Podcast · Kids & Family

Mysteries of Science

The team behind The Week Junior's Science+Nature magazine investigate unexplained phenomenon with the help of expert guests.

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 21 min
Latest: 10 Sep 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

10 Sep 2026 · 24 min

How did humans take over the world?

We’re back in the archives with one of the biggest mysteries this show has ever taken on: us. Modern humans have only been around for about 200,000 years, a blink of an eye next to the three billion years life has existed on Earth. We’re not the biggest, the fastest or the strongest animal out there, so how did we end up running the planet? Dan and Michael follow the clues from a strange skull dug out of a German quarry in 1856 to the Neanderthal DNA almost all of us still carry. Historian Yuval Noah Harari, author of Unstoppable Us, argues our real superpower is storytelling, and geneticist…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S10 · E21 · 14 Aug 2026 · 24 min
How did everything begin?
Dan and Michael explore the biggest mystery of them all: how did everything begin? Around 75 years ago, British astronomer Fred Hoyle went on the radio and used the term "Big Bang" for the very first time. The odd thing is, he was making fun of it. He didn't believe a word of it, and he never changed his mind. So how do we know the Big Bang really happened? Astrophysicist Dr Maggie Lieu from the University of Nottingham explains how Edwin Hubble worked out that the universe is expanding, and why that means everything must have started from one infinitely small, infinitely hot point. She also…
S10 · E20 · 17 Jul 2026 · 23 min
Feeling lucky?
Are you a lucky person? Do you have a lucky number, a lucky shirt, or a favourite pair of lucky pants? In this episode of Mysteries of Science , hosts Dan and Michael investigate one of life's slipperiest puzzles: is luck actually real, or is it just a story we tell ourselves? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E19 · 18 Jun 2026 · 28 min
Fairies and other amazing hoaxes
We're in the archives for another episode of Mysteries of Science. In our first of season three, released on April Fool's Day, hosts Dan, Stevie, and Michael take a deep dive into three of the most famous scientific hoaxes. We're looking at the Cottingley Fairy photographs, crop circles, and zero gravity day... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E18 · 22 May 2026 · 20 min
The Ice Mummy
Two hikers stumble upon something in the ice: a mummy. Called, Ötzi, over the next few days, the mummy's extracted and examined by experts. It turns out to be 5,000 years old. Who was this person? How did they get there? And what can we learn from the body in the ice? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E17 · 23 Apr 2026 · 24 min
The Truth About Dragons
Dan and Ciaran open an archive case: Are dragons real? Why do stories of fire-breathing, winged beasts appear in cultures across the world – and can science explain their origins? We're on the quest for answers; from Viking myths to Chinese legends, dinosaur fossils, and even the lair of real-life Komodo dragons. Legendary author Cressida Cowell, dino-expert Nick Crumpton, and Chester Zoo’s own Komodo dragon keeper, Matthew Cook help unpick which mysteries are real and which ones are rubbish. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E16 · 27 Mar 2026 · 21 min
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
This special episode is packed with real experts answering the burning questions sent in by you, our curious listeners! Get ready as we finally crack the age-old debate: what came first, the chicken or the egg? Along the way, we explore mind-bending concepts like wormholes, discover the surprising origins and purpose of your fingerprints, and even uncover how koalas could be master criminals (sort of) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E15 · 27 Feb 2026 · 30 min
Where's Bigfoot?
In this monster-sized episode, Dan and Ciaran lace up their hiking boots to probe one of North America’s most legendary mysteries: Bigfoot. Is this giant, hairy, mysterious figure a real creature stomping through the forests, or is it just a brilliant tale best told around the campfire? We begin by tracking the legend back a thousand years to Indigenous cave art to modern-day giant footprints and strange noises in the woods... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E14 · 30 Jan 2026 · 20 min
Deepfakes
Can you believe everything you see and hear online? Dan and Michael navigate the fascinating and unsettling world of deepfakes: images, videos, and audio so realistic you might not know they’re fake. With help from tech experts and researchers, they reveal how deepfakes are made, why they’re getting better and harder to spot and challenge you to outsmart the fakes yourself. Along the way, find out how deepfake tech brings movie characters back to life and why we all need to sharpen our digital detective skills for the future. Test your skills, learn the science behind AI…
S10 · E13 · 5 Jan 2026 · 34 min
Undercover in Area 51
Dan and Michael don their detective hats and head into the Nevada desert to investigate one of the biggest mysteries on Earth: Area 51. Some say it’s just a top-secret US military base for testing new aircraft. Others believe it’s the hiding place for crashed UFOs and even extraterrestrial visitors... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E12 · 5 Dec 2025 · 24 min
Curious lives of octopuses
Hosts Dan and Michael investigate the curious lives of octopuses: a creature with three hearts, colour-changing skin, and arms that almost think for themselves... Why are octopuses such masters of disguise? Just how smart are they? And what secrets lurk within bodies? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E11 · 7 Nov 2025 · 26 min
Flashy dinos
Over the past few decades, our ideas about what dinosaurs looked like have changed. Dinos were once thought of as scaly creatures, closely related to reptiles. Now, they are thought to have come in a beautiful array of colours, some with flashy feathers. The Science+Nature team, along with expert guests, unpack this mystery as we ask: what did dinosaurs look like? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E10 · 10 Oct 2025 · 21 min
Smart machines and artificial intelligence
Clever machines have appeared in countless films and are making headlines all the time, but what exactly does it mean? How does it actually work? And could computers ever become so intelligent that they end up doing everything for us? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E9 · 15 Sep 2025 · 23 min
Black holes
Join Dan and Michael as they dive into Mysteries of Science, the children’s science podcast spotting the universe’s strangest phenomena. In this episode they explore black holes—from how stars collapse to form them, to the event horizon where nothing escapes. The episode also features a tour of how radio waves reveal black holes, what spaghettification means, and whether Earth is at risk. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E8 · 18 Aug 2025 · 17 min
Bermuda Triangle: Do planes really go missing?
The team investigate the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle – a patch in the Caribbean that's well-known for swallowing up airplanes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E7 · 18 Jul 2025 · 20 min
Shark Secrets
Dun dun... Dun dun... Dun dun dun dun dun... Michael and Jenny dip their toes into a the water and go searching for sharks. Scary and sinister or seriously misunderstood? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E6 · 23 Jun 2025 · 21 min
Communicating with aliens
A transmission from the past: Dan and Ciaran ask whether it's possible to talk to aliens. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E5 · 23 May 2025 · 18 min
Everything you need to know about weather
Weather systems can be weird and wonderful. In this episode of Mysteries of Science, Michael and Stevie float among the clouds in an effort to understand more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E4 · 24 Apr 2025 · 24 min
Is shapeshifting possible?
If you could transform into anything, what would you become? And could shapeshifting ever be possible? That's what we're asking in this archive episode of Mysteries of Science See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E3 · 28 Mar 2025 · 20 min
Unearthing Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo is one of Europe's most amazing discoveries. This ancient burial site once held a ship packed with treasure – but no body. Who was buried there? And why have ghostly visions of helmeted warriors been reported on the site? With the help of expert archaeologists, Dan and Stevie explore the story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E2 · 28 Feb 2025 · 23 min
In search of Planet X
Ciaran and Dan look at what makes a planet in this classic episode of Mysteries of Science, and whether there's a mysterious extra planet – Planet X – just beyond Neptune, lurking in our cosmic neighbourhood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S10 · E1 · 31 Jan 2025 · 24 min
Loch Ness Monster
We’re diving into one of the greatest mysteries of all time – The Loch Ness Monster. From ancient legends to modern scientific investigations, we explore the history, sightings, and possible explanations for Nessie. Could she be a prehistoric creature, a giant eel, or just a trick of the imagination? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S9 · E5 · 3 Jan 2025 · 13 min
Mariana Trench
We're off to the deepest part of the ocean today – the Mariana Trench – on the quest to find out what lurks in its waters and why it's so hard to explore... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S9 · E4 · 6 Dec 2024 · 15 min
What killed Venus?
Michael and Stevie become interplanetary detectives as they investigate the solar system's hottest and most deadly murder mystery. Venus is often referred to as Earth's twin because the two planets are so similar. But if that's the case, then why is Venus is so inhospitable to life? We take a trip into space and find out what killed Venus... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S9 · E3 · 8 Nov 2024 · 20 min
How to sail like Moana
To celebrate the release of Moana 2, coming soon to cinemas, Dan and Stevie go on a journey to Polynesia to find out how thousands of islands thousands of miles apart were settled without the use of typical instruments using a technique known as wayfinding... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S9 · E2 · 11 Oct 2024 · 22 min
Animal consciousness
Stevie and Michael sit down and chat with some top experts to find out how animals experience the world. From dolphins to octopuses to pets and more, we ask the question: are animals smarter than us? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S9 · E1 · 19 Sep 2024 · 19 min
Oumuamua
Hosts Dan and Michael delve into the enigma of Oumuamua, a mysterious object that passed through our solar system in 2017. Initially thought to be a comet or asteroid, Oumuamua's unusual characteristics led to speculation about its origins, including the possibility of it being an alien spacecraft... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S8 · E11 · 5 Sep 2024 · 18 min
Your Mysteries: Moonbows, werewolves, and dinosaur extinction
Michael and Stevie get answers to your burning questions in another episode of Mysteries of Science including a phenomena all about rainbows at night as well as what caused the extinction of the dinos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S8 · E10 · 22 Aug 2024 · 13 min
Magic potions
Inspired by the Harry Potter series, hosts Stevie and Michael explore magic potions! They uncover the real-life inspiration behind Professor Snape, revealing that a real potions master named Henry Lloyd Snape existed in the late 19th century... We also meet illustrator Johnny Duddle and ask you for your own ideas for magical potions! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S8 · E9 · 12 Aug 2024 · 16 min
Future of food: Would you eat insects?
Are insects in our diets the new sustainable food source? We're sharing parts of our talk from Cheltenham Science Festival plus chatting to exports like dairy farmer, Rich. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About Mysteries of Science

The team behind The Week Junior's Science+Nature magazine investigate unexplained phenomenon with the help of expert guests.

Mysteries of Science is a English kids & family podcast from Fun Kids. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Fun Kids
Language: English
Category: Kids & Family
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 21 min
Latest episode: 10 Sep 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1559723564
Website: funkidslive.com
Rights: 2026 Fun Kids

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