Season 25 · Episode 3

Superquark: Xylella, the brain-gut link, and private astronauts

With Alberto Angela, you'll delve into the storerooms and attics of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, discovering countless masterpieces—a true hidden treasure. Thousands of artifacts, everyday objects, as well as statues, bronzes, and frescoes, come from Pompeii and the entire area affected by the devastating eruption of 79 AD. Marco Visalberghi and Barbara Bernardini will explore the strange connection between the brain and the gut: do our moods—like happiness and sadness—also depend on what we eat? This new research from the University of Oxford demonstrates the connection between gut and mood. An incredible chain of errors has transformed Xylella fastidiosa into a threat to olive trees across the Mediterranean: Giovanni Carrada and Rossella Li Vigni will explore this issue, visiting the olive groves and speaking with researchers. Private astronauts, the dawn of a new space age?