logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
48m 9s

Shrink

Wnyc Studios
About this episode
The definition of life is in flux, complexity is overrated, and humans are shrinking. Viruses are supposed to be sleek, pared-down, dead-eyed machines. But when one microbiologist stumbled upon a GIANT virus, hundreds of times bigger than any seen before, all that went out the window.  The discovery opened the door not only to a new cast of microscopic chara ... Show More
Up next
Sep 11
23 Weeks 6 Days
When Kelley Benham and her husband Tom French finally got pregnant, after many attempts and a good deal of technological help, everything was perfect. Until it wasn't. Their story raises questions that, until recently, no parent had to face… and that are still nearly impossible t ... Show More
1h 3m
Sep 4
60 Words
We’re coming up on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and it had us thinking about an episode we produced in 2014. It’s the story of one sentence, written in the hours after September 11th, 2001, that has led to the longest war in U.S. history. We examine how just 60 words ... Show More
58m 25s
Aug 28
Dolly Parton's America: Sad Ass Songs
The world lost a legend recently, and we wanted in some small way to pay tribute to the great Dolly Parton. So we’re playing you an episode from a series we had a small part in back in 2017, Dolly Parton’s America. The series kicked off with a simple question: How did the queen o ... Show More
1h 4m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2022
Monster microbe
Researchers have discovered a species of bacteria which dwarfs all others by thousands of times. Normally you need a microscope to see single-celled bacteria, but Thiomargarita magnifica is the length and width of an eyelash. It's been found growing in mangrove swamps in the Cari ... Show More
1h 9m
Nov 2025
Going Viral
Cold and flu season is well and truly upon us, and whilst most of us are busy bemoaning the pesky viruses behind our sniffles and chesty coughs – one of our listeners has other ideas. Elizabeth wants to know whether we’re too hard on these oft-maligned microbes? We’ve all heard t ... Show More
28m 35s
Nov 2018
Biotechnology
Natural viruses and bacteria can be deadly enough; the 1918 Spanish Flu killed 50 million people in four months. But risky new research, carried out in an unknown number of labs around the world, are creating even more dangerous humanmade pathogens. (Original score by Point Lobo. ... Show More
57m 13s
Mar 2022
CLASSIC: The Rise of the Superbug
<p>It's true - scientists around the world are increasingly concerned that antibiotics are losing their effectiveness, leading to a future filled with unstoppable bacteria. But could it actually happen? How did we get here, and what happens next?</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ... Show More
1h 9m
Feb 2019
Could a ‘zombie’ virus kill us all?
<p>It’s the sort of plot you would expect from a classic sci-fi movie; what if there are viruses trapped deep in Antarctic ice that could wreak havoc on humans? </p><p>Crowdscience presenter Alex Lathbridge puts on warm gloves and meets the scientists venturing into the icy wilds ... Show More
31m 51s
Oct 2021
Covid
Covid: Laurie Taylor explores the financial impact of the coronavirus & asks if it represents an opportunity, as well as a crisis. He's joined by Lisa Suckert, Senior Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, whose recent study examines the way ... Show More
28m 30s
Aug 2019
The Obscure Virus Club
Throughout the 1960s, a biologist named Howard Temin became convinced that something wasn’t right in science’s understanding of viruses. His colleagues dismissed him as a heretic. He turned out to be right — and you're alive today as a result.  Season Four ends with a bedtime sto ... Show More
36m 3s
May 2022
Dropping like flies
Insect populations are shrinking all over the world, and entomologists are buzzing with questions: Why is this happening? How quickly? And, most concerningly, what does it mean for food supplies or even life as we know it? For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a grea ... Show More
26m 47s
Mar 2020
SYSK Selects: Virus Talk with Josh and Chuck
<p>Viruses are big jerks that invade regular cells and hold them hostage, making you sick while they're doing it. Learn everything you ever needed to know about viruses, including how the common cold works, in this classic episode.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at ... Show More
33m 4s
Apr 2022
Pandora's Box
Is some knowledge too dangerous to possess? Covid-19 has put cutting-edge research on pandemic germs under the spotlight. We Meet: Rowan Jacobsen, journalist Gigi Gronvall, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and associate professor Kevin Esvelt, profes ... Show More
35m 55s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami