The way we die has been utterly transformed.
There have been around 10,000 generations of human beings, but only in the last 3 or 4 have infectious diseases not been an expected and accepted cause of death.
What drove the most deadly infectious diseases? Was technological progress and globalisation one of the key causes for its spread over the course of hi ... Show More
Aug 12
696. Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: Killing the Queen of Scots (Part 6)
How did the Babington Plot, another Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth I and replace her with the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots, unfold? Did the Spanish help her? How did Sir Francis Walsingham and his web of spies foil the plot? And, what would become of Mary once put ... Show More
1h 9m
Aug 9
695. Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: The Shadow War (Part 5)
Who was the charismatic Sir Philip Sidney, a beloved but also suspect courtier to Elizabeth I? Why, in 1585, was England in such danger from a Spanish invasion? And, would Sydney, with his friend Sir Francis Drake, help to save their beloved queen? Join Tom and Dominic as they pl ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 2023
Pandemics Cause Misery and Death, But They Also Created Agriculture and Put Humans on Top of the Food Chain
Three years into a global pandemic, the fact that infectious disease is capable of reshaping humanity is obvious. But seen in the context of sixty thousand years of human and scientific history, COVID-19 is simply the latest in a series of world-changing pathogens. In fact, the r ... Show More
49m 56s
Jun 2023
How germs shaped human history
As recent history has shown us, human societies can prove surprisingly frail in the face of a tiny, yet powerful force: the microbes that cause infectious disease. Speaking with Matt Elton, Jonathan Kennedy explores the myriad ways in which pandemics have shaped the course of hum ... Show More
42m 21s
Dec 2023
AIDS Epidemic: Life & Death On The Frontline
How do we understand something as huge as a global epidemic?Similarly to Covid, the AIDS epidemic, which was most destructive in the 1980s and 90s, had such universal reach. Yet within that, there were millions of personal experiences.What was it like to work on the frontline wit ... Show More
59m 33s