Monkeypox vaccines, Chernobyl confinement, and ancient fire-making

An in-depth discussion of rising monkeypox strains and a vaccine design approach that uses AI-identified antibody targets to broaden protection, followed by a look at the damaged Chernobyl confinement dome and what it means for decommissioning and safety. The episode also features a social enterprise making Atomic vodka from crops grown in semi-abandoned Ukrainian zones, and a Suffolk archaeological find pushing back the origins of deliberate fire-making to around 400,000 years ago. It also explores the winter blues and dogs' circadian rhythms, offering practical daylight-exposure tips to help beat the season's mood dips.

Winter blues, circadian rhythms, and canine mood

The final segment examines seasonal affective disorder and the winter blues, explaining how reduced daylight lengthens subjective night and disrupts circadian alignment. The discussion covers light-based therapies, genetic susceptibility, and chronotype differences. It also extends to dogs, noting a mild winter mood dip but highlighting how walking a dog in bright morning light can counteract symptoms through circadian entrainment. Practical advice from Robert Dauman (University of Warwick) emphasizes morning light exposure to counteract seasonal mood changes in both humans and pets.

"rise and shine and walk the dog in the brightest light that you can in the morning to ward off the winter blues" - Robert Dauman, circadian biologist at the University of Warwick