Rebecca Stott says the idea of 'going down a rabbit hole' is often characterised as a bad thing - here, she makes the case for what's to be gained.
"These days we invariably use the phrase 'down the rabbit hole' to describe a negative experience...where people get lost, then become overwhelmed, ensnare themselves in conspiracy theories and can't get back out," she says.
"But I don't believe rabbit holes are bad in themselves. If we avoid them altogether we lose the chance to experience their joy and excitement."
She recalls her own experience of discovery - and tells the story of how Charles Darwin once spent eight years distracted by barnacles.
Producer: Sheila Cook Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Birthday Blues
Jubilee Musings
On Rubble
Home from Home
The War with Words
Basic Instincts in the House of Commons
Reconsidering Cannabis and the Law
The Unlistened-to Story
What is a Woman?
A View From Russia: All I Have To Say
Helpless
Tolstoy in Our Time
Every Picture Tells a Story
There Are No Words
Return of the Bomb
It's Not Their War
An Ecological Reparation
Selective Vision
Misopedia
Leaving the Ivory Tower
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