Unexpected Elements

Pakistan has recently announced that they plan to abolish the 18% sales tax on menstrual products like pads or tampons. UN Women has welcomed the decision, saying that when these products become more affordable it means more girls and women stay in school and the workforce. For the Unexpected Elements team, the news has led us towards scientific stories of menstruation and different kinds of cycles.
First up, a look at how the menstrual cycle affects drugs reaching the brain and an exploration of one of the only other animals to get a period, the weird and wonderful spiny mouse. Author of A City on Mars, Kelly Weinersmith, also joins us to ponder over what to do when you get your period in space.
Plus, how termite brains change between sexes, why we can’t stop snacking, and the daily battle of the sleep/wake cycle.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Caroline Steel, with Camilla Mota and Tristan Ahtone
Producers: Sophie Ormiston and Ella Hubber with Lucy Davies and Robbie Wojciechowski

This week South Korea announced they will be adjusting the Civilian Controlled Zone that borders the demilitarised area between North and South Korea. The reshuffle will allow thousands of civilians to be able to move with more freedoms, but for the Unexpected Elements team, it’s sparked a conversation about scientific borders, boundaries, lines and barriers.
First up, a look at the Wallace Line, an obscure ecological border in Indonesia that marks the boundary between Asian tigers and Australian kangaroos with Dr Ian McFadden from Queen Mary University. We learn about the blood-brain barrier, could new ‘shuttle’ technologies help deliver vital new medicines that could help with Alzheimer’s?
Plus, why conflict causes the cost of flights to rise, and one scientist’s attempt to map underground fungi networks.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Candice Bailey and Paul Adepoju
Producers: Margaret Sessa Hawkins, with Sophie Ormiston, Lucy Davies and Robbie Wojciechowski

The spiralling cost and short supply of microchips – something the tech journalists have dubbed ‘RAMageddon’ – has the Unexpected Elements team investigating all things chip-related.
We start things off by finding out about a mini cervix-on-a-chip and how this could help us better understand premature birth.
We then feel a little salty when we discover that chips (also known as fries) may create cancer-causing acrylamides when cooked. Should we be worried?
Next up, Professor Paul Graham from the University of Sussex reveals why gulls love to steal your chips, and (crucially) tells us how to defend our dinner.
Plus, the world’s largest whale graveyard, the health benefits of the humble spud and why some people are better at napping than others.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Katie Silver and Kai Kupferschmidt
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Sophie Ormiston and Robbie Wojciechowski

As the Fifa Men’s World Cup kicks off this week in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, football fever is everywhere – and this has the Unexpected Elements team exploring all things football.
First, we discover how it took eight years and 170 experiments for scientists to create the perfect grass pitch. Then, why a football is not really a ball… it’s a truncated icosahedron. We discuss how this shape revolutionised not only the beautiful game, but nanotechnology too.
Then, what secrets can your sweat reveal? We are joined by Prof John Rogers who explains how sweat is an underappreciated and understudied biomarker of our health.
And whether in life or in football, what is a better strategy – survival of the fittest or co-operation and teamwork? Author Rowan Hooper joins us to battle it out.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Chhavi Sachdev and Ogechi Ekeanyanwu
Producer: Ella Hubber, with Sophie Ormiston, Lucy Davies and Robbie Wojciechowski

Long live the king – of mangoes! In India the famed ‘king of mangoes’, the Alphonso mango, is in drastically short supply after a particularly bad bout of adverse weather. Inspired by the mango’s plight, the Unexpected Elements team takes a look at what fruit science can bear.
First, from the ‘king of mangoes’ to the ‘king of fruits’, we hear how the infamously stinky durian could be used to charge your phone. Then, an evil lemon planet. We discuss the planet so bizarre it sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi movie.
Plus, have you ever wondered what the key to immortality is? Well, if you guessed sea cucumbers you might be right. We’re joined by Dr Annie Mercier who tells us all about these eternal weirdos of the sea and their surprisingly vital role in the ocean’s ecosystem.
Also, a crayfish invasion, plant cause of death, and what exactly is El Niño?
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Sandy Ong and Michael Kaloki
Producers: Sophie Ormiston, with Lucy Davies, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Robbie