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No Such Thing As Pudsey's Passport

January 1, 2026·56 min·5 clips

Auguste Picard's first stratosphere trip went horribly wrong when his gondola started leaking and they had to lick walls for moisture.

This live episode of No Such Thing As A Fish features hosts Dan Schreiber, James Harkin, and Andrew Hunter Murray alongside guest Professor Alice Roberts, a prominent science communicator and author. The episode was recorded at London's historic Royal Institution, where the group shares unusual facts. James details the perilous 1931 stratospheric balloon flight of Swiss scientist Auguste Picard, who wore a makeshift pillow helmet. Picard and his assistant Paul Kipfer aimed to study cosmic rays to support Einstein's theories but faced multiple crises, including an unplanned takeoff and a broken temperature-control propeller. Their sealed aluminum gondola reached 40°C, forcing them to lick walls for moisture, and a frozen mechanism left them stranded until nightfall. A barometer explosion spilled mercury that began corroding the gondola floor, and newspapers prematurely reported their deaths. Alice explains that ancient anatomists mistakenly believed arteries carried air, a misconception embedded in the word's Greek origin meaning "air carrier." She traces the gradual understanding of circulation from Galen to William Harvey, who deduced the heart pumped blood in a closed loop in the 17th century. Harvey's friend King Charles I sent him to investigate witches in Burnley, where he was tasked with counting nipples. The discussion also covers Werner Forssmann, a German doctor who in the 1920s performed the first cardiac catheterization on himself, later winning a Nobel Prize. Andy reveals that jadarite, a mineral discovered in a Serbian mine, matches the fictional composition of kryptonite from the film *Superman Returns*. Jadarite is a lithium source that could supply most of Europe's electric vehicle battery targets, though its formation requires very specific alkaline and volcanic conditions. The conversation shifts to electric vehicle safety, noting they catch fire twenty times less often than petrol cars but burn more intensely. Andy also describes an "infinite" electric train used in Australian mining and a fan car that can drive upside down. The tone is lively, humorous, and conversational, with frequent banter among the hosts and guest. Listeners who enjoy eclectic science history, amusing anecdotes, and lighthearted fact-sharing will appreciate this episode. Those seeking a tightly focused, single-topic educational deep dive might find the rapid topic shifts less engaging.

As heard by us

Live science history with Alice Roberts, Harvey, and one very bad dog experiment.

A live Royal Institution recording gives the episode a brisk, argumentative rhythm, with Professor Alice Roberts on the Fish panel helping keep the pace sharp.

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Why you'd press play

For a live science panel at the Royal Institution that turns medical history into a running joke.

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