logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
30m 52s

Is a fungal pandemic possible?

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode
<p>James Gallagher asks whether the next pandemic might be an invasive fungi? Most people think of athlete's foot or fungal toe nails but the World Health Organisation recently issued the first ever list of life threatening fungi. James hears stories of hospitals being shut down, a ruined honeymoon and fungal infections that consume human tissue leaving ter ... Show More
Up next
Jul 28
Staying fit in the heat and do we need electrolytes?
We’ve had two heatwaves already this summer with warnings that even young and healthy people should rethink their fitness routines in the heat. So how can we keep exercising when it’s so hot you barely want to move? James chats with physiologist Damian Bailey from the University ... Show More
27m 48s
Jul 21
Could we eliminate cervical cancer?
Earlier this summer, there was some incredible progress in cervical cancer. Women who have been vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) now have an almost zero chance of dying from cervical cancer before the age of 30. But does that mean women will no longer need cervic ... Show More
27m 49s
Jul 14
Could CAR-T therapy transform autoimmune disease?
An experimental treatment to “reset” the immune systems of people with autoimmune disease is showing transformative results in early trials. James visits the NIHR Clinical Research Facility in Manchester to meet Kathy. She was diagnosed with lupus just after the birth of her baby ... Show More
27m 56s
Recommended Episodes
May 2023
Fungal pandemic threat
We are familiar with fungal infections like Thrush and Athlete’s Foot, but fungal diseases that can kill are on the increase. The World Health Organisation is so concerned that it has published its first ever list of life threatening fungi. James Gallagher hears stories of hospit ... Show More
27m 50s
Dec 2023
275 - Blight - Emily Monosson
<p>How likely is the fungal infection in The Last of Us? The one that takes over human brains and brings humanity to the brink of extinction, could something like that really happen?</p><p>In this episode we sit down with Emily Monosson, an expert on deadly fungal infections, and ... Show More
47m 18s
Sep 2023
Ep 125 Blastomycosis: How fungus became amongus
<p>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 <em>Blastomyces </em>spores as they depar ... Show More
1h 18m
Feb 2023
The Fungal Science Behind HBO's 'The Last of Us'
The video game series that spawned the new hit HBO drama, The Last of Us, is the zombie genre with a twist. Instead of the standard viral pandemic or bacterial disease that's pushed humanity to the brink, but a fungus that has evolved to survive in human bodies in part due to cli ... Show More
13 m
Sep 2020
Fungus Amungus
<p>Six years ago, a new infection began popping up in four different hospitals on three different continents, all around the same time. It wasn’t a bacteria, or a virus. It was ... a killer fungus. No one knew where it came from, or why. Today, the story of an ancient showdown be ... Show More
31m 52s
Aug 2023
How Vaccines Could Help Ease the Threat of Deadly Fungal Infections
The risks from fungal pathogens are increasing. Severe infections used to be rare, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 75,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized for fungal diseases each year, and the World Health Organization says rates of seve ... Show More
20m 56s
Mar 2023
Could There Be A Fungal Zombie Apocalypse?
<p>In this interview with infectious diseases expert Professor David Boulware, we discuss the real impact ophiocordyceps  has on ants, and whether we humans should be concerned. </p> <p><strong>Guest: </strong>Professor David Boulware </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/li ... Show More
37m 25s
Apr 2025
How Does the 'Zombie Ant' Fungus Work?
Some specialized fungi can hijack the behavior of ants, wasps, and spiders in order to spread their spores. Learn about the real-life Cordyceps and Ophiocordyceps fungi that inspired 'The Last of Us' in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffwo ... Show More
7m 8s
Apr 2023
How Zombifying Fungi Became Master Manipulators
The real-life fungi that inspired The Last of Us hijack the bodies of ants, wasps, cicadas, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
13m 7s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami