Steven Johnson
Director
Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer (2021)
Season 1
Set in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, this series explores the lessons learned from previous global pandemics — including smallpox, cholera, the Spanish flu and others — and reveals how scientists, doctors, self-experimenters and activists launched a public health revolution, saving millions of lives, fundamentally changing how we think about illness and ultimately paving the way for modern medicine.
Released May 11, 2021
Episode 53 min
None+
Genres: Documentary
Production Companies: Nutopia
Network: PBS
Country: United States
Languages:
English
S1E1 - Vaccines
Discover the role vaccination plays in our growing ability to prevent the spread of illness. Travel through the remarkable history of vaccines and learn how new ones are developed when never-before-seen diseases like COVID-19 emerge.
May 11, 2021, midnight
S1E2 - Medical Drugs
Learn about the surprisingly recent invention of medicine that combats illness directly, such as antibiotics. From the accidental discovery of penicillin to today’s hunt for antivirals, this history underpins work to find COVID-19 treatments.
May 18, 2021, midnight
S1E3 - Data
Track the importance of data mapping and analysis in the quest to improve public health. The painstaking work of past data detectives made us aware of epidemic "curves" as well as the extent of health inequalities among different U.S. communities.
May 25, 2021, midnight
S1E4 - Behavior
Behavior examines the importance of public engagement during a health crisis, from the discovery that the simple act of handwashing could save lives in a 19th Century Viennese maternity hospital - to facemasks and lockdowns used to combat the Spanish flu 100 years ago, along with what we are experiencing today.
June 1, 2021, midnight
Network: PBS
Episode Runtime: 53 min.
Season Runtime: 215 min.
Released: May 11, 2021
Last Air Date: June 1, 2021, midnight
Status: Returning Series
Certification: NR
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