How much work can really get we still have time to our ongoing success that some strive for more like this. The coronavirus is a respiratory disease. It attacks the lungs and other organs in its attempt to infect its host. But it has another strategy. Air pollution. Scientists believe it uses fine particulate matter as a carrier. Studies show, the pollution also lays the groundwork for the virus aggravating the throat and lungs to make us more susceptible to covered a toxic and potentially deadly partnership. Air pollution, thank overt 19, invisible killer and its little helper. A lot of cities around the world have been promising to clean up their act and clear the air. Now theyve got a reason to act. The coronavirus. There are many sources of particulate pollution. The primary one is emissions from combustion in power plants, planes and car engines. Vehicles also produce particles through break where anti reparation. Agricultural emissions are also a big contributor, particles invisible to the naked eye, a classified by diameter, pm, 10 of 10. My crimean smaller fine inhalable particles have diameters of 2. 5 micro metres or less, and then there are all true fine particles less than 0 point one micron meters in diameter, depending on their size and how deeply they penetrate tissue. Inhaled particles have different effects on health. And we believe that the smaller the particular matter is, the greater the probability is that it will reach the bloodstream off the inhalation and be taken up by the cardiovascular system. If these tiny particles can build up in arteries and damage their insides, and thats where the song was covert to, virus also causes much of its most serious damage. As recent studies show as a dozen chide, the Decisive Point is that we have discovered that the virus infection in covert 19 mainly affects the inner layer of the blood vessels, the socalled and the field cells. And as it happens, that is also the target of fine particular matter. Theres a strong correlation between air pollution and covert 1000 mortality rates. The risk of dying from the disease is higher, the longer we are exposed to air polluted with these particles. Thats the result of a study coauthored by the scientist in mines. It came to the conclusion that a study 15 percent of covert 1000. 00 related deaths worldwide are linked to long term exposure to pollution based on health records. The also say that the figure for north america amounts to 17 percent 19 percent for europe, and about 27 percent in east asia. This highlights the risks posed by at pollution even before the pandemic. We currently have more than 1000000 deaths from the corona virus pandemic. But we know that a particular matter causes nearly 9000000 deaths a year while why thats an indication of how much attention the coronavirus is getting compared to particulate pollution. I believe we need a rethink. The Scientists Say policymakers need to do more to combat air pollution and they need to take the recommendations of the world. Health organization seriously need limits for fine particulate matter that protect us from their impact on health. W. H. O. Defines the limit of 10 micrograms per cubic meter as healthy, while 90 percent of the worlds population effectively lives above that limit. The correlation between at pollution and Health Outcomes exists even if the connection hasnt been directly proven so far. Many scientists are convinced that very high levels of particular matter in the air we breathe weakens our immune response, and that was a matter of grave concern, especially in the time of the coronavirus managing director of the Max Planck Institute for chemistry and minds where he heads the department of atmospheric chemistry and lead that study we mentioned in the report you found exposure to particulate air pollution contributes 15 percent to tova mortality. How did you get to that result . Yes, well we are combining data and primarily we were using a study in the united states. It made use of an analysis of 65000000 people who participated in medicare. And there they had analyzed the relationship between air pollution and premature death from covert. How do you manage to measure something, so tiny is this fine particulate matter that we mentioned in this . Well, you can measure it directly in, for example, in air quality networks. But we also make use of measurements in space because the small particles that can enter your lungs are also about the same size as the wavelength of the light of them. Some of the sun. So they scatter the sun. They reflect the sunlight and from some instruments you could see them quite well. It sounds like fascinating stuff, but at the end of the day, the more polluted just skies, the higher the risk of catching tobit is, is that right . Well its actually more the, the air pollution causes preconditions or it aggravates preconditions that causes it more severe outcome of covert 19. So you cant really say its possible, but thats something we dont know that air pollution causes or allows covert 19 to become to get infected more easily. But the main reason we think is that air pollution causes preconditions that aggravate the over 1000 outcome. I guess that the great lock down was a great thing in that fell in many cities, meaning fewer coated carrying particles around and less aggravation. Yes, its a little bit more complicated than that. This is possible, but this would be this direct effect. For example, if air pollution triggers the body to be more receptive of the virus, that would certainly be reduced with a covert look down. But the point is that the long term exposure to air pollution causes chronic diseases like lung diseases including lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, heart conditions, etc. And these are exactly the conditions that make the suffering from covariate more severe. So its, its more the preconditioning actually that, that where the air pollution plays a role. So we cant just be tapping the covert pandemic. We need to be tackling air pollution. Definitely we will. Yeah. Its just another example of air pollution causing a disease is and of course its already a factor. We knew it causes Life Expectancy to be shorter. But now we also see that theres a direct relationship with covert 19, which is not entirely surprising because the disease actually, you know, through the lungs through the cardiovascular system is very similar as the effect of air pollution. And that again is very similar as the effects of smoking, which is also a precondition that makes the outcome of covert 1000. 00 more severe. I understand why it took the world so long to understand the dangers of tobacco, considering the huge corporations behind the advertising campaigns. But what about m pollution . I mean, was it taken a so long to catch on to the fact that its bad for yes, well, many people have known this for a long time, but its of course not so easy to do something about it. I mean, in europe we have, we have programs trying to reduce air pollution, but its has of course economic implications. And its not only a cost factor in terms of, you know, reducing the emissions. Of course you gain on the other sigh because you have less health expenses. But you know, this is a system that needs to be politically controlled because the, the person who, who profits from better air quality is not the person who would have to pay for reducing it. So this is really a question of putting policies in place and making sure that those who actually pay for the mighty geisha and measure some of the reduction of pollution. But also in some way profit and not are the only ones to pay for. Those really said managing director of the Max Planck Institute for chemistry in mind. Thank you very much and take, and pfizer are applying in the u. S. For a mage and the use of the covert vaccine at the 1st to do so. That Companies Say a good Safety Record should qualify it for use before final testing is completed. A limited number of shots could be ready next month. And the money more time this week is there williams . Our science correspondent answering your questions on the coronavirus. Why are mortality rates so low and densely populated country like india . India has the 2nd highest number of reported code in 1000 cases in the world behind, the u. S. But has only logged about half as many deaths. So to put that in terms that weve all become familiar with, it appears to have an extremely low case fatality rate compared to most western countries. Why . We dont know, but the experts trying to puzzle it out say a number of different factors are probably playing roles 1st, of course, is that almost all agree that under reporting as involved as they say that india struggled to record accurate death statistics under, under normal circumstances, before the pandemic, and if anything, Health Officials have been struggling more since it began, but, but is there more to it than that . Another line of thinking says young average age in indias population could also be making a difference. And then there are some researchers who believe that whats known as the hygiene hypothesis could be involved. It postulates that people exposed to more pathogens early in life are less likely to develop the overreactive, the new systems later, which cause auto immune conditions like allergies. And as we know many, if not most over 1000 patients die, basically because of an auto immune reaction that spins out of control. So are a lot more indian surviving because their immune systems had to learn to deal with a much wider range of pathogens as children. And they dont go into a tailspin now when they catch sars cove to maybe its an interesting hypothesis but, but its also one thats hard to prove. And by the way, many of the same arguments are being used to explain whats going on in most of africa, where people also arent getting sick and dying at rates that experts and michelle lee predicted they would. There william said ive been fizzling for any other developments on the virus for 12 website at the call of slash code 90 smartphones in the dark, dark mode is meant to protect our eyes, preserve our batteries, and help us sleep better. But researchers arent convinced we can darken really do want to do next on d, w, rs. Your life when its no longer forbidding your career when youre finally allowed to pursue it. Its your opinion when you can finally say it is freedom more important than homeland. We need artists in exile, living in berlin, 20 in 30 minutes on d. W. Why did this person lose his home . There are still there is a lot that can be done to make up your mind. Thank you mean spreads rapidly in times of crisis. Unverified articles get millions of shots on social media. Fake news often gives rise to conspiracy theories and drives people out on to the streets in protest all over the world. Do some countries have bigger problems with fake news than others . And if so, why . More on less on this weeks edition of tomorrow. Today, the Science Program on t. W. Welcome to the show. Where do you get your information . Can you separate fact from fiction . This disinfectant was manufactured in 26 and somehow already protected against corona virus. True or false . True coronaviruses were discovered decades ago that 19 is just a new one. This was also shared thousands of times in venice, except there in sardinia. Fake news is so prevalent, its now become the focus of scientific research. From the claim that the corona virus originated in a lab in china, chinese Donald Trumps reckless recommendation to inject disinfectant and the Conspiracy Theory that bill gates intends to take over the world with a mind control vaccine is full of bizarre and baseless notions about the virus from the university of zurich was involved in an International Study on the spread of just information during the pandemic. We wanted to see why there were differences between countries. It seems to be that some countries provide a more fertile breeding ground for the spread of disinformation. The researchers prepared a social media post, presenting the false claim that the virus is a biological weapon. Study. Participants were then asked whether they would share or comment on the very very interesting observation is how the willingness to share. Such posts varies between Different Countries inflicted on for example, 11 percent of those asked said they would share the posed difference from the u. S. , where 27 percent said theyd share tying them on from one to 25 percent saying they would like to comment on the post. Either the question we asked was whether those surveyed believe their government is capable of getting the crisis under control. Here, more than 75 percent of participants in switzerland said yes, we have a lot of confidence in our government. But then we have, i think, are of under 30 percent for front, as we can see here, under 40 percent in the u. S. So thats a considerable, just piracy to another finding is that fake news tends to flourish in countries with a strong populist slant. Reason is the populist style of communication. This information is a stylistic device that you often find in populous communication. Certain information is a method, while some is distorted to fit the narrative. The European Union has its own Fact Checking web site to counter the growing flood of fake news versus disinfo. Dissin from ation is now a major policy priority. Both governments and International Organizations have taken to the internet. Just spell out the facts. Based mimi comma is one of the biggest Fact Checkers in the german speaking world. The coronavirus has posed serious challenges for its experts who are already dealing with around 150 feet every day. That number is more than tripled. Since the pandemic struck Communications Expert on today, it was fake news seriously escalated just so im funk. Thats the start of the crisis. There were a lot of largely harmless hoaxes chain mails and whats up messages where people were evidently afraid and insecure about the new situation. There was a lot of trolling and initially satirical posts among these people. But then in march, we saw things reach a 2nd level with videos imposed by contrary. And scientists that contradicted the scientific consensus. Thats where things got more difficult. And then in april, we noticed a really big shift with a load of conspiracy theories suddenly popping up that made especially difficult for every kind of Fact Checking because there are no facts to check on the contrary, these myths 1st, assume legitimacy and then challenge you to disprove them, and actually thats the wrong way to go about it. You know, that the sheer number of all the little myths and bogus reports suddenly lead to a lot of responses in the real world. People started going out and setting fire to 5 g. Masts because they believe that 5 g. Was responsible for the spread of the corona, virus. Mindless violence, triggered by made up claims about the virus. Another example of the danger of fake news and the importance of facts with facts isnt always easy because facts require data and hold of them is no piece of cake. Take conservation, for example. If you want to know how many species they are in an area and how population numbers are changing, you need to study that area over a period of time. In this region in southern germany. Ok. Lets go through the 50 to camilla and his colleagues. From south korea are setting off to work. They often come to the boards at night to capture insects. Theyre not assessing up a light trap in the hope of catching months, so as to work out how many species are at home here. The thing is really labor intensive. The organisms are really tiny for one. Many are only a few millimeters long. I cant do much with them out here, so i need to take them with me. Another thing is that the species differ depending on the time of year and the weather. So i have to keep on coming back. I need to use different methods as well. So im pretty much never done and can really only do it in a certain number of selected areas. Researching biodiversity and changing patterns requires a lot of practical know how often theres a shortage of personnel, money, and time. For that reason, data is often only collected from one place, rather than on a large scale and over a long period has come to germany to hone a new map that designed to make the process easier and more representative. It really gave me all the time, insight and then also germany is very advanced. It call it occurs study south korea. So we are quite late for this area. So im launching a lot of things from my colleague here. So they are very nice to work with, and then they are very advanced in many techniques and then dollys. Shell need to see the samples in the trap before she can show you or her new method. The next morning they returned to the forest to collect the muffins. Theyve captured but there is a problem. Where exactly did they hang up the trap . Who . Unfortunately we lost yesterday in stick. But sometimes it happened before the lets say, but finally they managed to locate is Field Research is rarely simple. 1st, at least the weather is good and the area is easily accessible, which isnt always the case. So lets see for the moment. So hold, looks like look at this. You see this big a cockroach, a fire beetle. 2 or 3 dozen moths on potter flies are my uses for all. This is a fantastic catch for me. It was a little warmer last night that explains the activity. And the controversy typical round about magnets, but this represents just one location and 1. 2 kilometers away. Theyve set up another trap. Its a really good porch chunking. Yeah. The dead trees may look bad, but theyre actually good for biodiversity. Even if they do make it harder to reach the tropics, the insects are placed in a liquid to preserve them. Sometimes its not easy, so we should be careful. But normally i think im going for, i just find that theres some Korean Foreign states. More hard to reach, lab tests will help identify the insects. The researchers want to see how Climate Change is affecting local biodiversity. Were seeing trees die. And the question is, is this bad for biodiversity . Our data currently suggests not knowing. This is for the rich, the terrible economically for the far stronger. Its beyond doubt that Global Warming is growing. Impact on nature also has huge economic repercussions. But how will it affect bio