What is the chance of the human race surviving the 21st century? There are many dangers – climate change for example, or nuclear war, or a pandemic, or planet Earth being hit by a giant asteroid. Around the world a number of research centres have sprung up to investigate and mitigate what’s called existential risk. How precarious is our civilisation and what can be done to stop a global catastrophe? David Edmonds talks to four expert witnesses to try and find the answer. (Apocalyptic landscape.  Credit: Santoelia/ Getty images)

Will humans become extinct by the end of the century?

The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world.

News

Beyonce has released an album that has gone straight to the top of the country music charts.   The 27 tracks include the work of many collaborators from the world of country music, including Black country artist Linda Martell and Dolly Parton’s 1974 song Jolene. It has been so well received it has become the fastest selling album of the year.   Beyonce is usually known for her pop and RnB. Her success in the country music genre has opened up a wider debate about where country music originates from, who it belongs to and its political associations.   This week on the Inquiry we are asking, who is country ? Contributors:  William Nash, Professor of American Studies and English at Middleburgh College
Francesca Inglese, assistant professor in the Department of Music at Northeastern University
Taylor Crumpton, music critic and culture writer from Dallas, Texas
Charles Hughes, associate professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee and co-founder of the No Fences Review Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producers: Louise Clarke and Lorna Reader
Editor: Tara McDermott
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Image credit: Reuters

Who is country?

An increasing number of people are dying from misuse of synthetic opioids. In 2022, the US recorded over 70,000 overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids.  The government is spending billions to combat the effects of these super strength drugs.
Synthetic opioids, such as Fentanyl, are made in laboratories by using materials derived from the opium poppy. China is a major hub for the production of synthetic opioids, where it then makes its way to North America through Mexican drug cartels.  The lab-made drugs can be more deadly than the natural materials, but they are more easily accessible, and prevalence is rising across the world. In West Africa and the Middle East, tramadol is one of the most consumed synthetic drugs. The rise of synthetic opioids in the European market, which are being used as a substitute for a heroin shortage, is fuelling concern that these substances could lead to a rise in drug-related deaths.  This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking are synthetic opioids a global problem? Contributors 
Ric Treble, Forensic chemist and advisor to the Government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
Dr Angela Me, Chief of the Research and Trend Analysis Branch from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Ben Westhoff, author of Fentanyl, Inc and investigative journalist
Dr Vanda Felbab-Brown is a senior fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings Institution Production team
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producers: Vicky Carter and Matt Toulson 
Researcher: Ajai Singh
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Image credit: mikroman6 via Getty Images

Are synthetic opioids a global problem?

Six months into Israel’s war in Gaza and with no sign of a ceasefire or breakthrough in securing the release of the 130 hostages, as  yet unaccounted for, pressure is mounting on Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  There have been widespread protests in Tel Aviv and across Israel.  There have been calls both from home and abroad for an early election to be called.   And Israel’s greatest ally, the United States has sharpened its rhetoric in the past few weeks over Israel’s conduct of the war, with President Biden now saying that he believes Benjamin Netanyahu is making ‘a mistake’ in his handling of it.  For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister looks set to continue with his military offensive and has shown no indication so far that he is willing to step down or call an early election.   So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘How secure is Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership?’ Contributors: 
Professor David Tal, the Yossi Harel Chair in Modern Israel Studies, University of Sussex, UK 
Natan Sachs, Director of the Centre for Middle East Policy,  The Brookings Institution, Washington DC, USA 
Aaron David Miller, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,  Washington DC, USA 
Professor Tamar Hermann,  Senior Research Fellow, The Israel Democracy Institute, Jerusalem Presenter:  Tanya Beckett 
Producer:  Jill Collins 
Editor:  Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer:  Cameron Ward 
Production Co-ordinator:  Liam Morrey Image credit: Reuters via BBC Images

How secure is Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease which can lead to loss of mobility and vision. Almost 3 million people worldwide are affected by it. There is no cure, but attempts are being made to accelerate the healing process with treatments to restore what the disease has damaged. At the same time, scientists have recently discovered a link between MS and a common virus that the majority of us carry in our bodies. It had been known for years that there was a link between Multiple Sclerosis and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). But then, a study finally proved the link. Now, trials are underway on potential vaccines against EBV and scientists are hopeful that this could be a gateway to preventing MS.  This week on the Inquiry we are asking: Are we close to a breakthrough for Multiple Sclerosis? Contributors: Tim Coetzee, Chief Advocacy, Services & Science Officer for the National MS Society, US
Tjalf Ziemssen, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Head of the Multiple Sclerosis Center and Neuroimmunological Laboratory, University Clinic Carl-Gustav Carus, Germany
Jeffrey Huang, Associate Professor of Biology, Georgetown University, US
Claire Shannon-Lowe, Associate Professor in Virology, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Birmingham, UK Production team:  Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Ajai Singh
Editor: Tara McDermott
Studio Manager: Hal Haines
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Image Credit: Shidlovski\Getty

Are we close to a breakthrough for Multiple Sclerosis?

For centuries chocolate has had a global appeal, the key ingredient of this confectionery is derived from the dried and fully fermented seed of the Theobroma cacao, whose origins began in northern Amazonia.  From this tree, both cocoa solids and cocoa butter can be extracted to form the basis of chocolate.  Today, it’s the West African countries of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana that produce the bulk of the world’s supply of cocoa beans. But in recent years hotter temperatures and shifts in rainfall patterns have impacted cocoa harvests particularly in this region.  And now the global  price of this key ingredient has roughly doubled since the start of last year, fuelling concern that demand could outweigh supply.
 
Cocoa farming itself is mainly small scale and these farmers are at the bottom end of the value chain when it comes to profits. But whilst many of the major chocolate manufacturers do invest in the industry, with support for improved planting and harvesting techniques, farming sustainably is just one of a number of challenges that these small farmers face.   So on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Is climate change impacting chocolate production?’  Contributors: 
Dr Katie Sampeck, British Academy Global Professor of Historical Archaeology, University of Reading, England
Philip Antwi-Agyei, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana 
Steffany Bermúdez, Policy Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Canada
Yunusa Abubakar, Project Manager, International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO), Côte d’Ivoire Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Jill Collins 
Researcher: Matt Toulson
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Hal Haines
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Image by grafvision via Getty Images

Will humans become extinct by the end of the century?

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