logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
23m 40s

The great mosquito swap

Bbc World Service
About this episode
<p>A large study published in June showed how a peculiar intervention could help prevent the spread of dengue fever. Instead of vaccinating people, the World Mosquito Program has found a way to breed mosquitoes carrying bacteria that prevent them catching the disease in the first place. The organisation releases millions of these designer mosquitos into a ci ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Preserving Peru’s food heritage
<p>Peru is famous for its diverse and innovative cuisine - but how is it making sure its venerable food heritage is preserved for decades to come? We meet the indigenous Quechua people who are cultivating more than 1300 species of potato, working with scientists to safeguard seed ... Show More
23m 23s
Nov 18
How literacy can change a life
<p>Learning to read empowers people, reduces poverty and increases their job chances. Yet more than 700 miliion adults are illiterate, the majority of them women. We look at innovations to help adults learn how to read from flatpack classrooms in flood-prone regions of Bangladesh ... Show More
23m 31s
Nov 11
Saving seabirds and squirrels
How do you save threatened species? This week we look at two novel solutions. In the UK, scientists are developing a unique contraceptive that will be fed in a nutty spread to grey squirrels, an invasive species that threatens the native red squirrel. And how scientists are movin ... Show More
23m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
The Mosquitoes Are Winning
<p>For decades, the world seemed to be winning the war against mosquitoes and tamping down the deadly diseases they carried. But in the past few years, progress has not only stalled, it has reversed.</p><p>Stephanie Nolen, who covers global health for The Times, explains how the ... Show More
30m 12s
Oct 2023
Dengue fever: What is it and why is it spreading?
The World Health Organization has warned that mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever are spreading to new regions. One reason is that warmer temperatures are allowing disease-carrying mosquitos to push into new areas. And wetter monsoons are giving them more time to reproduce ... Show More
14m 53s
Jun 2024
Should We Eradicate Mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are common flying insect that inhabit all continents except Antarctica. There are over 3500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but only somewhere between 6 and 9.3% bite humans and are disease vectors. That said, mosquitos are the deadliest animal on the planet, thanks t ... Show More
1h 11m
Sep 2019
Lab 013: Predator
Our city boy/hot girl summers are coming to a close, and while we will miss summer, there’s one thing we won’t miss - mosquitoes. We all were bitten by mosquitoes…A LOT. But mosquitoes don’t just make us itchy - a recent New York Times article called them “the deadliest human pre ... Show More
32m 12s
Jul 2023
Mosquito Repellents
If you are heading somewhere tropical this summer, or just want to protect yourself from bites in your own back garden, then which mosquito repellents can you trust?Greg Foot gets up close and personal with a box full of hungry mosquitoes to find out.Is it all about DEET or are t ... Show More
27m 38s
Mar 2022
How to design mosquitoes out of cities | Cameron Webb
<p>As cities adopt greener, more sustainable designs, there's risk of a dangerous and unwelcome tenant moving in: mosquitoes. Researcher Cameron Webb explains what urban planners and the general public need to understand about mosquitoes -- the deadliest animals on the planet -- ... Show More
15m 49s
Nov 2022
How can Ethiopia respond to a new malaria threat?
Earlier this year, cases of malaria began to rapidly increase in the Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa. There were ten times the number of cases in the first half of the year, than the whole of 2019. And unlike usual, the spike was happening outside the rainy season which allows the di ... Show More
13m 47s
Feb 2024
Dengue outbreak in Latin America
Carnival hits the streets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this week. As well as preparations for the crowds and colourful processions, health authorities have also been putting in extra measures to try to contain a huge outbreak of dengue fever. Last week a health emergency was declare ... Show More
26m 29s