Plague
Eleanor Janega: Going Medieval
We tend to associate the Middle Ages with plagues and pestilence. Author and historian Dr Eleanor Janega lectures on medieval history at London School of Economics at the University of London and has… Audio
Forager of the foreshore: mudlarking on the River Thames
There was a time when Mudlark-artist Nicola White was part of the high-pressure banking world in London, but she reached a point in her life when she wanted to do something she was really passionate… Audio
The psychologist who predicted how the pandemic would play out
Clinical psychologist and health anxiety expert Dr Steven Taylor's latest book, The Psychology of Pandemics, is a groundbreaking treatise on the subject, but it was a book that many thought would… Audio
The next major pandemic will hit by 2080 at the latest
A global pandemic comparable to the Covid-19 crisis we are currently enduring is likely to strike by 2080 -- but probably far sooner, according to newly published analysis. The study (Intensity and… Audio
Eric Weiner: Life lessons from the Dead Philosophers' Society
In his new book, The Socrates Express, Eric Weiner goes in search of life lessons from dead philosophers. He joins the show to discuss the book -- which highlights philosophers and the specific… Audio
How pandemic and climate change brought down the Roman Empire
Pandemics brought down the greatest human empire of all time - who knew? Kyle Harper is the author of The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease and the End of an Empire, which examines the collapse of the… Audio
COVID-19 outbreak has made China a 'pedestrian's paradise'
Lew Dagger has been in China for the past twenty years. He lives and works in Jinghong in the south of Yunnan, close to the Myanmar border. He joins the show for an update on the impact coronavirus… Audio
Professor James Belich - The Black Death
Historian and academic James Belich has a large body of work, focusing particularly on the New Zealand Wars and Maori and Pakeha relations. His book The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian… Audio
The return of the Black Plague
The plague has flared up across Madagascar with fears it could spread further via flights out of the country. Some are suggesting the practice of "dancing with the dead" is fueling the prevalence of… Audio