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The United States spends more on health than any other industrialised country and yet 45 million people do not have health insurance. As a result, it is thought that as many as 1800 people a year die prematurely from inadequate medical care. In his election pledge, President Barack Obama promised to tackle this major issue and this week saw the implementation of the ‘Patient protection and affordable care act’, commonly referred to as ‘Obamacare’. In this programme we find out what this legislation means for Americans who currently don’t have medical insurance.

In the 13th Century, a large volcanic eruption caused cool summers and flooding in Europe. Sulphur and ash found in layers of ice cores in the polar regions show that a volcanic eruption was responsible. While the layers suggest that the volcano must have been situated in the tropics, no one had actually been able to find its remains. Until now. Volcanologists now think that the island of Lombok in Indonesia was the site of the eruption.

Fracking for gas is highly controversial and has even been accused of contaminating water courses and causing earthquakes. Yet, it provides a potentially essential cheap source of energy. Gaia Vince talks to scientists to find out what fracking involves and what impact it has on the environment, and she discovers what other countries can learn from the pioneers of the technology, the United States.

Picture credit: President Barack Obama on ‘Obamacare’. Win McNamee (photographer), Getty Images.