Stories

Austin, Indiana: the HIV capital of small-town America
In Austin, widespread drug use led to the single largest outbreak of HIV in the United States. Jessica Wapner asks if a new approach to public health can rescue the town.
03 May 2016
- Contagion, HIV
Dead man’s sperm
What drives the partners of men who have died to try and have their babies? Jenny Morber delves into the legally and ethically fraught world of post-mortem sperm donation.
26 April 2016
- Society, Ethics
Gaia Vince on hacking the nervous system
In this talk for 5x15, Gaia Vince discusses the remarkable nerve that connects our brain to the rest of our vital organs.
20 April 2016
- Mind
The one-armed robot that will look after me until I die
As old age approaches, Geoff Watts confronts an inevitable future in the care of robots. But that doesn’t mean he likes it.
19 April 2016
- Tech, VR and robots
Fasting and longevity: a conversation with Peter Bowes
What can we learn from a group of people in Ecuador with a rare genetic mutation that affects their growth, but also makes them less susceptible to age-related diseases like cancer and diabetes?
17 April 2016
- Health, Genetics
Charles Fernyhough on hearing voices
In a talk for 5x15, Charles Fernyhough explores what he has learned in over a decade of study on auditory hallucinations - people who hear voices.
13 April 2016
- Mind, Mental health
The experimental diet that mimics a rare genetic mutation
Peter Bowes has been on a new diet that claims to guard against disease and slow ageing. Then he met a group with a mutation that lets them eat what they want while enjoying the same protection.
12 April 2016
- Health, Genetics
The neuroscience of adult anorexia: a conversation with Carrie Arnold
What have we learned over the past several decades about this illness? We hear from author Carrie Arnold.
07 April 2016
- Mind, Mental health
Alexander Masters on billionaires, greed and drugs for rare cancers
In a talk for 5x15, Alexander Masters describes his personal journey setting up an unlikely ‘dating agency’ to match neglected research for desperately needed drugs for rare cancers with the mega rich that might just fund it.
06 April 2016
- Society, Ethics
Australia’s other ‘flying doctors’
Is there a place for traditional spiritual healers in Australia’s healthcare system? Georgina Kenyon reports.
05 April 2016
- Health, Healthcare
Smoothfood: dinner, but not as you know it
A film about meals that look, smell and taste just like they should, but that are much easier to eat than regular food.
05 April 2016
- Health, Disease
Jo Marchant on the mind, the body and how to train your immune system
In this talk for 5x15, author Jo Marchant discusses the connections between the mind and the immune system.
30 March 2016
- Mind, Neuroscience