Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

BBC World Service

The news you know, the science you don’t. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe. From Afronauts, to why we argue, to a deep dive on animal lifespans: see the world in a new way.

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In 2025, Russian-born scientist Kseniia Petrova picked up some spliced frog embryos from a laboratory in France and brought them back to the USA to aid her research into ageing and cancer. She was detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), charged with smuggling and had her visa revoked.

Now though, a judge has ruled that the scientist’s visa was wrongly cancelled.

Inspired by this story, the Unexpected Elements team find out how embryos and sperm behave in space.

Next, we discover that embryos can regenerate limbs, and new research could help us unlock those skills as adults.

We also reveal the unexpected link between frogs and pregnancy tests, and find out about a devastating fungus that’s wreaking havoc on amphibians.

And don't miss probiotics for coral reefs, dessert stomachs and the weird physics of time.

All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Katie Silver and Camilla Mota Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Ella Hubber and Georgia Christie