4. The Butterfly That Stamped

Vivienne Parry considers another of the animals of Rudyard Kipling's much loved Just So Stories for Children.

Assisted by researchers of 'infinite sagacity', she sets out to discover whether his fantasies contain any grains of truth?

Kipling tells of a boastful butterfly threatening to bring down a palace with the beat of his wings.

But as Vivienne discovers, the butterfly effect is a real phenomenon in science.

With:

* Chemist Andrea Sella
* Meteorologist Paul Davies

Excerpts read by Samuel West.

Producer: Rami Tzabar

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2014.