The Pioneers

The Brazilian ecologist tells us about how his plans to save the arapaima – the giant endangered Amazonian fish – is not just about preserving a species but also about helping indigenous communities to survive.

We meet a Ugandan IT specialist who has found a way to diagnose malaria quickly, without drawing blood. He tells Andrew Mueller about his research and how he hopes to convince those affected to embrace new technology.

In rural India, relationships between humans and large mammals are increasingly fractured. Dr Krithi Karanth tells us how she intervenes by helping farmers get compensated for damaged land and by teaching children that the animals aren’t all bad.

We meet the French doctor making major advances in the treatment of paraplegic patients. He tells Andrew Mueller how he used his background in maths and physics to devise a spinal bridge that’s helping people to get moving.

Our new series begins with Californian molecular biologist Miranda Wang, who’s been thinking about the plastic crisis since high school. Now in her mid-twenties, she tells Andrew Mueller about her company BioCellection, which could turn a third of the world's plastic waste into wealth.

The Pioneers in partnership with Rolex is coming soon to Monocle 24.