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We investigate how the vast possibilities in a game of chess compare to the vastness of the observable universe.
Dr James Grime helps us understand the Shannon number ? a famous figure on the chess side of the equation - and astronomer Professor Catherine Heymans takes on the entire observable universe.
Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Debbie Richford and Nathan Gower Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: Andy Fell Editor: Richard Vadon
Alec Baldwin indicted in movie set shooting, the prosecution thinks there is enough to move forward on involuntary manslaughter. Winter weather in the east, roads are still covered in ice or snow.
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Our brave and heroic Congress has done the incredible ... again ... passing legislation to temporarily keep the government running until February. Great, um, job. In the interview, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale's school of management joins us to explain why Putin in hurting economically and why reporters don't get the story. Also on the show, Pakistan and Iran have nice things to say to each other despite those missiles.
Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara
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What evidence is there for a semi-aquatic period in human evolutionary history? That’s the question that’s been bothering listener Dave in Thailand. He thinks our lack of hair and love of water might indicate that, at some point, we were more water-based than we are now. But what does science have to say on the matter?
The theory that our ape ancestors returned to the water for a phase in our evolutionary history is a controversial idea that most scientists disagree with.
Anand Jagatia chats to Dr Melissa Ilardo, assistant professor at the University of Utah, about our dive reflex - a physiological response we display when submerged underwater, which helps direct oxygen towards vital organs. But this is not a response that is unique to humans - it is found in all mammals. Experts say it developed long before all apes split off in the evolutionary tree.
To find out more about the theory itself Anand hears from John Langdon, emeritus professor at the University of Indianapolis. He explains why the aquatic ape theory is not generally accepted by anthropologists, what the fossil record can tell us about our evolutionary path and why evolution is much more complex than the aquatic ape hypothesis suggests.
While there may be little evidence of a semi-aquatic period in our evolutionary past, there are some communities around the world that have adapted to utilising their watery environments in more recent evolutionary history.
Anand speaks to Dr Nicole Smith-Guzman at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute who has found evidence that ancient populations in Panama were habitually diving in the sea for shells and seafood. She explains how she can piece together evidence from different sources to detect the activity of ancient populations. And Dr Melissa Ilardo explains how evolutionary pressure can cause physical changes in isolated communities, as our bodies ultimately adapt to help us thrive in more watery environments.
Producer: Hannah Fisher Presenter: Anand Jagatia Editor: Richard Collings Production co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris Sound engineer: Jackie Margerum
(Photo: Woman swimming underwater. Credit: Petrelos/Getty Images)