumbers, but unfortunately we are out of time. So thank you so much for sharing everything you've shared and spreading a world of sea cucumber wonder to Unexpected Elements listeners. Well, it was a pleasure and hopefully it makes everyone aware of them and keen to protect them because they do need our protection to continue to have a beneficial role in the ocean.

So, Alfonso mangoes and their shortage has led us via lemon exoplanets and durian electronic components to a glimpse of the eternal life offered by sea cucumber offcuts. Still to come on the show, a destructive African invasive, do plants ever die of old age, and did El Niño do for an ancient Peruvian civilization?

This is Unexpected Elements from the BBC World Service. I'm Marni Chasterton in the UK and with me are a couple of tip-top science broadcasters. I say with me, but I do mean that in the spirit of radio and metaphor. Team, can you introduce yourselves? Name and location please. Sandy Young in Singapore. And I'm Michael Kaluki in Nairobi, Kenya.

Each week the team like to make space for a story that might otherwise pass us by. And it's often something that one of us brings from our part of the world to share with the global audience.

Now, it doesn't have to fit in with the theme of the show, but there will be prizes if it does. And by prizes, I mean entirely pointless points. You can't use them, you can't sell them, you can't use them to get a prize. I don't know, you can't swap them for anything. Enticing, isn't it, Michael? Because you're going to be bringing something out from under the radar today. Well, I'm looking to see how many points I can get today. I have an interesting story for you, Marni, about a pest.

And Michael, now for the utterly worthless bonus points. Is there any way you can connect this to our fruity theme? I'm going to get all the points this time around. Panelists often are, which is crazy. I mean, who doesn't like a point? Who doesn't like a point? I should make a star chart, I think. Stars, there we go. You'll get a gold star if you can link this to the theme of the devastation of the Alfonso mango crop.

I didn't know that, but did you know that mangoes and crayfish go very well together in a salad?

I hadn't thought of that. It's weirdly true. We've heard before on this show, we've covered the subject of invasives, and listeners have sent us these brilliant examples of when eating your invasive species is a really good strategy. And where I live, we get invasive crayfish in the rivers near my parents, and one of the local restaurants has added them to the menu.

I feel like I've had a salad with mango and crayfish in it. That was really good. It's a classic. You can start something in Kenya, Michael. You know, that would be quite interesting. I'm just thinking about it. Crayfish, mangoes, and I don't know why I was leaning towards the seed cucumbers. But anyway, no, let me not go there. Yeah, just need to add that. Okay, maximum points for everyone. Thank you very much.

And just a reminder that if any of our listeners have any exciting recipes involving invasive species, unexpected at bbc.co.uk is the address for getting in touch with the show. Talking of which, let's take a moment to see what's in the inbox.

A couple of weeks ago I looked at a study on how engaging with the arts in our later years could be as effective for slowing down aging as movement and exercise is. And it's got many of you thinking, including listener Bill. Michael, could you read this please? So Bill says, Dear Marni and Coke,

Oh, thank you, Bill. That's a lovely message, and I'm glad Bill is enjoying himself. And I'm glad that art for art's sake is now art for health's sake as well. What about you two, Sandy, Michael? Do either of you take time out of your busy schedules as science journalists, or in Michael, your case, mango farmer, to paint and craft?

Siksi sinut jatkuu enemmän ja enemmän eklektiivistä hetkellä. Iaskarvaukset, wow! Minun mielestäni... Minulla on niin paljon kysymyksiä. Kyllä, käy vaan, Sandy. Mistä sinut saa iaskarvaukset?

It's not the same. It's a bit difficult to do it here, but also because of the weather outside is quite hot. Well, that was my next question. It's usually 30 plus degrees C in Nairobi. And, you know, you take your ice out of the fridge freezer to carve and then you've got a puddle fairly quickly afterwards.

Okei, jatketaan. Meillä on sisällämme enemmän erilaisia hirviöitä sinusta. Pidä heidät tulemaan, ne ovat aina iloinen, ne aina tekevät meidät nukkumaan. Joten kiitos Kristinin, että lähettiin hirviön hirviön ja se on hirviö, joka on pienempi kuin rivit.

So thank you to everyone for getting in touch. If you'd like to send us a message about anything you've heard today, you can email unexpected at bbc.co.uk or the WhatsApp number is plus 44 330 678 3080. We also love a letter or a postcard. You can send those to Unexpected BBC World Service Cardiff CF10 4GA in the UK.

Still to come, what is El Niño and how did the ancient Moche-civilisation in Peru try and deal with it? That's after this. Hello again, Lucy here, back with the answer to this week's quiz. Earlier I asked you how do new mice mothers warn male mice to stay away from their babies? A. Banana-scented urine, B. Orange-coloured sweat, or C. A circle of berries around their nest.

Anteeksi on A. Bananarikkoinen urina. Tarkastelijat löysivät bananarikkoisen kemikaalin urinaa vanhempien ja aiemmin vanhempien pysyvien pysyvien naisille nimeltä amyloacetatin. Kun se näytti, naiset näyttivät todennäköisesti isoja tasoja stressiä. Ehkä koska, kuten tutkijat kertovat, tämä kemikaali tarkoittaa, että jos tulet kohti, minä vahvistan sinut. Mikä mielestäni pysyvät jokaisen. Vaikka naiset usein syövät muiden pysyvien pysyvien pysyvien pysyvien pysyvien pysyvien pysyvien pysyvien pysyvien pysyv