Starless World

The Infinite Monkey Cage

BBC

Comedy, Science

4.7 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 November 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Brian Cox and Robin Ince consider how different our understanding of the universe would be without the stars. They are joined by Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Roberto Trotta and comedian John Bishop who illuminate all that we have learnt from the stars and how different life would be without them.

Every culture has looked up at the night sky, but why are we so drawn to the pin pricks of light in the sky above us all and how have they helped shape human civilisation? Roberto Trotta takes us back to the origins of astronomy, to women who he believes were the first astronomers, linking the orbital period of the moon with the length of the menstrual cycle. We continue the historical journey, through the astronomical greats, Galileo, Copernicus and Kepler who all in part owe their scientific discoveries to the stars. Our panel marvel at how we, an infinitesimally small part of the universe, are able to look up at the stars and comprehend what is beyond and how this star-gazing has profoundly shaped our sense of selves as well as underpinned science as we know it.

Producer: Melanie Brown Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem Researcher: Olivia Jani

BBC Studios Audio production

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are about to listen to a BBC podcast and I'd like to tell you a bit about what goes into making one.
0:06.5	I'm Sadata Sese, an assistant commissioner of podcasts for BBC Sounds.
0:11.2	I pull a lot of levers to support a diverse range of podcasts on all sorts of subjects,
0:16.0	relationships, identity, comedy, even one that mixes poetry, music and inner city life.
0:22.4	So one day I'll be helping host develop their ideas, the next fact-checking, a feature,
0:28.3	and the next looking at how a podcast connects with its audience, and maybe that's you.
0:33.6	So if you like this podcast, check out some others on BBC Sounds.
0:39.5	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.
0:43.3	You're about to listen to The Infinite Monkey Cage.
0:45.5	Episodes will be released on Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts.
0:49.4	But if you're in the UK, the full series is available right now.
0:53.4	First on BBC Sound.
0:55.5	Hello, I'm Brian Cox.
0:56.6	I'm Robin Ince.
0:57.3	And this is The Infinite Monkey Cage.
0:58.8	Today, we ask a big question.
1:01.2	What if there existed a universe that was without Patrick Moore or indeed Brian Cox?
1:09.2	What if there was a cosmos without the sky at night?
1:12.5	Because there was no sky at night, just an inky blackness.
1:17.2	The experience of standing alone on a clear night and looking at the stars,
1:20.8	of dreaming of worlds beyond our own, worlds beyond imagination,
1:24.4	is not only a powerful emotional experience, but also a powerful intellectual one.
	...

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