The riddle of the plague survivors.

This documentary shows how the genetic structures of some of our ancestors prevented them from dying from the plague. Using very effective dramatic reconstructions as illustration we revisit the plague of London in the 14th century. Mostly the programme focuses on how a tiny Derbyshire village infected with plague in 1665 produced 433 survivors, more than half the population of the village, a fact made particularly incredible because the villagers were forced into isolation from the rest of Derbyshire. By testing DNA samples from descendants of villagers who survived, scientists find evidence of 'delta 32' a genetic mutation which did not show anywhere else in the world apart from in European areas affected by plague. Can this kind of mutation or 'genetic mistake' actually help people with other disesase such as AIDS?