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Even big diseases start small. The series Patient Zero traces how disease outbreaks begin and why they happen.
Over eight episodes, you'll follow disease detectives around the globe working to solve medical mysteries.
Patient Zero is a season from the ABC Science archives presented by reporter Olivia Willis.
Outbreaks (Season 8)
From mystery illnesses to flesh-eating bacteria and the looming threat of bird flu — outbreaks can push scientists, communities and health systems to their limits. In Outbreaks, science presenter Belinda Smith looks back on some of the disease outbreaks that shaped Australia.
Dead and Alive (Season 7)
Quantum computers could be the next giant leap in technology — transforming how we heal people, how we grow food, how we get around our cities. So how close are we to the quantum future we've been promised? Science reporter Jacinta Bowler unpacks how the weird world of quantum physics could change everything.
Artemis Explained (Season 6)
In humanity's next giant leap, astronauts are heading back to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. We track the Artemis II mission in real time, from lift-off to splashdown, and answer your questions about life as an astronaut, the science of spaceflight, and plans to venture beyond the Moon.
The Challenger Legacy (Season 5)
In January 1986, the Challenger space shuttle disintegrated 73 seconds after lift-off. Science reporter Fiona Pepper and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki bring you the story of how the tragedy unfolded, the engineers who tried to stop it — and the enduring consequences for humanity's exploration of space.
Artificial Evolution (Season 4)
Three decades ago, Dolly the Sheep became the first ever cloned mammal. Nearly 30 years later, genetic technology has reshaped the world around us. Environment reporter Peter de Kruijff explores what's changed, where we are headed, and whether we're okay with it.
Brain Rot (Season 3)
How does being chronically online affect our brains? Technology reporter Ange Lavoipierre explores the wildest ways people are using tech — from falling in love with AI companions to data-dumping a life into a language model — and the big questions about our own screen use.
Cooked (Season 2)
Why do some studies show ice cream is good for you? Why do some people say they feel good going carnivore, and do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet tells us? Food and nutrition scientist Dr Emma Beckett cuts through these confusing findings to explain how nutrition science works.
AI Overlords (Season 1)
AI didn't come from nowhere, and its development hasn't been a smooth, straight line — it's been rife with drama, conflict and disagreement. Technology reporter James Purtill looks at where AI came from, who controls it and where it's heading.
Over eight episodes, you'll follow disease detectives around the globe working to solve medical mysteries.
Patient Zero is a season from the ABC Science archives presented by reporter Olivia Willis.
Outbreaks (Season 8)
From mystery illnesses to flesh-eating bacteria and the looming threat of bird flu — outbreaks can push scientists, communities and health systems to their limits. In Outbreaks, science presenter Belinda Smith looks back on some of the disease outbreaks that shaped Australia.
Dead and Alive (Season 7)
Quantum computers could be the next giant leap in technology — transforming how we heal people, how we grow food, how we get around our cities. So how close are we to the quantum future we've been promised? Science reporter Jacinta Bowler unpacks how the weird world of quantum physics could change everything.
Artemis Explained (Season 6)
In humanity's next giant leap, astronauts are heading back to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. We track the Artemis II mission in real time, from lift-off to splashdown, and answer your questions about life as an astronaut, the science of spaceflight, and plans to venture beyond the Moon.
The Challenger Legacy (Season 5)
In January 1986, the Challenger space shuttle disintegrated 73 seconds after lift-off. Science reporter Fiona Pepper and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki bring you the story of how the tragedy unfolded, the engineers who tried to stop it — and the enduring consequences for humanity's exploration of space.
Artificial Evolution (Season 4)
Three decades ago, Dolly the Sheep became the first ever cloned mammal. Nearly 30 years later, genetic technology has reshaped the world around us. Environment reporter Peter de Kruijff explores what's changed, where we are headed, and whether we're okay with it.
Brain Rot (Season 3)
How does being chronically online affect our brains? Technology reporter Ange Lavoipierre explores the wildest ways people are using tech — from falling in love with AI companions to data-dumping a life into a language model — and the big questions about our own screen use.
Cooked (Season 2)
Why do some studies show ice cream is good for you? Why do some people say they feel good going carnivore, and do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet tells us? Food and nutrition scientist Dr Emma Beckett cuts through these confusing findings to explain how nutrition science works.
AI Overlords (Season 1)
AI didn't come from nowhere, and its development hasn't been a smooth, straight line — it's been rife with drama, conflict and disagreement. Technology reporter James Purtill looks at where AI came from, who controls it and where it's heading.
353 Episodes
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From Melbourne to Munich, Lombardy to Wuhan and all the way back again: this episode is about what happened when we faced those first coronavirus cases. Where things went well, where they didn’t — and whether there’s anything we could have done to stop it.Guests:Rhonda StuartHead of infection prevention at Monash HealthMerle BöhmerInfectious disease epidemiologist at the Bavarian Health and Food Safety AuthorityRaina MacIntyreProfessor of Biosecurity at the Kirby Institute, University of New South WalesFabrizio CarinciBiostatistician at the University of BolognaCarl ZimmerScience journalist and columnist for The New York TimesHost:Olivia WillisProducers:Cheyne Anderson, James BullenExecutive Producer:Joel WernerSound Design:Tim Jenkins
Three transplant patients die within a week of each other and alarm bells start ringing.Guests:Fiona PepperActor, playing the part of Rae MoranDr Mike CattonDeputy Director, Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunityDr Dominique MartinAssociate Professor in Bioethics, Deakin UniversityHost:Olivia WillisProducers:James Bullen, Cheyne AndersonExecutive Producer:Joel WernerSound Design:Tim Jenkins
A junior doctor uncovers a mystery that rewrites the story of a famous epidemic — and we learn the troubling origins of 'patient zero' as a concept.Guests:Dr John GerrardDirector of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Gold Coast University HospitalProfessor Sharon LewinDirector, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunityPhil CarswellFounding president, Victorian AIDS CouncilBill BowtellAdjunct professor, University of New South WalesHost:Olivia WillisProducers:Cheyne Anderson, James BullenExecutive Producer:Joel WernerSound Design:Tim Jenkins
Disease is spreading in the wake of a natural disaster on the Caribbean nation of Haiti — and everyone thinks they know where it's coming from. Spoiler: they don't.Guests:Jonathan M. KatzFreelance journalist and author, The Big Truck That Went ByDr Louise IversExecutive Director, Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health; Associate Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical SchoolNelson Junior CeranorHost:Olivia WillisProducers:James Bullen, Cheyne AndersonExecutive Producer:Joel WernerSound Design:Tim Jenkins
It's the incursion we've been dreading. H5N1 bird flu has arrived in Australia.But this strain circulated the globe for decades before it landed on our shores.How has the risk to humans changed since the virus emerged? And what aren't we prepared for?Got feedback? Email us [email protected]:Dr Jarrod HodgsonWildlife biologist, Australian Antarctic DivisionDr Vidya BhardwajResearch scientist in emergency animal disease, Australian Centre for Disease PreparednessProfessor Kirsty ShortProfessor of Virology, University of QueenslandDr Jason LombardVeterinary epidemiologist, Colorado State UniversityAdditional audio of Heard Island courtesy of the Australian Antarctic Division.Presenter: Belinda SmithProducer: Shelby TraynorSenior Producer: James BullenExecutive Producer: Petria LadgroveSound Engineer: Tim Jenkins
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