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BBC: People Fixing the World

Meet the unsung heroes of the ocean

Sea cucumbers are being farmed in Madagascar. This is improving lives in coastal communities and also helping to keep the seas healthy.

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How kangaroo care is saving premature babies

In Colombia, many premature babies aren't being kept in incubators. Instead their mothers are holding them against their skin all day long. Kangaroo mother care has life-saving benefits and is now recommended by the World Health Organizatio

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How fake birds are helping real birds

Seabirds are in decline around the world. But conservationists are using a surprising method to help populations recover.

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How bubbles stop plastic getting into the sea

A curtain of bubbles in a canal in Amsterdam is stopping plastic waste from reaching the ocean.

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How bison came back from the brink

Bison have been reintroduced to many parts of Europe after being extinct in the wild. Although most herds are still small, the animals are no longer considered to be endangered.

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How battery swapping is boosting electric motorbikes

Startups in Nairobi, Kenya are introducing battery swapping stations for electric motorbikes. This is helping to make cleaner vehicles easier to use and more affordable for the cities boda boda riders.

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Catching the 'bike bus' to school

Children in Glasgow are cycling to their school in a big group known as a 'bike bus'. There's a carnival atmosphere but it's also got a serious point. A film for People Fixing the World by Richard Kenny.

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Could this robot save lives?

This robot medic is designed to go into danger zones.

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Virtual fences keeping cows under control

New tech is helping farmers to keep cows in fields without fences. They build virtual fences using an app.

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The youth club for lonely young people

Loneliness is a big problem not only for the elderly. In the Netherlands just as many young people say they are lonely for long periods. Join Us was set up to tackle this around the country. This group is based near Utrecht.

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BBC News: Why is that?

Why Is That?: Life under Antarctic ice 'shouldn't be there'

Researchers hoping to collect mud samples deep beneath an Antarctic ice sheet were amazed to find small creatures living in the dark, freezing water. Experts from the British Antarctic Survey say the discovery of filter-feeding animals clinging to a rock was unexpected, because of the lack of food and sunlight.

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Why Is That?: Can one of the world’s rarest animals be saved?

The Harlequin toad has been successfully bred in captivity for the first time. The three-year project has been a collaboration between Panama Wildlife Charity PWCC, Manchester Museum, and the Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Heath at The University of Manchester in the UK. This breeding programme could provide a safety net for the toads, which are in danger of extinction, as they could be bred in captivity and reintroduced into the wild.

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Why Is That?: Are some soaps better than others?

Over the last few months, we’ve been told how important it is to wash our hands regularly – for at least 20 seconds – to protect against coronavirus. But with so many different soaps to choose from, how do we work out what’s best? Dr Michelle Wong, a beauty blogger with a PhD in chemistry, explains why all soaps are effective against coronavirus and suggests ways people with sensitive skin can help prevent irritation.

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Why Is That?: The robot smaller than the width of a hair

Scientists at Cornell University have created a tiny micro-robot that "walks" using four legs. Invisible to the naked eye, 10 of the computer chip bots could fit within the full-stop at the end of this sentence. Their legs can be independently triggered to bend using laser light. As the laser is toggled back and forth between the front and back legs, the robot walks. It would take less than a week to make a swarm of a million of the robots, which Itai Cohen and Paul McEuen Labs hope could be adapted to become a medical tool. They are small enough to be injected into the body and Prof Cohen hopes eventually robots like these could be designed to hunt down and destroy cancer cells.

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Why Is That?: Protecting Vietnam's paddy fields

Vietnam is one of the biggest producers and exporters of rice in the world, but the livelihood of some farmers is under threat. Seawater intrusion has long been a problem in the low-lying Mekong Delta, where more than half of the country's rice is grown. During the dry season, the salty water can leach into fields and ruin crops. It's thought rising sea levels may be exacerbating the problem. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the government of Vietnam have launched a smartphone app, which monitors the saltiness of the water. The data helps rice farmers decide when to flush out the paddy fields with freshwater to protect their crops.

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Why Is That? Covid vaccine, side effects and why it can’t give you the virus

Coronavirus vaccines help protect people from getting seriously ill if they come into contact with the disease. It's normal to experience some mild side effects, such as a headache or a raised temperature - but a vaccine can't give you the virus. But how do they work? And will a vaccine make you feel unwell? Voice: Marnie Chesterton Video journalist: Jennifer Green Graphics: We Are Covert With thanks to virologist Prof Jonathan Ball, University of Nottingham

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Why Is That? Is noise pollution killing whales and dolphins?

Humans create a lot of noise in the ocean - from sonar and seismic exploration, to pile driving when building wind farms. But how might this affect sealife? Dr Maria Morell, from University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, studies the ears of beached dolphins and whales to try and work out if hearing damage led to their death. She’s developed a new way of finding out if a cetacean's hearing was affected just hours before they beached, to support the theory that the two might be connected - and help pinpoint human activities that may be having an impact. Video by Jennifer Green. Interview by Melanie Brown.

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Why Is That? Space junk map tracks 200 ‘ticking time bombs’

It’s estimated around 26,000 human-made objects orbit earth and the majority of this no longer works. There’s a risk this space debris could collide with functioning satellites that provide vital services – such as GPS and weather warnings. To track and predict its behaviour, Prof Moriba Jah and his colleagues built AstriaGraph – a near real-time map of where each object is located in space. He explains that the system is monitoring around 200 ‘super-spreaders’ – large rocket bodies that have the potential to break into thousands of pieces. Video by Jennifer Green. Interview by Marnie Chesterton and Jennifer Whyntie.

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Why Is That? How honeybees self-medicate when they get sick

Just like us, honeybees get sick. But they have a clever way of protecting against parasites... Prof Jaap de Roode from Emory University explains how beekeepers could have unintentionally put honeybees at risk by selecting against this self-medicating behaviour.

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Why Is That? Philippines reef littered with PPE face masks

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is washing up on coral reefs close to the Philippine capital, Manila. According to an estimate by the Asian Development Bank, during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak, the city could have been generating up to 280 tonnes of extra medical waste per day. Environmental groups are warning that the plastic inside face masks is breaking down and being consumed by marine wildlife. They’re urging the Philippine government to improve its handling of infectious waste, to prevent further pollution of the seas. The BBC’s Howard Johnson joined divers from Anilao Scuba Dive Centre, a group affiliated to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Green Fins, which promotes sustainable marine tourism in South East Asia. Video produced by Howard Johnson and Virma Simonette. Additional camera work: Mark Badiola and Jojo D. Lontok.

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BBC News: Global citizen

Global Citizen: Shotgun with camera and WiFi facing criticism

The Russian gun manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern is facing criticism for marketing a new high-tech shotgun at young people. The weapon includes a barrel-mounted video camera, WiFi and Bluetooth and can be synced with a smartphone. The company says the gun’s gadgets can help owners “track their progress in shooting sports… as a runner does with a heartbeat monitor”.

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Global Citizen: The rise of India’s viral wedding photoshoots

Newlyweds in some parts of India are shunning traditional Hindu wedding photos in favour of exotic photoshoots in the hope that they will go viral online. Elaborate outdoor shoots include fake rain and can take eight hours or more. The BBC World Service has been speaking to one couple in the state of Kerala, on India’s Malabar Coast.

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Global Citizen: The Japanese estate agent selling 'haunted' houses

Akira has been selling 'haunted' houses for five years and has dealt with around 500 homes. In Japan, many people believe that houses can be haunted, and that the ghosts of people who died a lonely death, killed themselves or were murdered can haunt the living. These properties are on the increase with a declining Japanese population, which is expected to drop from 127 million to about 88 million by 2065.

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Global Citizen: Is this the world's most dangerous commute?

One way to travel in the Philippine capital, Manila, is by trolley. Passengers choose this unofficial transport service because it's quicker and cheaper than other options. For the homeless community that runs the illegal service, it puts food on the table. But it's also incredibly dangerous.

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Global Citizen: I'm the father to 110 huskies

Does the thought of living with over a hundred dogs sound like a dream or a nightmare? Well for Audun, who lives in the world's northernmost settlement, this is a reality. But his new Norwegian home, Longyearbyen, located in the Arctic, is believed to be warming faster than any other town on Earth. He talks about running a sustainable business.

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Global Citizen: Could this pensioner-friendly village be the future?

Pescueza in Extremadura, western Spain, is adapting to provide for the needs of its older population through a non-profit project called Stay With Us. It aims to provide elderly residents, who make up two thirds of its population, with the services they need in the hope they can remain independent.

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Global Citizen: Solar energy empowers young women in Yemen

A group of ten women in Yemen’s Abs district have built and now run a solar microgrid – the first of its kind in the country. The project was set up in 2019 with the help of the UN Development Programme. The women now run the station as their own business – providing affordable, renewable energy to a community living near a war zone. As a result of the project’s success, there are plans to build 100 microgrids around the country – employing more local women. Station manager Iman Ghaleb Hadi Al-Hamali explains how the work has given the group confidence and hope.

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Global Citizen: The teacher who convinced The Bahamas to ban plastic

Kristal Ambrose founded The Bahamas Plastic Movement in 2013 and aims to tackle the serious problem of plastic pollution in The Bahamas. The 29-year-old started tuition-free youth camps in order to educate the country's children and also drafted a bill which she took to the environment minister. Her work meant that The Bahamas introduced a nationwide ban on single-use plastic in 2020.

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Global Citizen: The secret artists creating miniature buildings for street mice

On streets across Europe, a secret organisation of artists who go by the name AnonyMouse have been creating little places for mice to use. From a record store in Lund, to a miniature castle on the Isle of Wight, AnonyMouse say they want to remind people that the "street belongs to everyone, and changing that space is up to all of us". To keep their anonymity, TEDX speaker Mia Liljeberg (who has no affiliation with the organisation) voiced their answers.

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Global Citizen: U.Me: The Musical - Recording an orchestra in lockdown

The music for U.Me: The Musical was created by Steve Levine and the BBC Philharmonic. Each musician from the BBC Philharmonic had to record their tracks from their own homes due to Covid restrictions. Steve Levine produced Culture Club’s classic hits. Other artist collaborations include the Clash and the Beach Boys. The BBC Philharmonic is one of the BBC’s five orchestras and widely recognised as one of Europe’s most adventurous, innovative and versatile orchestras. The music was composed by Theo Jamieson.

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