16 min listen
A Frytful Scare Part 2
ratings:
Length:
33 minutes
Released:
Nov 1, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Rutherford and Fry delve into the history of roller coasters in the second instalment of their investigation into why we enjoy being scared.
Amelie Xenakis asks: "Why do people enjoy rollercoasters? I am a thrill-seeker and I am always terrified before riding a roller coaster but I enjoy the ride itself. (I would like BOTH of you to ride a roller coaster if possible)."
Never ones to shy away from a challenge, the pair attempt to channel their inner adrenaline junkies with a trip on one the UK's scariest rollercoasters at Thorpe Park.
They discover the birth of the roller coaster in the 18th century, when Catherine the Great enjoyed careering down Russian Ice Mountains covered in snow. Adam talks to scary sociologist Margee Kerr, author of 'Scream! The Science of Fear', about how the modern roller coaster evolved.
David Poeppel from New York University studies the science of screaming, and we discover what makes screams uniquely terrifying. Plus, psychologist and broadcaster Claudia Hammond describes some early experiments which tested how fear affects our body.
Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry
Producer: Michelle Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
Amelie Xenakis asks: "Why do people enjoy rollercoasters? I am a thrill-seeker and I am always terrified before riding a roller coaster but I enjoy the ride itself. (I would like BOTH of you to ride a roller coaster if possible)."
Never ones to shy away from a challenge, the pair attempt to channel their inner adrenaline junkies with a trip on one the UK's scariest rollercoasters at Thorpe Park.
They discover the birth of the roller coaster in the 18th century, when Catherine the Great enjoyed careering down Russian Ice Mountains covered in snow. Adam talks to scary sociologist Margee Kerr, author of 'Scream! The Science of Fear', about how the modern roller coaster evolved.
David Poeppel from New York University studies the science of screaming, and we discover what makes screams uniquely terrifying. Plus, psychologist and broadcaster Claudia Hammond describes some early experiments which tested how fear affects our body.
Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry
Producer: Michelle Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
Released:
Nov 1, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
A Study in Spheres: Why is everything in space round? Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate. by The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry