Special Episode: Dr. Noah Whiteman & Most Delicious Poison

Special Episode: Dr. Noah Whiteman & Most Delicious Poison

The word “poison” is much more subjective than it may first appear. It’s likely you’ve come across the phrase, “the dose makes the poison”, referring to some compounds that are beneficial in small amounts but deadly in others - such as digitalis. And then there’s the intended recipient of the “poison”; a poison to one animal might be a boon to another, like milkweeds and monarch butterflies. Our own relationships to poisons can be unpredictable. Attracted, addicted, healed, repelled, harmed, neutral - all are possible alone or in combination. Why do organisms produce caffeine, penicillin, alcohol, capsaicin, opioids, cyanide, and countless other poisons, and why are our responses so varied? That’s exactly what author Dr. Noah Whiteman explores in his book Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins--From Spices to Vices. Dr. Whiteman, who is Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution and Development and Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology at UC-Berkeley, takes us through the evolution, chemistry, and neuroscience of plant- and animal-derived poisons and explores the fine line between healing and harm. Weaving together personal narratives with stories of scientific discovery and evolutionary biology, Dr. Whiteman presents an expansive view of the world of these poisons and what they mean to us. Tune in today!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(282)

Ep 9 Tuberculosis: A Slow Burn

Ep 9 Tuberculosis: A Slow Burn

Today, we’re taking a page straight out of Dickens and talking about tuberculosis- a disease as rich in history as it is in bloody sputum. We'll travel the path of an individual Mycobacterium tubercul...

2 Jan 201859min

Ep 8 ABRACADABRA - Go Away Malaria!

Ep 8 ABRACADABRA - Go Away Malaria!

It's both a disease of dinosaurs and a plague of people. A gin and tonic might make you forget how much those bites itch, but it won't protect you much from this mosquito-borne monster. That's right p...

19 Des 201759min

Ep 7 Hit Me With Your Best (Polio) Shot

Ep 7 Hit Me With Your Best (Polio) Shot

A scientific rivalry for the ages, a president with a closely kept secret, and a summertime with no pool time. What do all these things have in common? Well step right up and take a listen- today we'r...

12 Des 20171h 1min

Ep 6 Plague Part 2: TGFA

Ep 6 Plague Part 2: TGFA

We're back with another episode all about plague-TGFA: Thank Goodness For Antibiotics! Today we'll focus on the status of plague in the modern world: where it is, where it isn't, and what we can do ab...

5 Des 201740min

Ep 5 Plague Part 1: The GMOAT

Ep 5 Plague Part 1: The GMOAT

That's right y'all... Today we're talking the GMOAT: The GREATEST MORTALITY OF ALL TIME: BLACK DEATH. This episode we'll cover the biology and history of one of the most epic diseases of all time- Yer...

28 Nov 201759min

Ep 4 The Poop Show

Ep 4 The Poop Show

That's right.. this is the poop show! Today we talk cholera- the bacterial disease that makes you liquid-poop your pants (and then some). Travel back in time with us to when London was a sewage-filled...

21 Nov 201749min

Ep 3 Gnarlypox

Ep 3 Gnarlypox

This week we pay tribute to one of the gnarliest diseases of all time, and the only human disease that's ever been eradicated (thus far). That's right, people- we're talking smallpox! It's gonna get g...

14 Nov 201757min

Ep 2 Skin in the Game, Horse in the Race

Ep 2 Skin in the Game, Horse in the Race

This week we tackle leprosy. That biblical (or is it?) infection that, believe it or not, is still with us today. Leprosy has an ancient history that exemplifies some of the worst of human behavior, a...

7 Nov 201754min

Populært innen Vitenskap

fastlegen
tingenes-tilstand
jss
rekommandert
forskningno
sinnsyn
rss-nysgjerrige-norge
liberal-halvtime
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
rss-paradigmepodden
villmarksliv
fjellsportpodden
kvinnehelsepodden
rss-rekommandert
rss-overskuddsliv
nevropodden
tidlose-historier
rss-bondevennen
psykopoden
nordnorsk-historie