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Aliens of the Microcosmos

   2021    Science
The cosmos, with its billions of galaxies and countless stars, isn't the only one. We share our lives with another universe: The world of the small, of the viruses, of the bacteria. We call this strange hidden kingdom the Microcosmos. We share our world with the microcosmos. Will we coexist in an uneasy peace, or will it destroy us?
In 2020, A tiny virus caused a global pandemic, COVID-19. This pandemic makes people see the world completely differently, because there was an invisible universe, pretty much ignored for the most part. Very, very tiny things have a huge impact on our lives. The microcosmos is complex, while some parts kill us, others keep us alive. The microcosmos is responsible for the very oxygen that we breathe and the soil on which we live. And it will influence our future as we venture out into space.
Series: How the Universe Works Series 9

The Battle to Beat Malaria

   2024    Medicine
Of all the diseases that plague humankind, malaria has put up one of the longest, toughest fights. More than 200 million people fall ill and 600,000 die of it every year, making it among the world’s deadliest diseases. The vast majority of those fatalities are young children - an average of one child every minute. But medical science may now be at an exciting turning point.
Filmed with intimate access to key scientists on four continents, this documentary tells the inside story of the development of a new malaria vaccine that could change the very nature of the fight. It's hoped that the vaccine, dubbed R21/Matrix-M and developed by many of the same team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, will be the first to meet the World Health Organization’s target of 75 per cent efficacy.