How pandemics end

What was the last thing you bought? And can you remember why you bought that particular thing, rather than something else? We all like to think we make rational, independent choices when we buy things, but advertisers are constantly trying different strategies to influence us to ... Show More

Do you like to read poetry? When was the last time you heard someone recite a poem? Some people may just think of poetry as something they studied at school, but for many people it has a powerful presence in their lives. Poetry can help you connect with others, come to terms with ... Show More

Many people have to borrow money to make big purchases, like buying a house or a car. When you do this, you have to pay the money back over time – the money you owe is a debt. With the current cost of living getting increasingly high, some people are having to borrow money even f ... Show More

Across the continent, Covid-19 cases rose by 36% on average last week. Those figures might have sounded scary a couple of years ago. But the World Health Organization expects Covid related deaths to drop by 94% this year. Many countries have dropped restrictions related to the pa ... Show More

April 5, 1918. The first mention of a new influenza outbreak in Kansas appears in a public health report. That strain, later called the Spanish Flu, would go on to kill at least 50 million people worldwide. In a time before widespread global travel, how did this disease spread so ... Show More

The epidemic known as the Black Death struck Europe in 1347 and completely upended medieval society. It's been estimated that roughly half of the European population was killed by this gruesome disease. Despite huge advances in our understanding of this epidemic debate still rema ... Show More

Our conversation this time is about something which has been central to our lives around the world since the beginning of the year. We are speaking, of course, about the coronavirus pandemic. Let's get started with a conversation. 

Professor John Hatcher answers listener questions about the medieval pandemic, and reflects on how the Covid-19 crisis might shape our understanding of the plague   Professor John Hatcher, author of The Black Death: A Personal History, responds to listener questions and internet ... Show More

Have we over estimated the deadliness of covid? So doctors seem to think so.Is the cure worse than the disease?The GREEN GROCER—the ultimate cure.A recent article and study by John Hopkin's University demonstrates that COVID 19 has not attributed at any excessive deaths in Americ ... Show More

Six and a half million dead. More than a hundred times that infected. The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe. But in the final months of the third year of this health crisis, some now claim it’s all over.Scientists with key roles in the global response join Clau ... Show More

The Black Death was the most fatal pandemic in recorded human history, decimating a late Medieval world unaided by the germ theory of disease. In this episode of Stuff to Blow your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the ways that religion responded to the plague and the effects these e ... Show More