Disease

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have shown exercise has an innate ability to ward off the damaging effects of chronic inflammation. Nenad Bursac, professor of biomedical engineering at Duke… Audio

While the world continues to struggle to contain Covid-19, scientists are warning of another coronavirus pandemic on the horizon -- one which is likely to come from a yeast-like fungus. Dr Tom Chiller… Audio

New research suggests people on a vegetarian diet have healthier levels of disease markers than people who eat meat. Otago University's Dr Ali Hill joins the show to explain what biomarkers are, and… Audio

Kiwi Patrick Emanuel is a pathologist who is based in Lima. We've spoken to him before about the situation with Covid-19 in Peru, and now things are looking bad there with next door neighbours Brazil… Audio

New Zealander Gary McLean is a professor in molecular immunology at London Metropolitan University and also a researcher with Imperial College. He's an international authority on coronaviruses.  Audio

Book reading has been on a high during the pandemic, with sales of historical fiction in particular soaring. Novelist Kate Mosse's new book, The City of Tears, has been gaining rave reviews. Kate… Audio

Dr Claudia Kawas is searching for the secrets to living a longer and healthier life. Kawas and her team have been running a major study of ageing California residents for more than two decades. She… Audio

We all know the benefits of exercise — but do we need to run to get the best returns, or can we get a sufficient dose just from walking? Sports engineer Steve Haake pits running against walking and… Audio

An Australian study is investigating why three siblings did not get seriously ill with Covid-19 after their parents contracted the illness. Dr Melanie Neeland from the Murdoch Children's Research… Audio

Nobel prize-winning geneticist Sir Paul Nurse's latest book, What Is Life?, explores the question of what we as humans share with all other living things on this planet.  Audio

Diseases transmitted by cats costs the Australian economy more than A$6 billion annually. This news is bad for New Zealand, too, with 45% of Kiwi households having at least one cat. Professor Sarah… Audio

New research suggests that people with blood type O could be less likely to get sick with Covid-19. New Zealand professor Gary McLean joins the show to discuss the topic of blood group susceptibility.

Working as a pharmacist in some of the worst conflict zones in the world has given Petra Straight a new perspective on risk.

She was part of the response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, and… Audio, Gallery

The next major pandemic could be inflicted by terrorists unleashing a bio-engineered virus on to the world, according to distinguished fellow at Harvard Law School, Vivek Wadwha. He joins the show to… Audio

The use of acronyms in scientific publications has spread life wildfire over the last 70 years, according to a study just published in the scientific journal eLife. Study co-author Professor Adrian… Audio

Our Sunday Morning panellists  offer their thoughts on the past week's news. They'll be discussing Covid-19 testing, the latest political polls and rumblings, personal photos being made public, and… Audio

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

Cambridge University consultant clinical virologist Dr Chris Smith returns to digest emerging Covid-related science and research. This week, a growing understanding of the widespread (and sometimes… Audio

Why do some diseases spread while others fail to take hold? Adam Kucharski studies the mathematics of contagion: predicting patterns of transmission for outbreaks including Ebola, Zika and now… Audio