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Episode details

Radio 4,25 Jul 2018,14 mins

SeriesSeries 1

The Coelacanth

The Genius of Accidents

Available for over a year

The coelacanth is a fish that, until 1938, was only known from the fossil record until a young South African curator named Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer found one - only just deceased - on the deck of a fishing boat. Presenter Adam Hart speaks with ichthyologists and curators who knew Marjorie, putting together the story of how a curious mind, determination and a bit of luck saved this 'living fossil' for science. Producer: Rory Galloway.

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