Podcast: HIV vaccine progress, COVID and brains, and saving Brazil’s forests

In this edition: We hear how close we are to an HIV vaccine, how severe COVID-19 affects brain power, and how one ecologist is saving Brazil’s forests

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News: Great Exhibition Road Festival preview – We hear from two ‘Young Producers’ for the Great Exhibition Road Festival, who are working on an event called Sonder, which investigates how the summer sun influences culture.

HIV vaccine progress – We talk to Professor Robin Shattock about the successes and challenges in creating a successful vaccine for HIV, and what the future could hold.

You can also listen to an extended version of this interview on our Imperial Soundcloud account.

How COVID affects brains – We hear from Dr Adam Hampshire how the long-term effect of severe COVID-19 could be a loss of 10 IQ points or the equivalent of 20 years of ageing, as measured by slower reaction times and less accuracy in cognitive tests.

Saving Brazil’s forests – As part of a series on the people behind our world-leading research, we meet Dr Cristina Banks-Leite, whose work is helping preserve biodiversity in Brazil's precious forests.

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The podcast is presented by Gareth Mitchell, a lecturer on Imperial's MSc Science Communication course and the presenter of Digital Planet on the BBC World Service, with contributions from our roving reporters in the Communications and Public Affairs Division.