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  • Ep 158 Scarlet Fever: You’ve changed

    Ep 158 Scarlet Fever: You’ve changed
    2024/11/26
    A mere 150 years ago, uttering the words “scarlet fever” was enough to strike fear into the hearts of many, especially parents of young children. For a brief period of time, this disease, caused by an infection with the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, reigned as a leading cause of childhood death in many parts of the world. It left its mark on gravestones, in public health decrees, in literature like the Velveteen Rabbit, but then something changed. The disease became milder, no longer the deadly threat it once was. But it didn’t go away entirely or lose its bite completely. In this episode, we examine the biology of scarlet fever and trace how it can make you sick before exploring its strange and tragic history. How did such a deadly disease change almost overnight, before any effective treatment was developed? And what can that tell us about its potential to change back? Tune in to find out. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3WwtIAu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 18 分
  • Special Episode: Dr. Emily Monosson & Blight

    Special Episode: Dr. Emily Monosson & Blight
    2024/11/19
    We really don’t give fungi the credit they deserve. Over the years of this podcast, we’ve covered only a handful of fungal pathogens, and pathogenic fungi themselves represent a teeny tiny proportion of the incredible diversity of fungal life on this planet. But with this book club episode, we’re attempting to correct this oversight, at least a little bit. Toxicologist and science writer Dr. Emily Monosson joins us to discuss her book Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic. We chat about how fungal epidemics have shaped entire ecosystems, altered economies, and invaded hospitals. Despite the devastating impact pathogenic fungi have made, we still underappreciate their potential to cause harm in the future, as our climate changes, as our land use changes, and as globalization continues. In Blight, Monosson delivers an important reminder that we should use what we have learned about these historical outbreaks to limit the harm fungi may cause in the future. Tune in today to gain a new appreciation for this incredible group of organisms. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3WwtIAu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間
  • Ep 157 Retinoids Part 2: …how it’s going

    Ep 157 Retinoids Part 2: …how it’s going
    2024/11/12
    That same little bottle of retinol serum sitting on your bathroom counter - how does it work? Does it actually work? Those are the questions we’re taking on in part two of our retinoids two-parter. The answers, as you might expect, are complicated. Because as it turns out, “retinoid” is a catch-all term for a bunch of different types of compounds, all of which work in slightly different ways. And on top of that, the testing required to demonstrate efficacy isn’t exactly held to the highest of standards. But we do the best with what we have to get to the bottom of this retinoid puzzle. Tune in to learn everything you ever wanted to know about retinoids. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3WwtIAu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 9 分
  • Ep 156 Retinoids Part 1: How it started…

    Ep 156 Retinoids Part 1: How it started…
    2024/11/05
    That little bottle of retinol serum sitting on your bathroom counter - what do you know about its history? This week, we’re digging deep into the man behind the medicine, renowned dermatologist Dr. Albert Kligman, and the unethical research he conducted at Holmesburg Prison in the mid-20th century. Kligman’s research program at Holmesburg spanned decades, involved dozens of experiments (including tretinoin) and thousands of individuals, received ample funding from public universities and many pharmaceutical companies, and was generally praised until it all came crashing down in the early 1970s. But, as we’ll discover, the unethical behavior persisted even after the program’s closure as Kligman fought to get tretinoin to market. The murky history of retinoids might be a bit too long to include on the label, but this episode forces us to consider the human cost of a household product and the importance of acknowledging that history. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3WwtIAu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 3 分
  • Special Episode: Kate Zernike & The Exceptions

    Special Episode: Kate Zernike & The Exceptions
    2024/10/29
    When the Massachusetts Institute of Technology admitted in 1999 that they had discriminated against women on its faculty, it sent shockwaves throughout institutions of higher learning across the country. In this TPWKY book club episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kate Zernike joins us to discuss her book The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science, which details the sequence of events that led sixteen scientists to demand the equality that had been denied to them for so long. Zernike, who was one of the reporters to break the story in 1999, centers this story on molecular biologist Dr. Nancy Hopkins, who, armed with a tape measure, brought this history of marginalization to light. Simultaneously personal and panoramic, The Exceptions carefully illustrates the sexism entrenched in higher education and academia and sends an important message: this problem is far from solved. Tune in for a fascinating discussion about an infuriating topic. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3WwtIAu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 2 分
  • Ep 155 Stiff Person Syndrome: A rare disease in the spotlight

    Ep 155 Stiff Person Syndrome: A rare disease in the spotlight
    2024/10/22
    Stiff person syndrome, like many rare diseases, does not get nearly the same amount of screen time or name recognition that other, more common diseases do. For many people, Celine Dion’s announcement of her diagnosis with the condition in 2022 marked the first time they had heard of it. This limited awareness surrounding stiff person syndrome marks just one of the many challenges keeping this disease and other rare disorders in the dark. In this episode, we attempt to shed some light on stiff person syndrome, exploring the complex biology, frustrating history, and hopeful future of this disease. Because while the field of stiff person syndrome research faces many hurdles, there are also so many individuals - researchers, patients, advocates - and organizations that fight to bring this and other rare disorders into the light. Tune in today! Links: National Organization for Rare Diseases Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center Johns Hopkins Stiff Person Syndrome Center Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3WwtIAu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 30 分
  • Ep 154 Ask The Erins (Again!)

    Ep 154 Ask The Erins (Again!)
    2024/10/15
    Five years ago, we asked you all to ask us anything, and you delivered. We answered dozens of listener questions, like how we first met, our favorite quarantinis, where we were in our career journeys, and so many more. But in the years since that first “ask us anything”, a lot has changed for both of us! So we’re coming back to you with the answers to more of your probing questions, like “what disease names would make good person names?”, “where are you in the world these days?”, “if you could have only one sandwich for the rest of your life, what would it be?” and a million more, ranging from serious to silly and everywhere in between. Tune in for a non-stop, self-indulgent Ask the Erins! Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3WwtIAu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 27 分
  • Special Episode: Dr. Charan Ranganath & Why We Remember

    Special Episode: Dr. Charan Ranganath & Why We Remember
    2024/10/08
    How is it that we can’t remember where we put our keys or the name of the person we just met, but we can recall in excruciating detail the embarrassing interaction we had at the grocery store ten years ago? Sometimes it seems like our memory works against us more than it does for us. But, as it turns out, this aspect of our memory is more a feature than a bug, and the key to understanding the difference may lie in our evolutionary history. Dr. Charan Ranganath, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California at Davis, joins us today to discuss his book Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters. Dr. Ranganath deftly guides readers through not only the “how” of memory formation but also the “why”, helping us to understand why we remember certain things and forget others. Tune in for a fascinating discussion ranging from the importance of context (like smell) in memory to the different types of memory, from decision-making to memory competitions, and so much more! Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3WwtIAu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 3 分