Unexpected Elements - Some dam awesome science

The inauguration of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam has us looking at how we decide when, where, and even whether to build dams.

But humans aren’t the only ones building dams – Loren Taylor of the Beaver Institute joins us to talk all about nature’s hydroengineers and the wide-spread benefits beavers (and their dams!) have on ecosystems.

Also on the program, how close are we to clean energy from space, the science behind holding your breath for a really, really, really, REALLY long time, and how natural sounds can be turned into musical instruments. All that, plus more unexpected elements.

Presenter: Alex Lathbridge with Andrada Fiscutean and Katie Silver
Producers: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Robbie Wojciechowski.

Published on Friday, 12th September 2025.

Available Podcasts from Unexpected Elements

Subscribe to Unexpected Elements

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Unexpected Elements webpage.