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The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

Podcasts

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries.

Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries sent by listeners.

BBC Radio 4 LW

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry: Series 9

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry: Series 9: The Cosmic Egg

02/03/2018

The Cosmic Egg

Series 9

BBC Radio 4 - The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, Series 9, The Cosmic Egg

How do we measure the age of the universe?

Everyday science mysteries sent in by listeners. How do we measure the age of the universe? Drs Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry investigate.

"How do we measure the age of the Universe?" asks Simon Whitehead.

A hundred years ago this wouldn't even have been considered a valid question, because we didn't think the Universe had a beginning at all. Even Einstein thought that space was eternal and unchanging.

This is the tale of how we discovered that the Universe had a beginning, and why calculating its age has been one of the greatest challenges in modern astronomy. 

We also uncover the mysterious dark energy that pervades the cosmos and discover why it's been putting a scientific spanner in the works.

Helping to unravel today's question are physicists Andrew Pontzen, Jo Dunkley and Jim Al-Khalili.

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate science mysteries sent by listeners.

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Series 9

The Cosmic Egg

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