No Such Thing As A Fish No Such Thing As Pudsey's Passport
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Jan 1, 2026 
Professor Alice Roberts, a distinguished anatomical anthropologist and science communicator, joins the hosts for a lively discussion. They explore the wild connection between science and pop culture, from Pokémon's insect-collecting roots to Superman's chemistry. Alice shares thrilling tales of past aeronautical risks and the bizarre history of blood-vessel misconceptions. The panel also dives into the intriguing world of archaeology, recounting memorable fieldwork and remarkable fossil discoveries, all while keeping the conversation entertaining and enlightening.
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Disaster-Prone Stratosphere Ascent
- Auguste Picard and his assistant ascended to the stratosphere in a fragile sealed gondola under a huge hydrogen balloon in 1931. They endured holes, exploding instruments, extreme heat, and a frozen descent mechanism but survived and retrieved data on cosmic rays.
Arteries Were Thought To Carry Air
- Early anatomists believed arteries carried air, not blood, which influenced centuries of medical misunderstanding. The word 'artery' literally means 'air carrier', reflecting that long-standing misconception.
Harvey's Proof Of Circulation
- William Harvey established that blood moves in a closed loop and veins return blood to the heart, overturning older theories of continual blood production. His calculations on blood volume were key to proving circulation rather than constant generation.