EPISODE · Mar 13, 2026 · 49 MIN
Out for blood
from Unexpected Elements · host BBC World Service
With this year’s Oscars on the horizon, and vampire film Sinners nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards, the Unexpected Elements team sinks their teeth into some blood-sucking science.First, we discover that Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian prince who inspired Dracula, may have not only had blood on his hands, but also in his tears. We also hear about a woman in Guadeloupe with the world’s newest and rarest blood type.We’re then joined by Dr Naomi Ewald from the UK’s Freshwater Habitats Trust who tells us all about nature’s little bloodsuckers – leeches – and why their use in medicine is not just a practice consigned to the history books.Also, the gravity-defying gecko of the Gambia, how close are we to producing artificial blood, and the Patagonian dinosaur that looks like a judgemental chicken.All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Ella Hubber, with Sophie Ormiston, Lucy Davies and Imy Harper
What this episode covers
With this year’s Oscars on the horizon, and vampire film Sinners nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards, the Unexpected Elements team sinks their teeth into some blood-sucking science.First, we discover that Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian prince who inspired Dracula, may have not only had blood on his hands, but also in his tears. We also hear about a woman in Guadeloupe with the world’s newest and rarest blood type.We’re then joined by Dr Naomi Ewald from the UK’s Freshwater Habitats Trust who tells us all about nature’s little bloodsuckers – leeches – and why their use in medicine is not just a practice consigned to the history books.Also, the gravity-defying gecko of the Gambia, how close are we to producing artificial blood, and the Patagonian dinosaur that looks like a judgemental chicken.All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Ella Hubber, with Sophie Ormiston, Lucy Davies and Imy Harper
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Out for blood
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