Curious Cases

Phantom Pain

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What exactly is 'phantom pain' and how does it work? Hannah and Dara investigate a medical phenomenon that's been known about for centuries but is oft...

Tortoise Tomfoolery

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tortoises have traditionally been the poster child for slowness. These ancient, armoured reptiles are solitary, territorial and all-too-often dismisse...

Planetary Wobble

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Could you survive an eternal winter? Or is endless summer sun a more appealing prospect? Lots of us are grateful for the seasonal changes that shape t...

Immortal Jellies

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Could immortality ever be possible for humans? It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but floating in oceans around the world is a tiny, transp...

Mysteries from the Final Frontier

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Space: the final frontier, a deep dark realm full of questions and mysteries - many of which science can't yet satisfactorily answer. But that won't ...

Beam Me Up, Scotty!

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you’re stuck in traffic, waiting at the airport whilst delay after delay is announced or just really missing someone far away, a lot of us h...

Going Viral

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cold and flu season is well and truly upon us, and whilst most of us are busy bemoaning the pesky viruses behind our sniffles and chesty coughs – on...

We Didn't Start the Fire

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It has been said that you can't start a fire without a spark, but as Hannah and Dara are about to discover, that's not true!Welcome to the fiery pheno...

Just My Luck

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are you a lucky person? Do the cards just fall well for you? Whether it's always finding a parking spot when you need one or chance encounters that ch...

Good Vibrations?

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It turns out that the whole world wobbles. Everything has a natural frequency - the rate at which it moves when disturbed - be it a cup of tea, a buil...

To Crab, or Not to Crab?

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We can all picture a crab, but did you know that nature has reinvented those claw clicking, sideways scuttling crustaceans at least five separate time...

Coming soon... a brand new series of Curious Cases

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain return to Curious Cases HQ for a brand-new series. And curios, there’s a lot to unpack! Coming soon to BBC Sounds.

Clever Crows

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The term 'bird brain' might suggest our feathered friends are stupid, but Hannah and Dara learn it's completely untrue. They play hide and seek with a...

Memory Swap

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Could you ever trade memories with someone else? Fancy downloading the experience of landing on the moon, winning an Oscar or performing at Glastonbur...

Clowns in Spacetime

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can you slow down time by hurtling through space at breakneck speed? Could listener Saskia’s friend - currently one year older - end up the same age...

Colossal Creatures

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How big can animals really get before they collapse under their own weight or run out of snacks? Could a 12-foot comedian survive their first punchlin...

Nano Sharks

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Think of a shark and you'll probably conjure up images of Jaws, but it turns out their skin is also covered in tiny teeth. Hannah and Dara investigate...

Chuckle, Snigger and LOL

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we giggle, snort, and bust a gut laughing? Is it just humans being weird, does it serve some higher function or do other animals crack up too? ...

Don't Bite Me!

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wondered why some people are mosquito magnets and other people barely get bitten? Hannah and Dara grapple with the question of whether these inse...

Aches and Rains

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The team test the theory that you can use the weather to predict pain, separating science fact from fiction. It's an area with a huge amount of confli...

Furnishing with Fungi

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From mouldy bread to athlete’s foot, fungi don’t exactly scream “home improvement.” But what if this misunderstood kingdom is the secret to th...

Love Neurons

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens in your brain when Cupid’s arrow strikes? As a teenager, Alison developed an intense crush on George Harrison from the Beatles. But, sh...

Invisibility Quest

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah and Dara tackle a disarmingly simple question: is anything in the universe truly invisible? After ruling out mysterious Nordic spirits and ‘D...

Liar, Liar

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For any of you who have ever told a porkie pie, don't worry, this week we hear why we all do it... and discover that deception is actually good for so...

The Diamond Throwdown

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Diamonds are nonsense!” Hannah boldly proclaimed in a previous episode. But listener Guy is a diamond enthusiast, and he and his diamond-loving p...

Curious Cases is back!

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain return to tackle listener's questions with the power of science!

13. The Fastest Fly

04 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The buzz of a fly hovering just above your head has got to be one of the most irritating sounds around, but this week we try to work out just how fast...

12. Bored to Death

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anyone who has ever done a long car journey with kids will be familiar with the idea of being bored to death – but can this feeling really be fatal?...

11. Freeze Me When I Die

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you die, would you want to be frozen so that one day you might be brought back to life? Listener Elspeth wants to know if that’s even possible....

10. Night Walkers

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wake up! It’s time for a dreamy new episode of Curious Cases all about the science of sleepwalking. Listener Abigail has done some strange things in...

9. A lemon-powered spaceship

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fruit-powered batteries are the ultimate school science experiment, but they’re normally used to power a pocket calculator. This week’s listener w...

8. Be More Athlete

30 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you more of a rhino or a kitten? More like a tortoise or a hare? Listener Ivy wants to know what makes a good athlete and so Hannah and Dara tackl...

7. Invincible Moss Piglets

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Vivienne has heard that tardigrades - aka moss piglets - have special powers of survival. Radiation? Drought? Extreme cold? NO PROBLEM. Does ...

6. The Shock Factor

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If there’s one type of discharge you really want to avoid, it’s lightning, but what happens when it hits you?We hear from lightning survivor Kerry...

5. The Taste of Words

09 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

11 year old Esther visualises days of the week in a kind of 3D structure. It’s something called ‘synaesthesia’ and she wants to know why it happ...

4. In the Groove

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s sometimes said that timing is everything and this week the pair investigate the mystery of rhythm, discovering why some of us might be better a...

3. Mirror, Mirror

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

9 year old listener Koby sends Hannah and Dara on a mission to find the shiniest thing in the world. And so they enter a world of mirrors… The journ...

2. The 5 Second Rule

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Would you eat food that fell on the floor? That’s the question Hannah and Dara are getting their teeth into this week as they put the so-called ‘5...

1. Space Bubbles

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While chatting at the back of class, best mates Abi and Sofia got curious about bubbles. How do you make really giant ones? Could you even get one aro...

Introducing a brand new series of Curious Cases!

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Curious Cases is returning! Superstar mathematician and broadcaster Hannah Fry teams up with legendary comedian and fellow science nerd Dara Ó Briain...

The Impossible Number

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is a bizarre number in maths referred to simply as ‘i’. It appears to break the rules of arithmetic - but turns out to be utterly essential ...

The Mind Numbing Medicine

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode will render you oblivious, conked out and blissfully unaware. It’s about anaesthetics: those potent potions that send you into a deep, ...

The Resurrection Quest

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

‘Can we bring back extinct species?’ wonders listener Mikko Campbell. Well, Professor Fry is pretty excited by the prospect of woolly mammoths ro...

The Puzzle of the Pyramids

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Great Pyramids of Giza are awesome feats of engineering and precision. So who built them - and how? Was it a mysteriously super-advanced civilizat...

The Magnetic Mystery

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Magnets are inside loads of everyday electronic kit - speakers, motors, phones and more - but listener Lucas is mystified: what, he wonders, is a magn...

The Case of the Blind Mind's Eye

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Close your eyes and think of a giraffe. Can you see it? I mean, *really* see it - in rich, vivid detail? If not - you aren’t alone! We’ve had ...

Silly Studies: The Pre-Series Teaser

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The new series kicks off very soon! As a little aperitif, Hannah and Adam review some surprising studies published in scientific journals. Warning: co...

The Puzzle of the Plasma Doughnut

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do you get if you smash two hydrogen nuclei together? Helium and lots of energy. That’s no joke – it's nuclear fusion! Nuclear fusion is the...

The Riddle of Red-Eyes and Runny-Noses

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sneezes, wheezes, runny noses and red eyes - this episode is all about allergies. An allergic reaction is when your immune system reacts to somethi...

The Problem of Infinite Pi(e)

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hungry for pi? Chow down on this! Pi is the ratio between a circle’s diameter and its circumference. Sounds dull – but pi turns out to have astoni...

The Suspicious Smell

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why are some smells so nasty and others so pleasant? Rutherford and Fry inhale the science of scent in this stinker of an episode. Our sleuths kick of...

The Wild and Windy Tale

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do winds start and why do they stop? asks Georgina from the Isle of Wight. What's more, listener Chris Elshaw is suprised we get strong winds at a...

The Case of The Missing Gorilla

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?Good! But how does that work!? Our intrepid science sleuths explore why some things immediately catch your eye - or ear - w...

Silly Studies: The Pre-Series Tease

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We asked you to send us the boldest, barmiest bits of published research you could find and, dear Curios, you didn't disappoint! It’s time for some ...

The Colour Conundrum

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The world is full of colour! But, wonders listener Maya Crocombe, ‘how do we see colour and why are some people colour blind?’Dr Rutherford and Pr...

The Turn of the Tide

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mathematician Hannah Fry and geneticist Adam Rutherford investigate your everyday science queries. They get stuck into two questions about tides. Lynn...

The Shocking White Hair

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why does human hair go grey and is it ever possible for it to go white overnight from shock? Hannah and Adam explore why hair goes grey, how much stre...

Surprising Symmetries

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two eyes, two arms, two legs - we’re roughly symmetrical on the outside, but inside we’re all over the place! We just have one heart, which is usu...

The Weird Waves of Wi-Fi

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We use Wi-Fi every day, but do you know how it works? “Is it waves and science or just some mystical magical force?” wonders listener Abby. Well, ...

The Mystery of the Teenage Brain

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

‘Why are teens prone to risky behaviour?’ asks Dr Mark Gallaway, ‘especially when with their friends?’ 13 year old Emma wonders why she’s ch...

Rutherford and Fry on Living with AI: A Future for Humans

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As huge tech companies race to develop ever more powerful AI systems, the creation of super-intelligent machines seems almost inevitable. But what hap...

Rutherford and Fry on Living with AI: AI in the Economy

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The refrain ‘robots will take your job’ is one heard with increased frequency, but how quickly is automation of the labour force really happening ...

Rutherford and Fry on Living with AI: AI in Warfare

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What if a despotic leader could programme a swarm of drones to kill a set of identified targets with just the push of a button? Due to ever expanding ...

Rutherford and Fry on Living with AI: The Biggest Event in Human History

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already ubiquitous in our lives. It curates our nightly TV entertainment, connects us to our friends online and naviga...

The Venomous Vendetta

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whilst watching a documentary about some poisonous frogs, Curio Janni in Amsterdam, started to wonder what would happen if a frog licked itself or ano...

The Slippery Situation

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

'What is the slipperiest thing in the world?' asks 8 year old Evelyn. Why do my feet slip on a wet floor but when my feet are even slightly moist it's...

The Painless Heart

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why does my heart not ache after exercise? asks listener Keith. Rutherford and Fry explore how and why heart muscle cells are special.Dr Mitch Lomax i...

The Weirdness of Water Part 2/2

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“I don’t really understand why water has so many properties on different scales ranging from very large and cosmic to very small quantum and quark...

The Weirdness of Water Part 1/2

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“I don’t really understand why water has so many properties on different scales ranging from very large and cosmic to very small quantum and quark...

The Guiding Hound

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do guide dogs know where they're going? It's not like their handler whispers in their ear and asks to go to the pharmacy, maybe the toothpaste ais...

More Frytful Scares

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It was a dark and stormy night. A secret message arrived addressed to Rutherford & Fry from a mysterious woman called Heidi Daugh, who demanded to...

Back to The Sinister Hand

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why are some people left-handed, whereas the majority are right handed? Rutherford and Fry revisit The Sinister Hand episodes to further investigate h...

A Weighty Matter Part 2/2

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The doctors continue their investigation into gravity, and answer Peter Fraser’s question: Is dark matter a proper theory or just a fudge to fit exi...

A Weighty Matter Part 1

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The doctors investigate a millennia-old query, as listener Emma in New Zealand asks: ‘How does gravity pull us?’People have been thinking about ho...

The Flying Clock and the Stopped Watch

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do individuals perceive time differently? Psychologist and presenter of All in the Mind, Claudia Hammond wrote the book ‘Time Warped – Unlocking t...

The Mosquito Conundrum

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The doctors put mosquitoes on trial, as listener Cathy in the UK asks, ‘What is the point of mosquitoes?’ in response to our show about wasps. Mos...

The Scientific Exploration of Astrology

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Astrology – could there be something to it? asks Dan from Australia. Rutherford and Fry investigate the science that has investigated astrology.Prof...

The Noises That Make Us Cringe

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some people find noises like a fork scraping a plate so terrible? asks Findlay in Aberdeenshire. Rutherford and Fry endure some horrible noises...

The Pizza Diet

29 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Can I make a pizza that contains my recommended daily intake of everything? asks listener Paul in Manchester. We investigate whether a pizza can meet ...

The Good and Bad in Fungi

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Why are some fungi helpful and others harmful?" asks Paul Glaister in Reading. Rutherford and Fry try to outdo each other with fungal top trumps to g...

The Martian Mission

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What would it take for humans to live permanently on Mars? asks Martin in Weston-super-Mare, UK. The doctors dig into requirements and possibilities o...

The Hamster Power Hypothesis

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"How many hamsters on wheels would it take to power London?" asks Judah from Virginia in the USA. Rutherford & Fry return with engineering, ethics...

The Space Burrito

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is there a point in space where the Sun could heat a burrito perfectly? asks Will. The doctors tackle this and a plethora of other conundrums from the...

The Zedonk Problem

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

‘Today I learnt that tigons and ligers are what you get when lions and tigers interbreed?!’ surprised listener Jamz G tells the doctors. ‘What d...

The End of Everything

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone knows about the Big Bang being the beginning of the universe and time - but when and how is it going to end? ask brothers Raffie and Xe from ...

The Sting in the Tail

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"What’s the point of wasps?" asks listener Andrew, who is fed up with being pestered. For this series, with lockdown learning in mind, Drs Rutherfor...

The Seeded Cloud

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Could you make a machine to make it rain in minutes?" asks listener Alexander from Hampshire, aged 12. For this series, with lockdown learning in min...

The Growling Stomach

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Why do our tummies rumble - and when they do, does it always mean we are hungry?" asks listener James, aged 12. For this series, with lockdown learni...

The Exotic Wormhole

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"What are wormholes and do they really exist?" asks Manlee-Fidel Spence, aged 12. In this exotic episode, the doctors investigate how wormholes would ...

A Cold Case Part 2

28 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two cold callers feature in this episode. Jennifer Langston from Ontario in Canada sent this message to [email protected]:"My husband has just ta...

A Cold Case Part 1

21 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“I suppose a cold is called a cold because we catch it in the winter," writes Alison Evans from St Albans. "But why is it that we get more colds in ...

The ASMRnswer

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"My question is about something I became aware of at a young age," explains Samantha Richter from Cambridgeshire."I was sitting on the carpet at schoo...

Adam's ASMR cocktail

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Rutherford concocts an Old Fashioned. First listen to our episode on ASMR, then grab some headphones and let Adam mix you a cocktail. Let us kno...

Hannah's ASMR cocktail

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah Fry mixes a mojito. This ASMR recording accompanies the episode of The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry on the science of ASMR. Listen to ...

The Power of Love

07 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two questions about love and heartbreak in this episode for our Valentine's special edition.Jessica Glasco, aged 29, wrote in to ask about the power o...

The Golden Secret

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"How do you make gold?" asks curious listener, Paul Ruddick. Inspired by the promise of riches, Hannah and Adam embark on a mission to discover the or...

The End of the World

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"What would become the dominant species if, or when, humans go extinct?"This cheery question leads Drs Rutherford and Fry to embark on an evolutionary...

The Trouble Sum Weather

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"Why is it so difficult to predict the weather?" asks Isabella Webber, aged 21 from Vienna. "I am sure there are many intelligent meteorologists and i...

The Heart of the Antimatter

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"How do you make antimatter?' asks Scott Matheson, aged 21 from Utah.The team takes charge of this question with a spin through the history of antimat...

Stephen Fry's Identity Crisis

08 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Fry (no relation) asks Adam and Hannah to investigate the following question:"All my life I have been mildly plagued by the fact that I have a...