Best Idyllic Film Podcasts (2025)

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The CrowdScience quiz of the year 35:57

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10m ago35:57

35:57

In 2025, the crack team of intrepid presenters here on CrowdScience have been on some incredible adventures. They’ve wondered whether water is wet, and gone a hunt for a missing tangerine. They’ve wondered why animals swallow rocks, imagined what would happen if the earth spun backwards and pondered whether atoms are immortal. But, as the year draw…

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How do we adapt to the cold? 26:29

6d ago26:29

26:29

When some people are wandering around in shorts and a t-shirt, others are wrapped up in warm coats and jumpers. How come our responses to cold weather are so different? People have been living in cold environments for thousands of years. So why do some of us struggle with the cold more than others, and what, if any, adaptations have our bodies made…

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Can you play the guitar underwater? 26:29

13d ago26:29

26:29

Smashing up guitars is a classic rock star activity, but how about drowning them? Seven-year-old listener Cornelius asked CrowdScience to find out what happens if you play a guitar underwater. Could this be the next avant-garde music sensation? Host and amateur musician Caroline Steel tackles Cornelius’ question with the help of one increasingly so…

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Can we turn deserts green? 33:04

23d ago33:04

33:04

Can we turn the world’s deserts green? CrowdScience listener Youcef is captivated by the idea of bringing water back to Earth’s driest landscapes. With sea levels rising and huge stretches of land drying out each year, he wonders whether redirecting seawater inland could offer a solution to both problems. Presenter Alex Lathbridge sets out to inves…

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How big is a rainbow? 29:03

27d ago29:03

29:03

When listener Sakura’s husband came home from his morning walk in Cambridgeshire, UK, he told her about a massive rainbow he’d seen. But when he showed her a picture, she didn’t think it was particularly large. So how big is a rainbow really? Are they always the same size? And if some are bigger than others, is there a limit? To find the answers, p…

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Why do we cry? 30:00

1M ago30:00

30:00

Tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of frustration or tears of pain - humans are thought to be the only animals that cry tears of emotion. CrowdScience listener Lizzy wants to know: why do we cry for emotional reasons? What is its evolutionary benefit? And why do some people cry more than others? It turns out that humans cry three types of tear: …

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Do tsunamis affect marine life? 26:54

1M ago26:54

26:54

Tsunamis destroy buildings, habitats and danger to everything in its path on land. But how do they affect life under the water? That's what CrowdScience listener Alvyn wants to know, and presenter Anand Jagatia is searching beneath the waves for answers. Anand meets Professor Syamsidik who is learning about how tsuanami waves are formed to help pro…

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Are near-death experiences real? 26:26

2M ago26:26

26:26

In your final moments, they say, you may walk down a tunnel of light. You might rise above your body, watching the scene below before passing into another world. Perhaps you’ll be met by glowing figures, see your life flash before your eyes, or feel a deep, unearthly calm. These are the stories of people who’ve reached the edge of death and returne…

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Why do people love horror films? 31:26

2M ago31:26

31:26

For some they’re the stuff of nightmares, but many of us can’t get enough of horror films. For Halloween, CrowdScience investigates the science of why we enjoy films that scare the living daylights out of us. CrowdScience listener Maria from Taiwan is one of those people who would rather avoid frightening films, yet her husband loves them and is al…

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Should we help maggots and caterpillars? 27:12

2M ago27:12

27:12

We all know insects are important, but one CrowdScience listener worries that they don’t seem to have equal billing when it comes to human love and attention. In Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, listener Ruth loves to sit and listen to the birds, the bees and the hoverflies as they go about their daily chores. And it’s got her wondering why bees and b…

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Can we record our senses? 26:29

2M ago26:29

26:29

How would you record a special moment? Maybe you could take a photograph, film a little video, or record some audio. We have lots of ways of recording what life LOOKS and SOUNDS like, but is the same true for the other senses? What if you wanted to record the smells that greet you on entering your favourite restaurant? Or record the way your loved …

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Are atoms immortal? 26:28

3M ago26:28

26:28

Atoms are the building blocks of our world. Many have been around since right after the Big Bang created the universe nearly 14 billion years ago. And if life on Earth is made of atoms that are from all the way back then... will those atoms keep existing forever? That’s what CrowdScience Listener Rob in Australia would like to know. Caroline Steel …

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Why are some animals black and white? 27:02

3M ago27:02

27:02

By BBC World Service

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Answers to even more questions 26:28

3M ago26:28

26:28

Sometimes in science, when you try to answer one question it sparks even more questions. The CrowdScience inbox is a bulging example of that. We get tons of new questions every week and many of those are following up on episodes we’ve made. Sometimes you want us to go deeper into part of the answer, or sometimes a subject intrigues you so much that…

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Do birds understand us? 26:29

3M ago26:29

26:29

CrowdScience listener David is a bird whisperer. On his family farm in Guinea, he would mimic the call of the black-headed weaver. He could replicate it so well that the birds would fly in close, curious to find out who was calling. David has been wondering if he was actually communicating with the weaver. In the foothills of the Austrian Alps is a…

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Why am I so sentimental? 26:28

4M ago26:28

26:28

CrowdScience listener Kerry started thinking about his sentimental attachment to his possessions when he began sorting through an old trunk, full of objects from his past. He wants to know why we get so attached to things that often have no use anymore and why it’s so hard to give them away. Anand Jagatia investigates why the objects we accumulate …

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Will drinking milk help me live longer? 26:29

4M ago26:29

26:29

Milk: drink a lot of it and we’ll grow big and tall with strong bones. That’s what many people are told as children, but just how true is this accepted wisdom? CrowdScience listener JJ in Singapore is sceptical. He wants to live a healthy life for as long as possible, and he’s wondering whether drinking cow’s milk will help or hinder him on this mi…

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How long will traces of our civilisation last? 34:28

4M ago34:28

34:28

What will remain of us hundreds of millions of years from now? And how can we be so certain that we are the first technologically advanced species on Earth? These unsettling questions have been haunting listener Steve. If fossils can be lost to deep time through erosion and subduction into the Earth’s mantle, how would anyone — or anything — ever k…

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How does camouflage work? 36:39

4M ago36:39

36:39

Camouflage isn't just for chameleons! Military forces around the world deck their soldiers out in those distinctive green and brown uniforms, to give them the best chance of staying safe, and remaining undetected. But how do they work? Why do they look so different from country to country? And why do you still see soldiers wearing it in the city, w…

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How long does light last? 26:29

5M ago26:29

26:29

When listener Rob from Devon, UK, heard of a newly detected planet light years away, he was struck by the sheer scale the light must travel to reach us here on Earth. It got him wondering: How long does light last? What is the oldest light we have ever observed? And does light ever die? To find out, presenter Anand Jagatia calls on some of the brig…

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Can we stop the rain? 32:21

5M ago32:21

32:21

CrowdScience listener Rit, from Pune in India, is staring out of his window at the falling rain. It’s been pouring for four days now, and shows no sign of stopping. The laundry is piling up, all his shoes are wet, and he’s worried about the effect it’s having on the environment, and on agriculture. When it rains like this, the animals suffer, and t…

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How are teeth made? 30:08

5M ago30:08

30:08

CrowdScience listener Jon started wondering how our teeth are created while he was in the dentist’s chair. It took his mind off the drilling. He wants to know how our teeth are made, what goes into them and how come we only get two sets of teeth when other animals, like sharks, grow thousands of new ones throughout their lives. Anand Jagatia goes b…

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Trailer: 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle 3:29

5M ago3:29

3:29

The epic space story of a sci-fi dream that changed spaceflight forever. Told by the Nasa astronauts and team who made it happen. Our multi-award-winning podcast is back, hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock. She tells the story of triumph and tragedy - of a dream that revolutionised modern space travel forever. You can listen to the trai…

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Could technology improve our brains? 26:28

5M ago26:28

26:28

What comes to mind when you imagine the future of humanity? Could a computer make your mind more efficient? Enhance your cognition? Or cure a disorder you've been grappling with all your life? CrowdScience listener Mariana from Mexico hopes that one day technology will be able to help improve our brains.  Presenter Alex Lathbridge seeks out some of…

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What if the Earth spun backwards? 26:29

5M ago26:29

26:29

Your whole life is governed by spin. The rotation of our planet tells you when to wake up, and Earth’s orbit around the Sun is the reason why some of us dig out a jumper for half the year and a t-shirt for the rest. But what if that all changed? That’s exactly what 8-year-old Geronimo in Ecuador wants to know. He and his dad, Fabian, have got thems…

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Where did Earth’s water come from? 31:13

6M ago31:13

31:13

Here's a conundrum that has captivated scientists: when Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago, our planet was essentially a ball of molten rock. Any water that might have been present during the planet's formation would surely have boiled away immediately. Yet today, water covers about 70% of Earth's surface. So where did all this water come from? And…

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Can we harness solar energy from other stars? 26:28

6M ago26:28

26:28

Listener Dickson Mukisa from Uganda has been gazing up at the stars. But he’s not making wishes. He wants to know whether we can harness their energy, in the same way we do with our OWN star – the sun. After all, they may seem small and twinkly to us, but each one is a gigantic flaming ball of energy, with a power outputs averaging around 40 quadri…

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Why are twins special? 26:28

6M ago26:28

26:28

No one really cares that CrowdScience listener Sam has a younger brother, but they do care about his sister. In fact, they’re fascinated by her. That’s because Sam and his sister are fraternal twins. He’s been wondering all his life why he’s treated differently. Could it be cultural? Twins have long appeared in classical mythology, revered literatu…

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How can we persuade more people to cycle? 26:28

6M ago26:28

26:28

Cycling is good for our health, good for the planet, and it can be an efficient way of moving around busy cities. But despite all the rational arguments for it, in most cities the number of people who get on their bikes is low. CrowdScience listener Hans wants to know whether it’s time to change our tactics. Could we persuade more people to cycle i…

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Was there an idyllic time before carnivores? 26:28

7M ago26:28

26:28

Was there ever a time when life on earth was peaceful? Free of violence? No predators, no prey, just... vibes? Or has nature always been 'Red in Tooth and Claw'? Have we always been eating each other? Our listener Scott sent us on a quest to discover the origins of predators and prey, and to find out what all this ‘eat or be eaten’ stuff is really …

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What’s that background hum I hear? 28:21

7M ago28:21

28:21

In the dead of night at his home in Machinjiri, Malawi, CrowdScience listener John can hear a small, but persistent, hum. Whenever it’s quiet enough, the hum is there – but what’s causing it? And is John the only one who can hear it? Reports of consistent, low-pitched noise have been popping up around the world for decades. No one knows this better…

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What on earth is quantum? 30:28

7M ago30:28

30:28

Listener Christine wants to understand one of the strangest phenomena in the universe. But to get to grips with it, she’ll need a crash course in the bizarre behaviour of the very small. Here, things don’t act the way you might expect — and it’s famously hard to wrap your head around. Anand Jagatia has assembled some of the sharpest minds in the fi…

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Can eating honey help save bees? 26:50

7M ago26:50

26:50

CrowdScience listener Saoirse is vegan and doesn’t eat honey. But she’s been wondering - might honey actually have environmental benefits, by giving bee populations a boost? To find out, presenter Anand Jagatia dons a bee suit and opens up some hives with biologist Dave Goulson, who reveals that there are over 20,000 bee species on earth – and not …

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Is my yoghurt really alive? 26:27

8M ago26:27

26:27

Bulgaria is famous for its yoghurt, a fermented milk food full of ‘good’ bacteria that has kept hungry Bulgarians healthy for over 4000 years. Inspired by that, and a question from a CrowdScience listener in California USA, Marnie Chesterton and Caroline Steel are immersing themselves in Bulgarian culture with a programme about Bulgarian cultures, …

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Is red sky at night really sailor’s delight? 27:49

8M ago27:49

27:49

You may have grown up hearing the saying “red sky at night, sailor’s delight, red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” - or maybe a variation of it. CrowdScience listener Alison, who sees many dazzling red skies from her home in the Yukon, Canada, certainly did. And now she wonders if the saying is a sensible prediction of coming weather or just anoth…

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Why can't I fall asleep? 28:36

8M ago28:36

28:36

Some people fall asleep almost as soon as their head touches the pillow, while for others it can take hours of tossing and turning. CrowdScience listener Assia needs at least 45 minutes to get to sleep: it's always taken her a long time to drift off no matter how tired she is, and nothing seems to make a difference. She asked us to investigate.  Pr…

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Can we feed everyone? 31:27

8M ago31:27

31:27

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, 800 million people are going to bed hungry every night, but 2 billion people in the world are malnourished. Farmers across the globe produce enough food to feed 10 billion people, yet there are only 7.6 billion of us. We know there is enough food to go around, but filling tummies is…

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Why am I always late? 26:29

8M ago26:29

26:29

CrowdScience listener Sid is running late, and he’s turning to science to find an excuse. He and his partner Steffi in Singapore have very different attitudes to timekeeping. They wonder if this is down to their different cultural upbringings, or if they just had very different brains to start with. Presenter Chhavi Sachdev puts her own time percep…

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Why do animals swallow rocks? 29:47

9M ago29:47

29:47

What would you discover inside the stomach of a sea lion? CrowdScience listener Robyn found out first-hand when she volunteered at her local museum in Adelaide, Australia. The team dissecting the specimen removed around 30 rocks from the animal’s stomach, and Robyn wants the Crowdscience team to find out how and why they got there. Presenter Anand …

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How do you measure a mountain? 26:28

9M ago26:28

26:28

On the banks of the St Lawrence River in Quebec stands a 100-year-old lighthouse. While initially built to help boats navigate one of Canada’s most difficult waterways, the Point-de-Père site now also holds a different responsibility: it is a key reference for measuring sea levels around the entire North America continent. But this is all set to ch…

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Where in the world will I weigh least? 26:29

9M ago26:29

26:29

Host Anand Jagatia tackles gravity - a fundamental force of the universe yet also an everyday mystery that has baffled several listeners. Can you outrun it? Or at least use it to get fitter? If it varies, does that mean that you weigh less, depending on where on earth you stand? And if it’s the force of attraction between any objects with mass, are…

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Are there global food allergy hotspots? 29:33

9M ago29:33

29:33

Are food allergies higher in the West than the East? UK-based listener Jude wants to know the answer. Her daughter-in-law Min didn’t know anyone with food allergies when she was growing up in South Korea and thinks that they’re not so common there. Host Alex Lathbridge investigates. Along the way, he finds out what makes us sensitive to food allerg…

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Are humans naturally monogamous? 27:28

10M ago27:28

27:28

CrowdScience listener Alina is in a relationship with a polyamorous partner and is very happy with this arrangement, which got her thinking – why is monogamy so often the norm in human societies? Presenter Caroline Steel goes on an anthropological odyssey to figure out where this drive to find a single partner - and stick with them - comes from. Wh…

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Is water wet? 26:28

10M ago26:28

26:28

The wetness of water seems blindingly obvious - but dive into the science and things aren’t so clear. CrowdScience listeners Rachel and Callum were washing their hands one day and it got them thinking about wetness. Why does water feel the way it does? And what makes a liquid wet? To find out, presenter Anand Jagatia takes a closer look at the beha…

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Whatever happened to tangerines? 28:36

10M ago28:36

28:36

It’s citrus season in the northern hemisphere, and fruit trees are bursting with oranges and lemons. But CrowdScience listener Jonathan wants to know what happened to the tangerines he ate as a child in the 1960s? He remembers a fruit that was juicy, sweet and full of pips, found each Christmas at the bottom of his stocking. Tangerines today, he th…

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Why isn't the sky green? 27:02

10M ago27:02

27:02

Vermillion red, vibrant orange, golden yellows, even violet – we're enchanted by the colours that make up a stunning sunset or sunrise. CrowdScience listener Paulina, a lighting designer from Chile, often uses the sunsets she sees from her balcony as inspiration for her designs. And during the day and night, the sky can be all sorts of shades of bl…

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Is anything truly random? 26:28

11M ago26:28

26:28

CrowdScience listener Dorit has a problem. She wants the tiles in her new bathroom to be arranged randomly but, no matter what she does, it still looks like they form some kind of pattern. This has got Dorit thinking about randomness – what is it, how do you create it, why do we find it so hard to recognise, and is anything really random at all? An…

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Why can't I remember my early childhood? 27:02

11M ago27:02

27:02

Some of our biggest achievements happen in the first years of our lives. Taking our first steps, picking up a complex language from scratch, and forming relationships with some of the most important people we’ll ever meet. But when we try to remember this period of great change, we often draw a blank. After losing his Dad aged four, CrowdScience li…

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Is my smartwatch good for my health? 27:44

11M ago27:44

27:44

Smartwatches are increasingly popular and many of us use these wearable devices to monitor our performance and improve our fitness. But how reliable is the data they collect, and can they actually make us healthier? CrowdScience listener Caitlin from Malawi is a big fan of her smartwatch. Her husband Fayaz, however, is much more sceptical of its ac…

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How high can birds fly? 27:10

11M ago27:10

27:10

While watching a feisty cockatoo chase after a hawk, CrowdScience listener Alison saw the hawk catch a thermal and rise effortlessly into the sky. The cockatoo gave chase, but the hawk climbed higher and higher until it became just a tiny speck, barely visible to the naked eye. And that got Alison thinking: just how high can birds go? Are there alt…