Podcast: HIV vaccine progress, COVID and brains, and saving Brazil’s forests

In this edition: We hear how close we are to an HIV vaccine, how severe COVID-19 affects brain power, and how one ecologist is saving Brazil’s forests. News: Great Exhibition Road Festival preview – We hear from two ‘Young Producers’ for the Great Exhibition Road Festival, who are working on an event called Sonder, which investigates how the summer sun influences culture. HIV vaccine progress – We talk to Professor Robin Shattock about the successes and challenges in creating a successful vaccine for HIV, and what the future could hold. You can also listen to an extended version of this interview on our Imperial Soundcloud account. How COVID affects brains – We hear from Dr Adam Hampshire how the long-term effect of severe COVID-19 could be a loss of 10 IQ points or the equivalent of 20 years of ageing, as measured by slower reaction times and less accuracy in cognitive tests. Saving Brazil’s forests – As part of a series on the people behind our world-leading research, we meet Dr Cristina Banks-Leite, whose work is helping preserve biodiversity in Brazil's precious forests.