Outlook

Tito Quiroz used to wave up at the inmates of the prison next door to his university in Ensenada, Mexico, and they'd wave back from their cell windows. Then, one day, he got the opportunity to go inside to teach them his passion, the violin. Tito endured the somewhat intimidating atmosphere inside, and found an audience desperate to learn. One man in particular would use the music he was imbued with to turn his life around. Image: Tito Quiroz Credit: Clayton Conn

Kim Cheol-woong grew up in an elite family and excelled at the piano. When he was interrogated by North Korean authorities for playing a western song, he decided to defect. But to find safety, he had to brave freezing temperatures, treacherous borders, and the Chinese police. Presenter: Rajan Datar Producer: Nathan Gower

Jennifer Hosten was the first woman of colour to win the Miss World contest, taking victory against a backdrop of protest. She became a heroine for women all over the world, and then became her home country Grenada's High Commissioner to Canada. Presenter: Rajan Datar Producer: Alice Gioia & Nathan Gower Picture: Jennifer Hoston wins Miss World Credit: BBC

Jonathan Shurin is an ecologist with an unusual research brief. He studies a group of hippos in northwestern Colombia who trace their origins to the private zoo of drug lord Pablo Escobar. When Escobar was shot dead by police in 1993, the Colombian government seized his entire estate - but his four hippos were left to fend for themselves. They’ve lived wild in the area since then, and the group now number between 80 and 100. Along with biologist Nelson Aranguren-Riaño, Jonathan has published his study on the impact of the hippos - considered an ‘invasive species’ - on the local ecosystem. It will help to determine the future of the hippos in the area. Presenter: Rajan Datar Producer: Alice Gioia Picture: Hippos at the Hacienda Nápoles ranch in Colombia Credit: Getty Images

Many listeners will be staying home at the moment – following the advice of some governments around the world to slow the spread of coronavirus. The sense of confinement will be familiar to a team of scientists who spent a year living on a Hawaiian volcano. Cut off from the outside world, they were part of a Nasa sponsored experiment to investigate how humans might adapt to living on Mars. Mauricio Hoyos Padilla spends time living and conducting research in some of the most isolated spots around the world. It’s part of his job as a marine biologist studying great white sharks – and he’s become known for high-fiving the fearsome creatures. Producer: Harry Graham & Saskia Edwards Presenter: Rajan Datar Picture: The scientists' base at the Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii Credit: Neil Scheibelhut / AFT / Getty Images