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BBC Inside Science

May 14, 2026 · Unknown · Original Source

Title: BBC Inside Science

Episode Summary

The episode remains accessible for a period of 14 days.

In the wake of three fatalities associated with a lethal hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship earlier this month, researchers are urgently working to resolve the numerous uncertainties surrounding the incident. Tom Whipple discusses the implications of newly sequenced hantavirus genomes with Dr. Emma Hodcroft, an epidemiologist based at the University of Basel and a co-founder of Pathoplexus, a digital repository for pathogen genetic data.

Additionally, the program features insights from Dr. Nicole Luri, the Executive Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response at the non-governmental organization The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). She outlines the protocols that would be implemented if the specific hantavirus strain were deemed capable of sparking a pandemic and provides an update on the progress of CEPI’s "100 days" initiative.

With the men’s football World Cup scheduled to begin in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in less than a month, climate experts are urging FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, to take more decisive action against the dangers posed by extreme heat anticipated by both spectators and athletes. Dr. Theodore Keeping of Imperial College London’s World Weather Attribution team joins the show to discuss these projected weather patterns and the associated safety concerns.

To conclude, mathematician Kit Yates from the University of Bath highlights key scientific stories that may have slipped under the radar, such as innovative hearing aids designed to assist with conversation clarity in noisy social settings.

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