Influence of the Stars

When SARS-CoV-2 became the latest virus to shape human history, few people alive had witnessed global devastation from a novel infectious disease. Influenza (named in 15th Century Italy for the influence of hostile stars believed to cause illness) has sparked several pandemics, including the deadliest ever, in 1918. Flu is poised to grip the world again—but we are not powerless against it. In our documentary, Influence of the Stars, more than 30 experts across a range of disciplines describe how influenza threatens global health and security. They explain how hard-earned lessons from the COVID-19 experience can—and indeed must—be harnessed to protect the world from the far greater threat of pandemic influenza.

Narrated by Chuck Nice, co-host (with Neil DeGrasse Tyson) of Star Talk Radio, Influence of the Stars features scientists including Michael Osterholm, Eric Topol, and Nobel Prize nominees Maria Elena Bottazzi and Peter Hotez; policymakers including US Global AIDS coordinator John Nkengasong, former CDC director Julie Gerberding, and former FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg; authors Laura Spinney (Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World) and Michelle Wucker (The Grey Rhino); and economists Andrew Lo and Mariana Mazzucato.