Ep 130 Cocoliztli: We do love a salty dish

Ep 130 Cocoliztli: We do love a salty dish

In the 16th century, a series of deadly epidemics swept through much of the region of Mesoamerica known as the Aztec Empire, killing untold millions. By the start of the first of these epidemics, the area had become woefully accustomed to devasting epidemic disease, as the Spanish conquistadors had introduced smallpox, measles, typhus, and influenza, among other infections. But this disease, with its tendency to induce massive hemorrhage, fever, jaundice, and rapid death, seemed different from those now familiar infections, and so was given a new name: cocoliztli. People watched in horror as cocoliztli overtook town after town, village after village, sometimes killing as much as 80% of the population and leaving nothing but desolation in its wake. Hundreds of years after the epidemics ended, debate about the pathogen responsible for cocoliztli remains. In this episode, we’re going deep down the rabbit hole of this medical mystery, linking the spread and nature of these epidemics with the characteristics of the many pathogens that have been proposed over the years. We draw from contemporary accounts, ecological analyses, and even a recent ancient DNA study to make our evaluations, but do we ever get to the bottom of cocoliztli? Tune in to find out.

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Ep 187 Hypothermia Part 2: How it helps

Ep 187 Hypothermia Part 2: How it helps

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Ep 186 Hypothermia Part 1: How it hurts

Ep 186 Hypothermia Part 1: How it hurts

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Special Episode: Lina Zeldovich & The Living Medicine

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Ep 185 The Great Smog of London: “Thick, drab, yellow, disgusting”

Ep 185 The Great Smog of London: “Thick, drab, yellow, disgusting”

Some things just go together: peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, milk and cereal, London and smog. Or at least, that’s the way things used to be until the Great Smog of 1952. (Don’t worry, the f...

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Ep 184 The Gallbladder: Humor us

Ep 184 The Gallbladder: Humor us

For most of us, there probably hasn’t been a good reason for you to think about your gallbladder. Ever. Much of the time, it sits there, silently storing, concentrating, and, when needed, churning out...

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Special Episode: Carl Zimmer & Airborne

Special Episode: Carl Zimmer & Airborne

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Ep 183 SSRIs Part 2: Action

Ep 183 SSRIs Part 2: Action

Last week, we took you on a journey of discovery and innovation, and this week we’re gonna tell you how the heck it all works. That means a deep dive into the nitty gritty of SSRIs, from what serotoni...

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Ep 182 SSRIs Part 1: Origin

Ep 182 SSRIs Part 1: Origin

Since first hitting the shelves nearly 40 years ago, SSRIs have become one of the most commonly prescribed classes of antidepressants around the world, as well as one of the most discussed and misunde...

22 Juli 20251h 2min

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