Episode description

Celebrations for the Lunar New Year kicked off on 29th January, and this year is the Year of the Snake.

We start things off by discussing the purpose of some mysterious serpent markings on the banks of the Orinoco River.

Next, we find out about the origins of snake oil, before digging into the psychology of why we trust snake-like people.

Plus, herpetologist Dr Mark O’Shea tells us all about his work identifying snakes, and what happened when he got bitten.

That, plus many more Unexpected Elements.

Presenters: Marnie Chesterton, with Chhavi Sachdev and Christine Yohannes. Producers: Dan Welsh, with Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, William Hornbrook and Imaan Moin.