Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford (Read by), Hannah Fry (Read by)

The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry: Series 1-10

BBC science sleuths solve everyday mysteries

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Summary

Science sleuths Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Hannah Fry investigate everyday mysteries.

In this irreverent and illuminating popular science show, award-winning geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford teams up with mathematics guru Dr Hannah Fry to solve puzzling conundrums sent in by listeners. For the past five years, they've been scrutinizing a cornucopia of cases using the power of science - from why people shout on their mobile phones to d how much the bacteria in our body weighs.

As broadcast on BBC Radio, these 50 episodes tackle topics including what makes gingers ginger, how to make the perfect cup of tea, whether being left-handed affects your brain and why we get static shocks. Plus, they explain why the Earth spins, what's inside a black hole, why tunes get stuck in our heads and how bats echolocate - as well as solving the enigma of why sex exists and discovering whether science can help you win the lottery.
So whether you're curious about déjà vu, wondering if we could shoot lasers to the moon, or simply desperate to identify the tiniest dinosaur, Fry and Rutherford have the answers you need. Helping them to find the solutions are a host of fellow scientists and special guests including Professors Alice Roberts, Marcus du Sautoy and Jim Al-Khalili; Jay Rayner; Shaun Keaveney, Rory Cellan-Jones and Duncan Wisbey.

Presented by Drs Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry
This collection contains the original episodes of The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry as they first appeared on BBC Radio 4 on 15-19 February 2016 (Series 1), 30 May-3 June 2016 (Series 2), 3-7 October 2016 (Series 3), 5-9 December 2016 (Series 4), 13-17 March 2017 (Series 5), 12-16 June 2017 (Series 6), 25-29 September 2017 (Series 7), 8-12 January 2018 (Series 8), 26 February-2 March 2018 (Series 9), 28 May-1 June 2018 (Series 10)
Producer: Michelle Martin

©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

About the authors

Adam Rutherford

Adam Rutherford is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and geneticist at University College London. His books include A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, The Book of Humans, and the Sunday Times bestseller How to Argue with a Racist. He has written and presented numerous documentaries for BBC radio and television, including Inside Science and The Cell. Adam has also worked as a science advisor on many films, including the Oscar-winning Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018).

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Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry is currently Professor in the mathematics of cities from University College London. In January 2025 she will join Cambridge University as the first Professor for the Public Understanding of Mathematics. In January 2024, Hannah was appointed to be the new president of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. Hannah is the author of The Mathematics of Love, The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus and Hello World and regularly writes for The New Yorker. Her work has included using mathematical models to study patterns in human behaviour, and she has worked with governments, police forces, health analysts and supermarkets. Her TED talks have amassed millions of views and she has fronted television documentaries for the BBC, PBS and Bloomberg TV. She co-hosts the long-running science podcast, 'The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry' with the BBC and since 2020, she has been the host of the podcast created for the artificial intelligence company, DeepMind.