Main content

The Infinite Monkey's Guide To… Tiny Things

Does Size Matter? Brian and Robin look at the littlest things alive, and search for a particle so small nobody even knows if it exists.

Brian Cox and Robin Ince shuffle through the archive to find the smallest things in the world of science, from a particle so tiny nobody has ever actually seen it, to the millions of microbes we’re all made up of. They ask the short-of-stature comedian Andy Hamilton how he’d feel about being three times bigger, which he admits could come in handy if he ever met a mammoth, leading to an unexpected discussion about a potential new TV gameshow format. Entomologist Erica McAlister is back to tell the team about her favourite fly, which can burrow into a human head to lay its eggs, and we learn about a project to make ants glow in the dark using nano-gold which went a little bit wrong.

New episodes will be released on Wednesdays. If you’re in the UK, listen to the full series on Â鶹ÊÓƵAV Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF

Producer: Marijke Peters
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Episodes featured:
Series 16: What particles remain to be discovered?
Series 19: Microbes: Secret rulers of the world?
Series 6: Does size matter?
Series 23: In praise of flies
Series 24: Astronauts

Release date:

Available now

22 minutes

Watch: UFO Special

Watch: UFO Special

Brian Cox and Robin Ince ask if UFOs and aliens have visited Earth.

10 reasons why aliens probably exist

10 reasons why aliens probably exist

Does alien life exist? Probably yes. But will we be making contact anytime soon?

Why we laugh: 9 things you didn’t know

Why we laugh: 9 things you didn’t know

What makes us laugh, why we do it, and how a good guffaw can help us feel healthier.

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.

Podcast