Neglected and ignored by the medical establishment throughout most of its history, sickle cell disease remains one of the most common (and commonly misunderstood) genetic conditions in the world. In this episode, we break down the myriad effect

Ep 55 Rocky Mountain spotted fever: The tick must be destroyed!

3 Aug 4th, 2020 1h 53m

Despite what its name might suggest, the story of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) takes us far beyond the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the western range. From the Bitterroot Valley to southeastern Brazil, it is a story filled with equal par

Ep 52 Rinderpest: Moo Cows, Moo Problems

1 1 Jun 23rd, 2020 1h 26m

The second disease ever to be eradicated, rinderpest could be the most devastating and notorious infection you never knew existed. Though its name means “cattle plague”, the deadly rinderpest virus infected hundreds of species of animals during

Ep 53 Radiation: X-Ray Marks the Spot

1 Jul 7th, 2020 1h 59m

“I have discovered something interesting, but I do not know whether or not my observations are correct.” With these words, Wilhelm Röntgen introduced the world to an invisible power, a power which would in turn be used to both harm and heal. Th

Ep 51 The Path of Most (Antibiotic) Resistance

May 26th, 2020 1h 56m

No story of antibiotics would be complete without the rise of resistance. As promised in our last episode, this week we dive into what the WHO calls ‘one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today’ - antibioti

Ep 20 Prions: Apocalypse Cow

Feb 19th, 2019 1h 32m

This week's episode is nothing like any of our past episodes, and there will never be another quite like it. How can we be so sure, you ask? Because this week, we're covering prions, the terrifying, genetic material-less infection that is 100%

Ep 1 Influenza Will Kill You

1 Oct 31st, 2017 1h 2m

In Episode 1 we're talking all things flu, just in time for the start of flu season! We'll dive into the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed literally millions of people, then talk about the state of influenza in the world today, and tell you e

Ep 136 Long Covid: A long time coming

16 days ago 1h 35m

We’re back with our season 7 premiere, and we’re kicking things off with a topic that we’ve wanted to cover for a long time, even if the topic itself hasn’t been around all that long. That’s right, we’re taking on Long Covid. When SARS-CoV-2 be

Ep 132 Osteogenesis Imperfecta: All bones about it

1 Jan 2nd, 2024 1h 25m

Often, the more we learn about a disease, the more we learn about ourselves and the world around us. The story of the genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, illustrates this perfectly. As rese

Ep 113 Vitamin D: The D stands for drama

Feb 28th, 2023 1h 39m

There is no shortage of ailments that vitamin D has been claimed to prevent or cure - various types of cancers, heart disease, COVID-19, diabetes, an assortment of autoimmune conditions, just to name a few. What is it about this micronutrient t

Ep 111 RSV: What’s syncytial anyway?

1 Jan 31st, 2023 1h 32m

We’re kicking off our sixth season in the same way we ended our fifth: with another headline-making respiratory virus. But as our listeners know, not all respiratory viruses are the same, and it’s often those differences among them that play th

Bonus

Special Episode: Snake Venom Evolution

1 Jun 7th, 2022 59m 31s

Our snake venom episode last week took us down some fascinating roads, from the pathophysiological effects of these compounds to the snake detection hypothesis and from the development of antivenom to the incidence of snakebite around the world

Bonus

Special Episode: Electricity

Mar 29th, 2022 46m 44s

While last week’s episode covered ample ground when it came to lightning strikes, there is so much more to the world of electricity left to explore. Fortunately, there’s a bonus episode for that! This week, we’re joined by a familiar voice, Dr.

Ep 93 Lightning & Other Stories: Power Hour (and a Half)

Mar 22nd, 2022 1h 32m

Lightning strikes have an aura of myth and legend around them, and their mystical reputation is inflated by stories that tell of people who, after having been hit by lightning, are suddenly able to speak a new language or play the piano expertl

Ep 85 Alcohol: Beer for Thought

Nov 2nd, 2021 1h 55m

To say that alcohol is a part of human culture is a bit of an understatement. The relationship our species has with alcohol can be traced so far back that we see evidence of it in our DNA, in the way that humans, somewhat unique among mammals,

Ep 70 Henrietta Lacks: HeLa, There, & Everywhere

Apr 6th, 2021 1h 19m

Of the many topics our podcast has covered in the past, from smallpox to scurvy, vaccines to birth control and beyond, one factor has linked nearly all of them: HeLa cells. These cells and the woman from whom they were taken have often remained

Ep 68 Coccidioidomycosis: It’s never a spider bite

Mar 9th, 2021 1h 25m

Don’t be daunted by the length of this disease name or just how difficult it looks to pronounce. By the end of the episode, you’ll be saying it right along with us, and bonus, you’ll also be armed with a whole bunch of excellent trivia about th

Ep 64 Rubella: Timing is Everything

Jan 12th, 2021 1h 25m

For many of us, rubella has simply come to mean the R in MMR, the routine childhood measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. But that hasn’t always been the case. There was once a time when the rubella virus routinely made front page news and was a

Ep 59 Thalidomide: Justice Delayed, Justice Denied

Sep 29th, 2020 1h 38m

The story of thalidomide is often employed as a cautionary tale - why testing a drug’s safety during pregnancy is crucial or why it’s important to choose the right animal models. Or it’s framed as a success story for drug repurposing or regulat

Ep 54 Wake Up and Smell the Caffeine

1 Jul 21st, 2020 1h 29m

Are you one of the billions of people around the world who starts your day with a freshly brewed and deliciously aromatic cup of coffee or tea or maybe even hot chocolate? Or are you caffeine-avoidant, looking on at your coffee-addicted friends

Ep 50 Antibiotics: We owe it all to chemistry!

1 May 12th, 2020 2h 5m

Fifty episodes. That’s fifty (sometimes) deadly viruses, bacteria, protozoa, parasites, and poisons. And don’t forget the fifty quarantinis to accompany each! What better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than talking about something tha

COVID-19 Chapter 10: Schools

1 Apr 23rd, 2020 1h 12m

In the tenth episode of our Anatomy of a Pandemic series on COVID-19, we continue our exploration of the diverse impacts of this pandemic by taking a look at how education and schooling has been affected, with a particular focus on the United S

Ep 48 Botulism: Why are you the way you are?

Apr 14th, 2020 1h 33m

You don’t look surprised to see this in your podcast feed - or is that just the botox? This week we’re taking a tour of the wonderful world of Clostridium botulinum and the toxin it produces, at once both poison and prescription. First, we delv

COVID-19 Chapter 6: Mental Health

1 Mar 23rd, 2020 53m 25s

Welcome to Chapter 6 of our Anatomy of a Pandemic series exploring the world of COVID-19. If you have made it this far in the series, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the information we’re throwing your way. You’re not alone. We

Ep 45 Hepatitis C: Hepatiti?

Mar 3rd, 2020 1h 20m

From its discovery only 30 years ago to the recent development of an effective treatment, the short life of the Hepatitis C virus certainly has been action-packed. This week, we take you through the biology of this deadly virus by exploring its