When Science Finds a Way

We may think of carbon dioxide as the main culprit in climate change, but could tackling "super pollutants" provide an emergency brake for global warming? 

Dr Tom Grylls tells Alisha Wainwright how we already have the tools to reduce these gases and particles, and Bidya Banmali Pradhan describes a successful effort to do just that by re-engineering brick kilns in Nepal. 

But this isn't only a question of climate. Professor Zorana Andersen explains air pollution's impact on our bodies, and we hear how a holistic view of climate and health could help slow down global warming and save millions of lives. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading:

What are super pollutants and how do they impact our health? - Wellcome (https://wellcome.org/insights/articles/what-are-super-pollutants-and-how-do-they-impact-our-health) 


Why reducing super pollutants isn't just good for the climate – Clean Air Fund (https://www.cleanairfund.org/news-item/reducing-super-pollutants/) 


Building cleaner brick kilns in Nepal - CCAC (https://www.ccacoalition.org/projects/building-cleaner-brick-kilns-nepal)

Tuberculosis has been with us so long that traces appear in mummies. But today, the challenge is different: how do we respond to TB that's resistant to modern drugs? 

Professor Salome Charalambous tells Alisha Wainwright about the challenges of treating the half-million people with drug-resistant TB, and Professor Nazir Ismail explains how it gets harder in countries where resources are scarce. 

But there may be hope on the horizon. Salome gives a glimpse of the new tests and treatments already saving lives, and we hear from Enalkachew Fekadu, a drug-resistant TB survivor who now advocates for others with the disease.

We know how extreme heat impacts us physically, but science is still uncovering its effects on mental health. 

Professor Andrea Mechelli tells Alisha Wainwright what analysing millions of datapoints is teaching us, we hear from participants in his London-based research about their struggles with heat and mental health, and Mete Çoban, London's Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, talks about efforts to future-proof the city.  Looking beyond London, Dr Benedict Weobong explains why his research in Ghana and Zimbabwe shows that local context is crucial for dealing with heat-related mental health issues, and Alisha explores how reconnecting with nature - and each other - could also help us tackle the causes of rising heat. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

Prof. Andrea Mechelli's Substack on how nature and climate shape our mental health: https://andreamechelli.substack.com/

The effects of extreme heat events on mental health in vulnerable urban communities: towards evidence-based policy and practice (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/the-effects-of-extreme-heat-events-on-mental-health-in-vulnerable-urban-communities-towards-evidence-based-policy-and-practice) 


Urban Mind – an app that measures your experience of urban & rural living in the moment (https://urbanmind.info/)  


Heat Exposure, Sleep, Cognition and Mental Health - HEATSCAPE-Africa (https://www.yorku.ca/dighr/project/heatscape-africa/)

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In much of the world people are living longer, but how can we make sure those extra years are healthy? Professor Dame Linda Partridge tells Alisha Wainwright how our ever-growing knowledge of health and ageing could lead to more personalised medicine, and Professor Mika Kivimäki explains how new methods for measuring the "biological age" of our organs could be used to predict disease. We also hear from Shamita Sharmacharja, curator of the new Coming of Age Exhibition at London's Wellcome Collection, about how changing society could help us all age better. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

Hallmarks of ageing: an expanding universe (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36599349/) 


Biological organ ages predict disease risk decades in advance, Mika Kivimäki , UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/feb/biological-organ-ages-predict-disease-risk-decades-advance) 


The Coming of Age Exhibition, Wellcome Collection, London. Open until November 2026 (https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/the-coming-of-age)