Episode description

In this episode:

Since 1988, cases of polio have fallen by more than 99%, and many observers predict that the disease could be eradicated within the next three years. However, eradication isn’t the same as extinction, so the next challenge is for researchers to make sure the disease won’t return. We discuss what a post-polio future may look like, and how to ensure that the disease is gone for good.

News Feature: Polio is on the brink of eradication. Here's how to keep it from coming back

Botulinum toxin shows promise in treating a common disorder in older people, and how safeguarding seabirds may require significantly larger conservation-areas than previously thought.

Research Highlight: Botox’s paralysing effects can relieve an uncontrolled head tremor

Research Highlight: Seabirds’ lonely travels pose a conservation challenge

How demand for research monkeys is fuelling an illegal trade in smuggled animals, and the surprising observation that may help explain mysterious space explosions.

Nature: How wild monkeys ‘laundered’ for science could undermine research

Nature News: Mysterious ‘Tasmanian devil’ space explosion baffles astronomers

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