The rising threat of bird flu
BBC Inside Science
BBC
4.5 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 9 January 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
More species infected than ever, an uptick in human cases, and some concerning biological modifications. How close are we to a bird flu pandemic?
We digest the last year of bird flu changes with virologist Tom Peacock and public health journalist Melody Schreiber.
Also this week, we address the absurd problem of transporting something that can't be touched, we find out how animals make their epic migratory journeys, and Victoria Gill visits a town which has learnt to ward off a fearsome predator, polar bears.
Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Ella Hubber & Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth & Josie Hardy
To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to quickly tell you about some others. |
| 0:05.2 | My name's Andy Martin and I'm the editor of a team of podcast producers at the BBC in Northern Ireland. |
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| 0:16.3 | but which also resonate and apply to listeners around the world. |
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| 0:44.1 | Hello, delightful, curious-minded listeners. |
| 0:46.6 | Welcome to BBC Inside Science. I'm Victoria Gill. |
| 0:49.8 | And this week, I pay a visit to a town where people live alongside one of the planet's biggest |
| 0:54.4 | predators discovering how new technology is helping humans and polar bears to coexist. And we're |
| 1:00.3 | asking how on earth you transport a substance that cannot come into contact with anything |
| 1:04.5 | and that could reveal some of the secrets of the origin of our universe. But first, to the virus |
| 1:10.2 | that every public health expert is watching, bird flu. |
| 1:14.0 | Avian influenza is a prime candidate for the next major pandemic, |
| 1:17.5 | specifically the subtype known as H5N1. |
| 1:20.7 | It's a virus that's been on the scene for decades, |
| 1:22.9 | but it particularly piqued virologist's interests this year |
| 1:25.7 | when it's spread through multiple herds of dairy |
... |
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