Discover 11,128,835 listings and 281,553 playable programmes from the BBC
18 minutes
First broadcast:Available for over a year
How animals make us smarter – we thought you might like to hear our brand new episode. It’s about a robotic arm inspired by an elephant’s trunk.
#30Animals Show more
Tim Harford tells the big story behind the way dynamos made electricity useful. Show more
How the high-tech ‘death ray’ led to the invention of radar. Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service Europe and the Middle EastLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service
Available for over a year
Managers often have a bad reputation. What should we make of the people who tell managers how to manage? Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service Americas and the CaribbeanLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service Online
Available for over a year
The extra “thing” – what should it be? Shortlist: the credit card, glass, GPS, irrigation, the pencil and the spreadsheet. Voting for the 51st Thing has now closed. Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service East and Southern AfricaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service
Available for over a year
Do welfare states boost economic growth, or stunt it? It’s not an easy question to answer. The evidence suggests it’s a wash – the positive and negative effects balance out. Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service East and Southern AfricaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service
Available for over a year
The global supply chain that keeps perishable goods at controlled temperatures has revolutionised the food industry, and other industries too. Show more
The S-bend was a bit of pipe with a curve in it. This simple invention became the missing ingredient to create the flushing toilet – and, with it, public sanitation as we know it. Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service Americas and the CaribbeanLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service
Available for over a year
Renaissance man Luca Pacioli wrote the definitive book on double-entry bookkeeping. It’s regarded by many as the most influential work in the history of capitalism. Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service East and Southern AfricaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service
Available for over a year
Property rights for the world's poor could unlock trillions in ‘dead capital’. According to one economist, the value of extralegal property globally exceeds 10 trillion dollars. Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service East and Southern AfricaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service
Available for over a year
The plough did more than create the underpinning of civilisation – with all its benefits and inequities. Different types of plough led to different types of civilisation. Show more
The gyroscope: a remarkable device used to guide everything from submarines to satellites. They’re also integral to drones, a technology some believe will transform how we shop. Show more
The QWERTY keyboard layout has stood the test of time, from the early typewriters to the virtual keyboard on the screen of any smart-phone. Show more
11 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service AustralasiaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service South Asia
Available for over a year
How a grid on a computer screen gives us a glimpse of the future of automated work. Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service AustralasiaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service South Asia
Available for over a year
Predictions of mass starvation might have been averted by Norman Borlaug’s work tinkering with the genetic design of wheat – but worries about overpopulation continue. Show more
11 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service AustralasiaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service South Asia
Available for over a year
Billions are being poured into startups working on blockchain, the technology behind Bitcoin. Is this money well spent? Show more
11 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service AustralasiaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service West and Central Africa
Available for over a year
Few of us truly appreciate just how much the honey bee has been industrialised – and the simple yet radical invention that made that industrialisation possible. Show more
Has the bicycle had its day, or is it a technology whose best years lie ahead? Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service AustralasiaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service South Asia
Available for over a year
Some say the Montgomery Ward shopping catalogue is one of the most influential books in US history. It transformed the middle-class way of life. Show more
9 minutes
First broadcast: on BBC World Service AustralasiaLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service South Asia
Available for over a year
Is the pursuit of 'likes' on social media the reason we’re glued to our mobile phones? Show more
