The Rest Is Science

The Rest Is Science

Join mathematician Professor Hannah Fry and science creator Michael Stevens (Vsauce) as they dig into the weird scientific questions that often go unexplored. Welcome to The Rest Is Science, a show that sits in the fascinating space between what we think we know, and what we actually know. Why do we assume we understand things like time, randomness, or even gravity? Once you start questioning these familiar ideas, reality becomes astonishingly strange and completely fragile. Whether you're a lifelong science fan or just naturally curious, The Rest Is Science will change your perception of reality, and prove that the biggest questions are always the most fun.

Episodes

The Device That Maps The Heavens

December 17, 2025 • 26 mins
Tucked away in old engineering kits and museum drawers is a device whose gentle 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 ability to transform a...
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Are You REALLY Made Of Stars?

December 15, 2025 • 36 mins
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 speedrunning community, where split-second timings and frame-perfect precision collide with the chaos of the c...
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The Magic Math Trick That Fools Everyone

December 10, 2025 • 39 mins
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 straightforward question — yet its solution...
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Is Music Getting Worse?

December 8, 2025 • 44 mins
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 reminiscence bump, that curious...
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The Letter That Changed Mathematics

December 3, 2025 • 35 mins
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 changed the shape of mathematics forever.W...
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This One's a Tear Jerker

December 1, 2025 • 46 mins
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 before they can speak? How do tea...
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What We Said To Aliens

November 26, 2025 • 37 mins
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 Michael rummage through their pers...
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We're All Being Pulled Together

November 24, 2025 • 41 mins
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 time tick faster on a mountain...
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How To Drink Lava

November 24, 2025 • 37 mins
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 deadly, how yesterday’s sewage migh...
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The Rest Is Science - Coming 25th November

November 18, 2025 • 1 min
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 take us on a journey into the unex...
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