Fungal infections don’t often make an appearance on this podcast, but when they do, you know you’re in for a wild ride. In this episode, we explore the rare but potentially deadly fungal infection blastomycosis. We trace the journey of Blastomyces spores as they depart from their cozy homes of decomposing wood and make their way first into mammalian lungs before possibly moving into the skin, intestines, and brain. How and why these fungi can be so deadly is our next stop, one that takes us into an unexpected direction: the fall of dinosaurs, the rise of mammals and the role that pathogenic fungi played in this transition. We delve into why comparatively few fungi are pathogenic to humans and how our warm-bloodedness may protect us. But, as we discuss in the episode’s conclusion, that protection may be weakened as our warming planet selects for fungi that can tolerate increasing temperatures. Dinos, dogs, deep time, and deadly outbreaks - this episode has it all.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ep 54 Wake Up and Smell the Caffeine
Ep 53 Radiation: X-Ray Marks the Spot
Ep 52 Rinderpest: Moo Cows, Moo Problems
Ep 51 The Path of Most (Antibiotic) Resistance
Ep 50 Antibiotics: We owe it all to chemistry!
COVID-19 Ch 11: Modeling
Ep 49 Eastern Equine Encephalitis: Triple EEEk!
COVID-19 Chapter 10: Schools
COVID-19 Chapter 9: Economics
Ep 48 Botulism: Why are you the way you are?
COVID-19 Chapter 8: Disparities
COVID-19 Chapter 7: Spillover
Ep 47 Schistosomiasis: A Snail's Pace
COVID-19 Chapter 6: Mental Health
COVID-19 Chapter 5: Vaccines
COVID-19 Chapter 4: Epidemiology
COVID-19 Chapter 3: Control
COVID-19 Chapter 2: Disease
COVID-19 Chapter 1: Virology
Ep 46 Lactose Intolerance: Never trust a fart
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free