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Are you not entertained?

Drawing inspiration from the release of Gladiator II, we take a look at some gladiatorial science, including fighting animals, armour and concussions.

It鈥檚 been 24 years since the release of Ridley Scott鈥檚 Gladiator, which left audiences captivated by the story of Maximus the gladiator, played by Russell Crowe. Now, Gladiator II is hitting the cinemas, so this week we enter the arena to take a look at some gladiatorial science.

We hear about an angry little fish that fights off its rivals in mouth-to-mouth combat, we discover how humans have looked to nature to design better armour, and we find out about the perfume that Julius Caesar would have worn.

We also speak to Dr Chris Nowinski, a former WWE professional wrestler who's now a pioneering neuroscientist. He鈥檚 leading some research into how to prevent concussions in sport, and is co-founder of The Concussion Legacy Foundation.

That, plus many more Unexpected Elements.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Christine Yohannes and Chhavi Sachdev
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Dan Welsh and Imaan Moin
Sound engineer: Dyfan Rose

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49 minutes

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