logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2020
33m 40s

Buzzkill

NPR
About this episode
In the whole of human history, no predator has killed more of us than the lowly mosquito. And this killing spree, which we still struggle in vain to stop, means the mosquito has been an outsized force in our history — from altering the fate of empires to changing our DNA. This week, three stories of the quiet legacy and the potential future of the mosquito.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Sep 17
How two swing states changed American voting
Today on the show, the balance of Congressional power is up for grabs in this midterm election. It could be determined by a small number of voters in a few battleground states. Blueprints from the past could be the guide for big wins. The GOP has embraced a block-the-vote strateg ... Show More
50m 11s
Sep 10
How baseball got its beat
Major League Baseball’s postseason is just a few weeks away, and here on Throughline we know the power of a good walk-up song. But how did baseball become such a musical sport? And where did the idea for walk up-music come from? Guests:John Thorn, author and Official Baseball His ... Show More
32m 3s
Sep 8
Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?
Calling someone a "Luddite" is usually an insult – shorthand for someone who is behind the times. But the real Luddites weren't just afraid of change; they were a labor movement fighting to save their jobs from being replaced by machines. Today, with the rise of AI, many feel the ... Show More
16m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2019
Lab 013: Predator
Our city boy/hot girl summers are coming to a close, and while we will miss summer, there’s one thing we won’t miss - mosquitoes. We all were bitten by mosquitoes…A LOT. But mosquitoes don’t just make us itchy - a recent New York Times article called them “the deadliest human pre ... Show More
32m 12s
Jul 2025
How to Avoid Mosquito Bites and the Diseases They Carry
Man’s deadliest predator takes more than a million lives each year and is no bigger than your fingernail. To mark mosquito season, history professor Dr. Timothy Winegard sits down with Dr. Sanjay Gupta to unpack how we can use lessons from the past to fight mosquitoes in the futu ... Show More
27m 17s
Mar 2021
Journal Club: Taming the Taste for Blood
<p>Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on Earth and for millennia humans have tried to rid themselves of these disease-spreading pests, with shockingly little success. On this episode of the Bio Eats World Journal Club, host Lauren Richardson talks to Leslie Vosshall of Rockefel ... Show More
28m 12s
Aug 2024
Pests
Fleas spell disaster for people living in the Middle Ages. The inhabitants of an ancient Iraqi city hurl scorpions at an invading army. In Victorian London, a rat catcher turns his unsavoury profession into a form of street entertainment. And a miracle new pesticide turns out to ... Show More
37m 16s
Aug 2024
Pests
Fleas spell disaster for people living in the Middle Ages. The inhabitants of an ancient Iraqi city hurl scorpions at an invading army. In Victorian London, a rat catcher turns his unsavoury profession into a form of street entertainment. And a miracle new pesticide turns out to ... Show More
45m 16s
Oct 2021
Plagues of our past
From when our ancestors first mastered fire to the rise of modern cities, humanity’s progress has been accompanied by a revolving door of parasites, bacteria and viruses, wreaking havoc on our health. Kyle Harper, author of Plagues Upon the Earth, discusses the sprawling history ... Show More
56m 53s
Feb 2016
Episode 23: Kill A Mosquito, Help The Global Economy
<p>Mosquitoes don't have very many redeeming qualities. They drink our blood, they make us itch and they carry illnesses like Zika, a virus that's exploding across Latin America. They can also do some serious economic damage. From health care expenses to productivity losses -- ev ... Show More
22m 42s
Jun 2024
Should We Eradicate Mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are common flying insect that inhabit all continents except Antarctica. There are over 3500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but only somewhere between 6 and 9.3% bite humans and are disease vectors. That said, mosquitos are the deadliest animal on the planet, thanks t ... Show More
1h 11m
Apr 2024
The diseases that changed humanity forever | Dan Kwartler
Since humanity’s earliest days, we’ve been plagued by countless disease-causing pathogens. Invisible and persistent, these microorganisms and the illnesses they incur have killed more humans than anything else in history. But which disease has been the deadliest? Dan Kwartler dig ... Show More
7m 25s
Feb 2022
146. Disease vs. the rise of civilisation
The way we die has been utterly transformed. There have been around 10,000 generations of human beings, but only in the last 3 or 4 have infectious diseases not been an expected and accepted cause of death. What drove the most deadly infectious diseases? Was technological progr ... Show More
40m 1s