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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: Eternal flames

Discussion & Talk

31/05/2024 GMT

Eternal flames

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, Eternal flames

From Olympic torches to zombie fires, we stoke the flames which do not go out

As the Olympic torch makes its way through France, we investigate the fires that continually smoulder and those which are stomped out.

As the Olympic torch makes its way through France, we investigate the fires that continually smoulder and those which are stomped out. 

You might expect snow to make a solid fire extinguisher, but in Canada, it is somehow keeping embers alight. These ‘Zombie fires’ keep burning through the winter, releasing huge amounts of carbon into the air and enhancing the tinderbox for summer wildfires.  

While wildfires leave trails of destruction, for some plants and animals, they act as a catalyst for life – helping them to spread their seeds or flower. And the extent of these blazes can also be marshalled by nature – with elephants and beavers building natural fire breaks into landscapes to prevent uncontrollable flames. 

We hear about when the first fires happened on Earth and how we can study ancient fires which have long since gone out. Plus, we unpick the key to monogamy (in mice), why cicadas love prime numbers as well as your thoughts on snakes... 

Presenter: Caroline Steel with Philistiah Mwatee and Chhavi Sachdev  
Producer: Alex Mansfield with Florian Bohr, Harrison Lewis, Julia Ravey and Noa Dowling 
Sound engineer: Emily Preston

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Unexpected Elements

Eternal flames

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