大象传媒

How does traffic jam? And, why do some people shout into their cellphones in public places? Two subjects guaranteed to annoy even the most patient listeners.

The Phantom Jam
Listener Matthew Chandler wrote to us: "I travel on the motorway for work and often I find myself sitting in a traffic jam for ages, thinking there must be roadworks or an accident ahead, then suddenly the jam mysteriously disappears to reveal鈥� nothing! There's no apparent reason whatsoever."

Doctors Rutherford and Fry discover the cause of these phantom jams. Adam ventures on to the M25 in search of a tailback, and Hannah looks at projects around the world designed to thwart traffic tailbacks.

This case features Neal Harwood from the Transport Research Laboratory and 大象传媒 technology reporter, Jane Wakefield. Plus a special guest appearance from Greg Marston, aka 'Masdar City Man'.

The Aural Voyeur
Listener Daniel Sarano, from New Jersey, asks why people shout on their mobile phones in public: "I have no interest in hearing about people鈥檚 private lives. I don鈥檛 enjoy the aural voyeurism. If people want to say 'honey I鈥檓 running late, be home in 5'. That鈥檚 OK, but discussing business or, worse, personal details鈥�. I hate it. The whole idea would have seemed an anathema to older generations. I think they would have considered it rude to talk loudly in public. No sense of that in the 21st Century.鈥�

We discover the answer to this annoying modern habit by delving into the inner workings of telephony. What follows is a tale of engineering rivalry, Victorian etiquette and early otolaryngology. Providing the answers are acoustic technologist Nick Zakarov and historian Greg Jenner, author of 'A Million Years in a Day: A Curious History of Daily Life'.

If you have any everyday mysteries for the team to investigate using the power of science, please email curiouscases@bbc.co.uk

Producer: Michelle Martin

Image: A man on a phone, Credit: Thinkstock