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The Shocking White Hair

Why does human hair go grey and can it turn white overnight from shock? Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate. From 2022.

Why does human hair go grey and is it ever possible for it to go white overnight from shock?

Hannah and Adam explore why hair goes grey, how much stressful life events and a lack of sleep can speed up the process.

They hear from the pilot whose hair turned white after a flight where all 4 of his engines failed after flying through a volcanic ash cloud - was the shock responsible?

They also uncover new research which has shown it's possible for greying hair to return to its natural colour and ask if this finding could be exploited to uncover a cosmetic way to reverse hair greying?

Presenters: Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford
Producer: Pamela Rutherford

First broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 4 in March 2022.

Available now

34 minutes

Last on

Fri 12 Jan 2024 21:00

Broadcasts

  • Thu 10 Mar 2022 16:00
  • Sun 13 Mar 2022 23:00
  • Fri 12 Jan 2024 21:00

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