Tales of the Unexpected

Aired 2014-04-06

New science is revealing breasts in a way that we’ve never seen them before. For years we’ve been seeking perfection: shape, size, and food source for our children. But now some scientists believe they may also be a hidden toxic waste ground. Putting breasts tissue - and breast milk - to the test, this documentary will investigate if these wonderful life-giving organs are under threat from the modern world and if they’re actually an early warning system telling us about the dangers of the chemicals around us.

Aired 2014-04-13

For thousands of years, in fairgrounds and temples, palm readers have claimed our hands encode valuable information. Is this just superstition? Or is there, buried beneath the theatre and the cliches, a core of genuine science? Can our hands really tell us anything about our past, our present or our future? Does the lifeline on your hand reveal the age at which you’ll die? Can your hands detect your sexual preference? For the first time palm reading is put to the test and will debunk the myths that have been passed on for generations. This documentary will also have you looking at your own hands in a new light.

Aired 2014-04-20

One in three children, claim many tabloids, may not be biologically related to the man they call Dad. Could this really be true? This program conducts the first ever purpose-designed paternity poll, asking some truly awkward questions. Comparing rates of paternity uncertainty in Australia and the United States, we ask what is the real rate of ‘non-paternity’, and might there be biological survival benefits for children born outside marriage? Following parents and children as they seek to uncover the truth, we discover how, today, there’s nowhere to hide your genes.