Listen "Are you not entertained?"
Episode Synopsis
It’s been 24 years since the release of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, which left audiences captivated by the story of Maximus the gladiator, played by Russell Crowe. Now, Gladiator II is hitting the cinemas, so this week we enter the arena to take a look at some gladiatorial science.We hear about an angry little fish that fights off its rivals in mouth-to-mouth combat, we discover how humans have looked to nature to design better armour, and we find out about the perfume that Julius Caesar would have worn.We also speak to Dr Chris Nowinski, a former WWE professional wrestler who's now a pioneering neuroscientist. He’s leading some research into how to prevent concussions in sport, and is co-founder of The Concussion Legacy Foundation.That, plus many more Unexpected Elements. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Christine Yohannes and Chhavi Sachdev
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Dan Welsh and Imaan Moin
Sound engineer: Dyfan Rose
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Dan Welsh and Imaan Moin
Sound engineer: Dyfan Rose
More episodes of the podcast Unexpected Elements
Science down under
16/01/2026
Science of the future
09/01/2026
An episode inspired by our listeners
02/01/2026
The gift of science
26/12/2025
Why are we sad when television series end?
19/12/2025
Chicken, with a side order of science
12/12/2025
Some bear-y interesting space science
05/12/2025
Some Beautiful Science
21/11/2025
A keg of beer-based science
14/11/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.