Unexpected Elements - A storm of science

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As rescue and relief efforts in the Caribbean are ongoing after Hurricane Melissa, Unexpected Elements looks at the science of storms.

We explore how AI might help us better predict the weather patterns, and whether it could act as an early warning signal to help us prepare for natural disasters, and we look at what a sinkhole off the Coast of Belize has helped reveal about 6000 years of storm history in the Caribbean.

Giles Harrison, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Reading University helps explain the unexpected link between bees and storm clouds. We also investigate whether storms with female names are more deadly, your letters have us contemplating banana varieties, and whether wind turbines could ever have an effect on the breeze.

Presenter: Alex Lathbridge, with Andrada Fiscutean and Leonie Joubert
Producers: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins with Eliane Glaser, Minnie Harrop, and Lucy Davies

Published on Friday, 7th November 2025.

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