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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: A scientific séance

Discussion & Talk

26/04/2024 GMT

A scientific séance

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, A scientific séance

Conjuring, not spirits, but critical thinking to expose fradulent psychics

Join the Unexpected team as they journey beyond the borders of reality to ask why we believe in the illogical.  

After a fraudulent psychic dupes 1.3 million Americans, panellist Camilla Mota turns to history for insight into how scientists debunk such con artists. The Unexpected library harbours secrets of paranormal experimentation and dead air live on the BBC, and panellist Phillys Mwatee reveals why our beliefs win out over hard evidence written in ink. Nevertheless, in a world rife with conspiracy and vaccine hesitancy, Melissa Kapulu from the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya, shares the fascinating scientific obstacles faced in the quest to eradicate malaria from Africa once and for all. 

Also hear how a Nigerian pastor and super-star has been making Melissa's job much harder, and life on fake mars. 
 
Presenter: Alex Lathbridge, Phillys Mwatee and Camilla Mota 
Producer: Harrison Lewis, Alex Mansfield and Noa Dowling

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Unexpected Elements

A scientific séance

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