Sliced Bread - Series 6: Mosquito Repellents

Izal medicated toilet paper was once a staple of British bathrooms - a curious cultural icon, remembered as much for its distinctive feel as for its antiseptic promise. Produced for decades by the Sheffield‑based company Newton, Chambers & Co., Izal became woven into the fabric o ...  Show more

Why did the popular stationery chain, Paperchase, end up closing all of its shops?The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, investigates in the company of resident entrepreneur, Sam White. Paperchase was founded by two former art students in the late 1960s and went on to beco ...  Show more

#051 Rebroadcast

This week, Melissa and Jam begin a multi-faceted topic: mosquitos. Now of course mosquitos are insects, so studying them would mostly fall into biology. But there's a lot of chemistry here too. The first question, why do mosquitos bite ...

A large study published in June showed how a peculiar intervention could help prevent the spread of dengue fever. Instead of vaccinating people, the World Mosquito Program has found a way to breed mosquitoes carrying bacteria that prevent them catching the disease in the first pl ...  Show more

Qui suis-je? J'ai des rayures, presque une taille de guêpe, et une trompe qui vous laisse sans défense. Venu d'Asie, le moustique tigre a plus que fait son nid sur le territoire métropolitain. Les deux tiers des départements français subissent désormais son joug et son appétit po ...  Show more

#052 Rebroadcast

This week, Melissa and Jam continue the topic of mosquitos (If you missed last week's, listen to it first). It's time to answer the age-old, every-summer question. Why do some people get bitten by mosquitos more than other people ...