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Coronavirus Special Part 1

   2020    Medicine
In just over 100 days, a new coronavirus has taken an unprepared world by storm, infiltrating every corner of the globe, sending entire nations into lockdown, killing thousands and infecting countless more. Across the world, governments are scrambling to react, hospitals are struggling to cope and an increasingly anxious public are starting to panic.
The world's media is awash with data, information and misinformation. But what are the facts? What is COVID-19 and why is this strain of coronavirus so dangerous? What happens in our bodies when the virus attacks? How does this compare to previous pandemics? What do all the the numbers really mean, and how can data modelling help us look for an exit strategy? This programme investigates the scientific facts and figures behind the biggest public health crisis in living memory, and explores the latest research from the frontline of the medical and scientific fightback.
Series: Coronavirus Special

Coronavirus Are We Doing Enough

   2020    Medicine
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread globally since 2019, resulting in a pandemic. While the majority of cases result in mild symptoms, some progress to pneumonia and multi-organ failure. The deaths per number of diagnosed cases is estimated at between 1% and 5% but varies by age and other health conditions.
In this special on the coronavirus, we're with health staff working on the front-line of the Covid-19 crisis - as well as the scientists, economists and virology experts who can answer the question... Coronavirus: Are We Doing Enough?

The Flu That Killed 50 Million

   2019    Medicine
It is 1918 and the end of WWI. Millions have died, and the world is exhausted by war. But soon a new horror is sweeping the world, a terrifying virus that will kill more than fifty million people - the Spanish flu. Using dramatic reconstruction and eyewitness testimony from doctors, soldiers, civilians and politicians, this one-off special brings to life the onslaught of the disease, the horrors of those who lived through it and the efforts of the pioneering scientists desperately looking for the cure.
Narrated by Christopher Eccleston, the film also asks whether, a century later, the lessons learnt in 1918 might help us fight a future global flu pandemic.

Why Do Viruses Kill

   2010    Medicine
The world stood in fear of an emerging new disease that threatened to kill millions. A new flu variant H1N1 had arrived. If this latest pandemic has taught anything, it is just how little is understood about the invisible world of viruses. But that has not stopped scientists trying. Horizon follows the leading researchers from across the world, who are attempting to unravel the many secrets of viruses to understand when and why they kill.

Deadly Comets and Meteors

   2009    Science
Right now cosmic forces prowl the universe and threaten man's very existence. They're asteroids and comets; they've left their imprint on planet Earth, literally. Initially helping to build planets through violent collisions, during this fiery bombardment period they may have even seeded Earth with water and the building blocks for life. Since the turbulent formation of the solar system, these space rocks have continued to impact Earth. Some have been so violent that they've led to mass extinctions, including one that wiped out the dinosaur. New theories suggest that asteroid and comet dust harbour deadly viruses that may have triggered some of our worst pandemics. The possibility of future collisions remains a legitimate threat yet despite their dangers, asteroids and comets may hold vital natural resources, which could actually preserve
Series: The Universe

Coronavirus Special Part 2

   2020    Medicine
Dr Chris van Tulleken, Dr Hannah Fry and Michael Mosley examine the latest research and explore some of the big questions about Covid-19 and the pandemic it has created. Michael visits the UK government's high-security laboratory Porton Down, where vaccines are being tested. He also uncovers what the experience of the 2002 SARs epidemic reveals about this one. Both were caused by coronaviruses, but certain key changes to today's virus have allowed it to infect the world, where SARs was contained.
Series: Coronavirus Special
The Virtual Revolution

The Virtual Revolution

2010  Technology
Wild Wild Country

Wild Wild Country

2018  Culture
Seven Worlds One Planet

Seven Worlds One Planet

2019  Nature
Absolute Zero

Absolute Zero

2007  Technology
Frozen Planet II

Frozen Planet II

2022  Nature
D-Day

D-Day

2013  History