Tomorrow Today: Recent Episodes
Deutsche Welle
Tomorrow Today has the scoop on science. From space travel to environmental conservation, from genetic engineering to medical innovations.
Why is it harder to bring people back from space than to fly them up there? This week’s viewer question is from Olumide Bamgbose in Nigeria.
Just ask! This week‘s Tomorrow Today viewer question comes from Eli Yecheskel: Is time unidimensional?
Senegalese academic Cheikh Anta Diop was an anthropologist, historian, physicist, and linguist. His groundbreaking work included rewriting Africa's history from an Afrocentric point of view without prejudice.
In 2011 the Juno space probe was launched to explore Jupiter. The data sent back has delivered a range of revelations – like the build up of a new, giant cyclone-storm there. And that the solar system’s biggest planet almost became a second sun once.
In 2004, Wangari Maathai became the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The woman who launched the Green Belt Movement was convinced of the value of planting trees to conserve the environment and secure people's livelihoods.
Our viewer’s question this week was posted by David Burgos from Colombia: Did some animal species survive the dinosaur era?
This week's question for Tomorrow Today is from Travor Daniel in Nigeria: Does too much social media cause depression?
Our viewer Gik Khing Nüchter in Indonesia wants to know if there are Polar Lights in the southern hemisphere too.
Our viewer question this week comes from Tabea Conrad in Berlin. She wants to know why people stop growing when they become adults?
Our viewer question this week comes from Mohamed Ehab Ragab in Egypt. He wants to know what impact climate change has on animals.
This week's viewer question comes from Brown Mbadiwe in Oweri, Nigeria. He wants to know how fish see in water.
COVID-19 tests can be expensive and time-consuming. To get an up-to-date picture of how the coronavirus has spread throughout the population, Rwanda regularly tests a cross-section of the population using a strategy called pool testing.
Bangladesh banned single-use plastic bags in 2002 but does not enforce the ban. The bags are everywhere. A scientist in Dhaka has developed an eco-friendly biodegradable alternative made from jute.
Europe’s first Mars rover is set to set off next year. The ESA's Mars Express has been circling the planet since 2004. It's made amazing discoveries, finding traces of volcanoes and glaciers.
Seven of the 11 species of vulture in Africa are either in decline or on the edge of extinction. The scavengers play an important role in local ecosystems. In Kenya, an environmental protection agency is working to protect these endangered birds.
Can clones help fight species decline? Researchers are hoping to boost animal numbers and their genetic diversity with the help of cloning technology. How exactly does that work? Could clones also help bring extinct animals back to life?
Hubble delivers vast amounts of data, to the delight of researchers. Martin Kornmesser and Luis Calcada are data visualization artists who turn the data into stunning, awesome photos and videos, to the delight of the entire human race.
Orbiting above the earth's atmosphere, the observatory has a clear view of the universe. Its findings have changed our understanding of the cosmos.
90%, 94.5%, and even 95% - there’s been a lot of varying information about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines recently. But how do they compare to other vaccines? We take a short trip through the history of inoculation.
Why do some people get goosebumps when they listen to music? This week's viewer question comes from Katwiy-Afukeze Achuo-Dze in Bamenda, Cameroon.
The dig in Guadalupe, Honduras, has yielded exciting finds but has had to be suspended because of the pandemic. A lot of the research is done back in the lab anyway.
It takes 8,000 liters of water to make one pair of jeans – an astronomical amount. What’s the water footprint of other common products? Measurements are based on the concept of ‘virtual water’.
Sound videos are all the rage right now. ASMR videos get millions of clicks on YouTube. Fans swear by their calming effect. One study by the University of Sheffield suggests that the 'brain tingles' from ASMR videos have physiological benefits.
The current trends in automation known as Industry 4.0 are dependent on robots with artificial intelligence. Mohammad Wasil, an AI researcher from Indonesia, is helping to develop intelligent industrial robots in Germany.
This week’s viewer question comes from Chris Humfreez. He asks why the earth has an atmosphere.
Botond Roska wants to restore eyesight to people who are blind. The Hungarian-born neuroscientist has developed a gene therapy that makes damaged retinas light-sensitive again. He’s just received the 2020 Körber European Science Prize for his work.
What do water fleas reveal about how well a body of water is doing? A scientist from Indonesia is studying the tiny creatures in Lake Constance and observing how they adapt to their environment – meaning also to human influence.
One million plastic bottles are sold worldwide every minute. The vast majority of them are not recycled. So what happens to the packaging after we’ve finished a drink? And how can we change that?
Whether it’s COVID-19, HIV or Ebola, viruses can be invisible killers. You can’t see, smell or touch them. Even under the microscope they’re not easy to identify. But scientific illustrator and animator Thomas Splettstößer shows what they look like.
Tomorrow Today viewer Dave Mazzeo wants to know: After so long in space, why doesn’t the ISS fall down to Earth?
Indonesia's Citarum River is one of the most polluted waterways in the world. But by 2025, it should have potable water - according to a government plan. A military-led initiative is helping to collect plastic waste in the river with the help of a floating barrier.
In Morocco, researchers are helping local farmers protect insect populations and boost their yields. The project called Farming with Alternative Pollinators encourages farmers to grow a variety of insect-attracting plants alongside their main crop.
Brazil still has hundreds of open landfill sites full of garbage. Now a university in the capital Brasília is helping to implement a new, sustainable waste management system. The program aims to increase the proportion of waste that is recycled.
The rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is an urgent medical problem. At Germany's Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, a researcher from Indonesia is hoping to find potent antimicrobial substances in soil samples from mangrove swamps.
Scientists will soon be able to predict solar storms with a special orbiter, set to launch in February. Its job is to track the visible surface of the sun and at the same time map its magnetic field, thereby providing glimpses into the inner life of the sun.
Our sun is a huge ball of electrically charged gas that’s been shining bright for around 4.5 billion years and providing the earth with heat and light. Without it, the rich diversity of life on earth would never have developed.
It isn't only physicists who are fascinated by light. Poets too have been entranced by its powers. Photons have mysterious properties. Perhaps this is why we like to light candles when we're feeling contemplative.
Li-Fi, short for "Light Fidelity" is a wireless technology that uses LED light to share data. It is faster and safer than regular WiFi. And it could soon be put into practice.
Africa’s first climate monitoring station is located on Mount Mugogo in Rwanda. Scientists there monitor levels of various greenhouse gases. They hope their data will help strengthen Africa’s position at international climate negotiations.
In the Gorongosa National Park, young female scientists are cataloguing flora and fauna for a global genetic database. It will enhance our understanding of the diversity of life on earth and the roles different species play.
If sap could be manipulated to make a plant more attractive to various pollinators, it would help secure harvests. A common plant pest is helping researchers in the process.
Whether hard drives or electric motors, rare earth elements play a key role in a range of technologies. The metals mostly come from China. To ease dependence, researchers at the RWTH Aachen University are working on recycling the precious elements.
Travelling up and down the river, Alexander von Humboldt was ravished by the beauty and variety of the landscapes, flora and fauna. Today nature conservationists are battling to preserve the region's many threatened species.
The Humboldt Current along the coast of Peru is bursting with life. With its nutrient-rich water from the depths, the ocean current discovered by Humboldt is vital for a huge ecosystem. But climate change is now disrupting it.
German scientist Alexander von Humboldt was intrigued by the way of life of indigenous peoples in South America. In that spirit we visit members of the Achuar people, who live in relative isolation deep in the Amazon forest.
When Alexander von Humboldt traveled to Ecuador, he found dozens of volcanoes. The discovery prompted him to dub the area the "Avenue of the Volcanoes," and to this day, 17 of them remain active. DW went to see them.
Humboldt's Tableau Physique, shows the distribution of mountain vegetation as a function of altitude. Today scientists use the data to investigate changes due to global warming. But there are discrepancies, as Pierre Moret and his team discovered.
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer could soon be joining a lunar mission. He's training on the Canary Island of Lanzarote, where the volcanic landscapes resemble the surface of the moon. He's also learning how to collect moon rock samples.
From Brussels to Barcelona in an hour – a dream that could soon become a reality. Join us on a high-speed trip to the Netherlands and learn more about the vision of a pan-European Hyperloop transit network!
Almost every battery in the world contains lithium, a rare metal that harms the environment. Are there alternatives? Sodium or magnesium are in plentiful supply, and magnesium can provide more energy than lithium.