Episodes

  • The Secrets Michael Keeps From Himself

    The Secrets Michael Keeps From Himself
    Nov 12 2026
    Is it better to own something amazing, or to actually experience it? Michael has built a collected a whole shelf of things he refuses to look at, smell or open, and he's about to defend every one of them. Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (Vsauce) are back with Field Notes, a show-and-tell where the star attractions stay firmly sealed. Is a puzzle still a puzzle if the answer is staring you in the face? What does the tail of a comet smell like, and why will Michael never find out? And what is hiding inside a mystery can that's been sitting on his shelf for years? Then it's over to your questions. Can you wake up from surgery knowing something you never learned? What is the oldest everyday object we still use, and where does Lizzo come into it? ------------------ For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack Meek Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Producer: Simona Rata + Lucy Lipscombe Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Chief Digital Officer: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • Why Does Evolution Keep Inventing Mind Control?

    Why Does Evolution Keep Inventing Mind Control?
    Nov 8 2026
    What if your thoughts, fears and desires weren't entirely your own? What if something living inside your body could change your behaviour, without you ever knowing? Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (Vsauce) enter the disturbing world of parasites. From worms that grow inside crickets to viruses that alter animal behaviour, they explore the extraordinary lengths parasites will go to in order to survive and reproduce. But how does one organism evolve the ability to manipulate another? How do parasites overcome the body's defences? Along the way, Hannah and Michael investigate 500 million year old fossils, parasites that hitchhike on mosquitoes, the strange science of rabies and the unsettling relationship between cats, rats and a parasite that may even influence our own behaviour. ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack Meek Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Producer: Simona Rata + Lucy Lipscombe Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Chief Digital Officer: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    53 mins
  • Why Sharks Attack The Internet

    Why Sharks Attack The Internet
    Nov 5 2026
    Every week, around three undersea internet cables get damaged badly enough to need urgent repair... and the culprit usually isn’t sabotage. Submarine cables carry more than 99% of the world’s international data, from your video calls to global financial transactions. Yet they lie on the ocean floor, where fishing gear and dragging ship anchors cause huge amounts of the damage. In this episode of The Rest Is Science, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (Vsauce) investigate the hidden network of underwater cables holding the internet together, and the problems that come with running it across the bottom of the ocean. How do you lay a cable across an entire ocean? What happens when one breaks miles below the surface? And in the age of satellites, why are we still relying on cables on the seabed? ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack Meek Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Producer: Simona Rata + Lucy Lipscombe Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Chief Digital Officer: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • Is 100 Better Than 101?

    Is 100 Better Than 101?
    Nov 1 2026
    Is 100 really such a special number? Or have we spent thousands of years getting excited about something completely arbitrary? To celebrate the 100th episode of The Rest Is Science, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (Vsauce) go head-to-head in a mathematical showdown: which is the better number, 100 or 101? It sounds like a simple question, but the answer takes them from the strange history of counting, to the psychology of numbers, the mathematics of primes and the possibility of communicating with alien species. Why do we find round numbers so satisfying? Would 100 mean anything if we'd evolved with 9 fingers? And is there a single number that’s fundamentally special, regardless of the counting system we use? Can Hannah and Michael settle the debate once and for all? Or is the most ‘important’ number of all one they haven't even considered yet? ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack Meek Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Assistant Producer: Lucy Lipscombe Producer: Simona Rata Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Chief Digital Officer: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • Do You Recognise These Creepy Sounds?

    Do You Recognise These Creepy Sounds?
    Oct 29 2026
    Some of the creepiest sounds ever recorded aren't from horror films. They're real. From mysterious noises from the deepest parts of the ocean to the eerie voices of people who died more than a century ago, the world is full of sounds stranger than anything we could dream up. But what on Earth is making them? In this Halloween special of The Rest Is Science, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (Vsauce) listen to some of the world's most mysterious and unsettling recordings, attempting to identify their origins and uncover the surprising science behind them. They travel back to 1860 to hear a voice that was never intended to be heard again, investigate a bizarre underwater noise that baffled scientists for a decade, and encounter a sound so strange that Hannah suspects it might have come from outer space. Turn up the volume, put on your headphones, and see how many you can identify…before Hannah does. ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack Meek Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Assistant Producer: Lucy Lipscombe Producer: Simona Rata Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Chief Digital Officer: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    32 mins
  • Earth’s Tilt Makes Time Slippery

    Earth’s Tilt Makes Time Slippery
    Oct 25 2026
    A sundial can be almost 16 minutes fast in November and 14 minutes slow in February, yet there's nothing wrong with it. So why does the Sun, our oldest timekeeper, disagree with the clock on your wrist? In this episode, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens (Vsauce) explore the equation of time - the strange relationship between Earth's tilt, its orbit around the Sun and the way we measure our days. Why does a day last 24 hours? Has it always been that way? And how can a piece of ancient coral reveal that time itself has changed? To find out, Hannah and Michael investigate an ingenious sundial that appears to correct its own mistakes, and discover the extraordinary places on Earth where shadows disappear completely. Along the way, they explore why sailors relied on the stars, the Moon's remarkable journey across London's sky, and the curious fact that the Pacific Ocean is so enormous it meets itself on the other side of the world. Michael's references:https://rl.se/subsolarpoint https://www.curiositybox.com/pages/closest-approach-to-uranus-------------------For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack MeekAnimator: Sam BensonVideo & Social: Bex TyrrellProducer: Simona Rata + Lucy LipscombeSenior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-CarterChief Digital Officer: Samuel OakleyExec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    53 mins
  • A History Of Squatting

    A History Of Squatting
    Oct 21 2026
    In many parts of the world, people rest in a deep squat every day. In others, most adults can barely get down there. So what’s going on? Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens dig into the history of squatting and why the ability to squat differs so much between cultures.Plus, your questions: What happens to the air pressure inside a car when it goes round a bend? Why do some burps come out higher than others? And why do tautologies sound like wisdom?-------------------For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack Meek Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Producer: Simona Rata + Lucy Lipscombe Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Chief Digital Officer: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Mathematicians Are The Canary Down The AI Coal Mine

    Mathematicians Are The Canary Down The AI Coal Mine
    Oct 18 2026
    OpenAI claims a swarm of AI agents has solved the Navier-Stokes problem, one of the hardest unsolved questions in mathematics, with a $1 million prize attached. Then it released more than 700 more mathematical manuscripts, including claims touching the Riemann hypothesis, faster than anyone can check them. Mathematicians are not happy, and the reason goes far beyond the money. In this episode of The Rest of Science, mathematician and fluid dynamicist Hannah Fry takes Michael Stevens through the equations that describe everything that flows, from the blood in your veins to a rocket leaving the atmosphere. Then she tells him why this story has turned the vocation of mathematics upside down. Ten thousand AI agents. Millions of messages. One tiny term in the equation that nobody wanted to look at, until it unlocked the problem. But did AI really solve a million dollar problem? Why are some mathematicians accusing the models of stealing their work? And how might a proof that is completely correct be the least satisfying result in the history of maths? Along the way, Hannah un-mixes a glass of dye with nothing but corn syrup and patience, and the pair ask what happens to curiosity when the answers arrive faster than the understanding. ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Oli Oakley Animator: Sam BensonVideo & Social: Bex TyrrellAssistant Producer: Lucy LipscombeProducer: Simona RataSenior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-CarterChief Digital Officer: Samuel OakleyExec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 7 mins