The Rest Is Science

What do we mean when we call an event random? Most people view randomness as a fundamental property of the universe, but is it just a label for our own lack of knowledge? Whether it is a weighted coin toss, a scratch card, or the digits of Pi, unpredictability usually emerges from rules and patterns that sit just beyond our perception. Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens dismantle the logic o...

Some objects feel like they’re from another world. One of these might be the giant structure that makes up a quantum computer. Lifted straight from the TV series Devs, Professor Hannah Fry shows Michael Stevens a prop that was designed to look just like one…now it hangs from the ceiling in her house. In this episode of Field Notes, Hannah and Michael examine the extraordinary technology behind of...

Right now, you’re breathing in. As you inhale, air rushes past millions of sensory receptors, activating the part of your brain responsible for smell. And yet, there’s one scent you’ll never notice: the very nose you’re breathing through, because humans are smell blind to themselves. Today, Professor Hannah Fry and VSauce's Michael Stevens explore the mechanics of perinasal chemosensation, otherwi...

Imagine: a series of objects floating in midair without magnets, strings or visible supports. With acoustic levitation sound waves alone can suspend droplets, beads and even small solids to seemingly defy gravity! In this episode of Field Notes, Hannah shows Michael this astonishing device, revealing how precisely tuned sound can manipulate matter. Behind the mesmerising floating objects lies a co...

Deep beneath our feet, churning molten metals create an invisible shield that holds our atmosphere in place and protects all life from the Sun. Some animals can sense it directly. Take the quantum effects in a robin’s eye, whales who cross oceans using no landmarks at all, or the bacteria that line themselves up to this unseen force. Join Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens as they explore ma...

From tiny six sided cubes to oversized polyhedrons with dozens of faces, Michael’s collection of dice is more than just a hobby, it’s a window into probability, design, and the strange ways we humans play with chance! Why might some dice feel luckier than others? How do they shape the games we play, the mathematics we study, and the way we've made decisions throughout history? Each die has it's us...

What day is it, really? And who decided? What happens to time when we leave the Earth? And when might future humans be counting down to the dawn of a New Year in the middle of the day? From missing days and meddling popes to atomic clocks and vanishing centuries, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens dive headfirst into one of the slipperiest questions in science and society: what IS the time a...

Each December millions of homes fill with the unmistakable scent of pine. It's sharp, resinous, and strangely comforting, feeling timeless…familiar…safe. But what if that smell isn’t what we think it is at all? Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens follow the trail of the molecules that shape this seasonal scent. It turns out it didn’t evolve to delight, but to warn and repel. The smell of Chri...

Could Santa Clause still exist IF we stripped away the magic? If the ability to bend spacetime was gone? What conditions would Santa need to deliver a present to every human being on Earth in a single night? Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens explore the historical, geographical, and logistical realities behind these questions using population data, longitudinal lines, mathematics AND a healthy dose o...

Tucked away in old engineering kits and museum drawers is a device whose sweeping motion once captivated mathematicians and designers alike.  The ellipsograph: a mechanical tool built from sliding arms and rotating joints that were tracing flawless curves long before computers made such things effortless. While they have the appearance of an ancient curiosity, the ellipsograph’s power lies in its...

What happens when the universe throws a random curveball at one of the most precise communities on Earth? Cosmic rays high energy particles from deep space are invisible, unpredictable, and capable of interfering with electronics in ways gamers never expect. Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens explore a surprising story from the speed running community, where split-second timings and frame-perfect prec...

What makes a simple brain-teaser about two identical swords one of the most deceptively tricky logic puzzles of the last century? And why has this seemingly innocent riddle fascinated mathematicians, programmers and puzzle-solvers for decades? First shared in recreational maths circles before spreading across classrooms and online forums, the “swords of truth” puzzle asks a disarmingly straightfor...

Has music really been getting worse… or is it just shifting in ways we don’t always notice? And why does the soundtrack to your teenage years feel like the single greatest playlist ever made? Hannah and Michael explore music’s strange grip on our minds. They trace why certain lyrics feel simpler than they used to, and what gives our formative songs lasting emotional charge. And what exactly is the...

How did pages of mysterious “gibberish” sent from Madras find their way to one of Cambridge University’s most respected mathematicians? Were the strange formulas the work of a deluded mind - or breakthrough insights of an unknown genius? The author of that letter was Srinivasa Ramanujan. His story inspired two Hollywood blockbusters (Goodwill Hunting, The Man Who Knew Infinity) but his mind change...

Are humans the only creatures that shed emotional tears? If we are, what purpose do these tears really serve? If crying is so natural, why do we so often try to hide it? A single sob sends Hannah and Michael into an unexpected journey through the science and mystery of emotional crying, from the first tearful moments of infancy to the complex social signals behind adult weeping. Why do babies cry...

What happens when humanity dares to shout a cosmic “hello”? Could it help alien civilisations decode human mathematics, our DNA, the blueprints of who we are? And why did we blast the 3-trillion-watt message into the stars in the first place…only to never try anything like it again? This is the story of the Arecibo message. Welcome to The Rest Is Science: Field Notes. Every Thursday, Hannah and Mi...

What is gravity, really? Why do objects pull towards each other at all? And if Einstein 'fixed' Newton’s theory, why does gravity remain one of science’s biggest unsolved mysteries? A clumsy trip into a lamppost leads Michael and Hannah into a whirlwind tour of our changing understanding of gravity, from falling apples and making wormholes for ants, to the puzzles we still can’t crack. Why does ti...

Is lava water, and could we have a delicious hot cup of it? Is ice really a rock, and not water? And, the age old question, is water wet? From the minerals that shape the taste of our favourite drinks, to the tiny isotopes that reveal where a person, or whale, has travelled, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens reveal the hidden life of H₂O. Along the way, they uncover why pure water can be de...

Forget what you think you know about reality. The Rest Is Science is a mind-bending series that tears down familiar ideas… time, randomness, beauty, it will reveal just how bizarre the world truly is. Join Professor Hannah Fry and science creator Michael Stevens (Vsauce) twice a week to explore big, small and surprising questions as they deep dive into theories, concepts, objects and thoughts and...