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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.

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Unexpected Elements: Not so random acts of kindness

Discussion & Talk

15/02/2024 GMT

Not so random acts of kindness

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, Not so random acts of kindness

Are African spiders behind the ultimate act of kindness in nature?

Nature’s ultimate maternal sacrifice, how lava lamps are involved in the quest for random numbers, and the engineer bringing more compassion to the machines in our lives.

Ahead of international Random Acts of Kindness Day, Marnie Chesterton and an invited panel look at some of the science behind nature’s better nature.

Are mother spiders in Africa behind the ultimate act of kindness? How are lightning and lava lamps involved in the quest for a truly random number? And the engineer trying to bring more compassion to the machines we use every day.

We also hear about the technology helping archaeologists discover lost worlds in South America, the maths that might benefit your love life, and Marnie receives her very own random act of kindness - a surprise trip to a lab to meet some of the most extraordinary creatures on the planet.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Andrada Fiscutean and Camilla Mota
Producer: Dan Welsh, with Tom Bonnett, Katie Tomsett and Alex Mansfield

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Unexpected Elements

Not so random acts of kindness

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