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Unexpected Elements

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

The news you know, the science you don’t.

The news you know, the science you don’t. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe. From Afronauts, to why we argue, to a deep dive on animal lifespans: see the world in a new way.

Unexpected Elements: The Novichok Chemical Detective Work

Discussion & Talk

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07/04/2018 GMT

The Novichok Chemical Detective Work

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, The Novichok Chemical Detective Work

How are scientists looking for the trail of the novichok nerve agent?

Novichok trail; Formula 1 innovations; Whalesong under the ice; Bees, forests and paternity tests; Genetic testing for inherited forms of cancer; Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss

How are scientists looking for the trail of the novichok nerve agent used in the Salisbury attacks?  Roland Pease speaks to Steven Drielak a “hotzone” forensics expert, who explains the techniques he would use when investigating environmental chemical crimes.

Formula 1 Innovations
Formula 1, the epitome of a glamour sport, is driven by technology, design and innovation where the slightest variation can make the difference between a championship winning car and not.  But away from the track, F1 teams have been investing money, time and skill into ideas that could benefit from their expertise.  Jack Meegan reports.

Whalesong Under the Ice
Beneath the Arctic sea ice, in the blanket of January's polar night, bowhead whales most prefer to sing.  While the songs of humpback whales have long received the most attention, it turns out that their baleen cousins could have a far greater repertoire.  A study of a bowhead population near Svalbard has shown that their musical calls may be as varied as those of songbirds.  This would make them unique among whale populations, and possibly even mammals.

Bees, Forests and Paternity Tests
Bees drop pollen during flight and that pollen sometimes lands on trees and their fruit. Professor Shalene Jha follows this pollen trail to discover bees’ travel patterns.  Using genetic and genomic techniques, she is able to establish the fruit’s ‘father’ and therefore discover where a bee has travelled.  Roland Pease hears more.

Genetic Testing for Inherited Forms of Cancer
Genetic testing for inherited forms of cancer was pioneered in the UK by Professor Sir John Burn. He tells Professor Jim Al-Khalili how he helped to put the north eastern city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the research map – after becoming one of the first British doctors to champion the study of genes in medicine back in the 1980s.

A Holocaust Survivor’s Digital Doppelgänger
Eva Schloss’s story of surviving the Holocaust has now been preserved through an interactive exhibition.  Schloss recounted the facts of her survival to over a hundred video cameras, which photographed her from all angles, and logged her patient answers. The recordings were used to develop an artificial Eva Schloss, housed inside a screen.  Lauren Hutchinson’s report includes an interview with Eva Schloss.


(Photo caption: Police officers in protective suits and masks collect samples near the scene where former double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia were discovered after being attacked with a nerve-agent - credit: Jack Taylor/Getty Images)


The Science Hour was presented by Roland Pease with comments from BBC Science Correspondent Jonathan Amos


Producer: Adrian Washbourne
Editor: Deborah Cohen

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