BBC Inside Science

Episode Summary

Following the lingering aftertaste of 2023’s El Niño—a recurring weather pattern that wreaked havoc across the Pacific basin—the year 2026 brings yet another stirring in the Pacific Ocean. Early warnings suggest this new phenomenon could be one of the most intense on record. Roland Pease sits down with Amanda Maycock, a climatologist from Leeds University, to break down what this climate event entails and how it will affect the globe from October through the early part of next year.

In a separate segment, the program travels to the Mackenzie Mountains in Canada’s Northwest Territory. There, Scott Evans from the American Museum of Natural History has discovered a rich trove of fossils buried deep beneath the ancient ocean floor. These findings offer clues about the biology and ecology of life before the Cambrian explosion, a period marked by the emergence of animals with hard shells and bones. Specifically, the fossils reveal an ecosystem dominated by soft, gelatinous creatures. Evans’s work raises the question: did animal life originate in the darkest, deepest parts of the ocean rather than in shallow pools near the land?

On the environmental front, the episode addresses the destructive nature of bottom trawling—a fishing method that drags heavy nets across the seabed, often ripping up everything in its path to maximize yield. Over half a billion years later, this practice continues to cause significant environmental harm. Roland Pease speaks with Amanda Vincent, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and founder of the Project Seahorse conservation group. They discuss the potential benefits of banning bottom trawling, citing recent results that show a biodiversity renaissance in Scottish waters where such trawling has been prohibited for several years.

Additionally, science journalist Gareth Mitchell explains how bottom trawling negatively impacts technology and other scientific fields. The episode also includes brief updates on other science news, including solar storms and reports of robotic wolf shortages in Japan.

Credits * Presenter: Roland Pease * Producers: Alex Mansfield and Dan Welsh * Editor: Martin Smith * Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth * Programme Website: Available online

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-21 20:00:00 UTC