Incubation
Incubation
Incubation is a show about how viruses attack people – and how people fight back. This season, we talk to a scientist who fought the spread of Ebola while risking his life. We learn how a ubiquitous virus causes cancer and multiple sclerosis. And we hear how a mosquito-borne virus helped defend an empire. Stories of discovery, heartbreak, and heroic nerds drop weekly on Thursdays starting October …Social links:
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Mosquitoes, Viruses and the History of the World
For thousands of years, humans have shaped mosquito evolution while mosquitoes have shaped human history. Today on the show, Noah Rose, an ecologist at UC San Diego, tells us how mosquitoes came to love human blood. Then, Georgetown historian John McNeill makes the case for how mosquitoes – and the…
32:42
HIV: Racing to Identify a Killer
After four decades of dedicated research on HIV, scientists have made extraordinary progress in treating the disease. But we still don’t have a vaccine or a cure. On today’s show, we’re joined by two veteran scientists who have dedicated their careers to HIV research. First up is Christine Rouzioux…
28:51
Shingles: The Mystery of Pain
For a long time, people could tell that there was some connection between chickenpox and shingles. But exactly how they were related was a mystery. Then, in the 1950s, a family doctor shipped out to a remote Scottish island to investigate an outbreak, and made a discovery that shaped our understand…
31:58
Epstein-Barr Virus: The Fog of Discovery
Almost everyone on earth has Epstein-Barr virus. Usually it's pretty mild - you get sick, you get better. But the virus lives on in your body forever. Today, we talk with Dorothy Crawford (author of "Cancer Virus") about how one obsessive researcher uncovered a link between Epstein-Barr and cancer,…
29:22
Ebola: Preventing the Next Pandemic
What did the 2014 Ebola outbreak teach us about preventing future pandemics? Our guests this week, Christian Happi and Pardis Sabeti, are world experts on disease surveillance, and have worked together fighting infectious disease in Africa for over a decade. Happi shares a gripping account of how h…
28:12
Rabies: When Monsters are Real
Why has rabies invaded our nightmares for centuries? Author and veterinarian Monica Murphy tells us about the cultural history of rabies (which involves vampires and werewolves!) and how our long nightmare with the disease came to an end. Then, wildlife biologist Kathy Nelson tells us about a surpr…
27:44
Introducing Incubation Season 2
Incubation Season 2 begins October 17th.
01:31
Phages: Bacteria’s Worst Nightmare
Can bacteriophages help us in the fight against antibiotic-resistant infections? Author Tom Ireland joins the show to discuss the fascinating world of bacteriophages, also known as phages – viruses that attack bacteria.. Then, Ben Chan, a researcher with a fridge full of phages, tells the story of …
30:12Explicit
Herpes: Symptoms and Stigma
Why do we all know so little about the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), despite the fact that herpes infections are common and chronic? First, we get some Herpes 101 from researcher Anna Wald. Then, we speak with Ella Dawson, a sex and culture critic who is one of the billions of people living with HSV–…
22:02Explicit
HPV: Unpacking Papilloma
What can the mythical jackalope teach us about HPV? Author Michael Branch tells the story of how scientists first discovered horned rabbits, and how their findings paved the way for the study of all different kinds of papilloma viruses. Then, Elena Conis joins the shows to discuss the rollout of th…
26:59