Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dick Despommier, Alan Dove, and Jennifer Drahos
Vincent, Dick, Alan, and Jennifer Drahos consider Marburg virus in Egyptian fruit bats, bacterial citrus pathogen found in shipping facility, canine parvovirus in Michigan, Relenza-resistant influenza virus, new HIV from gorillas, and public engagement on H1N1 immunization program.
Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #44 (54 MB .mp3, 78 minutes)
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Links for this episode:
- Isolation of Marburg virus from Egyptian fruit bats
- Inspectors find bacterial citrus pathogen in California
- Parvovirus killing hundreds of dogs in Michigan
- Relenza-resistant H1N1 identified in Australia (press and journal article)
- New HIV from gorilla
- CDC wants public comment on H1N1 vaccination
- Original antigenic sin (article 1 and article 2)
- Dr. Stanley Plotkin on Meet the Scientist (thanks Peter!)
- audioBoo (iPhone app – thanks Jim!)
- Audio clips (first and second) from the podcast No Agenda (thanks peripatetic apoplectic!)
Weekly Science Picks
Jennifer Piled Higher and Deeper (PhD Comics)
Vincent Giant Microbes (thanks Stephen!)
Dick Virology in the 21st Century
Alan Annals of the Former World by John McPhee
Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv.
In this episode you asked what you would say if you had the whole world's attention for five minutes. Great question. Here's my answer. I would first quote the Buddha: “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” Then I would give a very short description of the scientific method as a good example of how to test whether anything agrees with reason and common sense. I think there would be time left over for questions.
I listen to No Agenda because of the pair's banter; their off the wall conspiracy theory stuff is mildly grating to listen to – their ignorance is blatantly clear – and their anti-government, particularly anti-Obama political stuff I mostly just skip over. But when they talk about other things, it's amusing.
More than anything listening to their show gets the blood riled up, and myself and my gf can spend a few minutes mocking their ignorance.
I listen to No Agenda because of the pair's banter; their off the wall conspiracy theory stuff is mildly grating to listen to – their ignorance is blatantly clear – and their anti-government, particularly anti-Obama political stuff I mostly just skip over. But when they talk about other things, it's amusing.
More than anything listening to their show gets the blood riled up, and myself and my gf can spend a few minutes mocking their ignorance.
I can’t help but think (hope?) that when people get trapped by the pseudoscience monglers and lured not to get vaccination, they will at least – sooner or later – earn themselves (or rather, sadly, their children) the “Darwin award”… So, the next generation (lest we have already wiped ourselves off the face of the earth by then) may be naturally selected to be more trusting towards science!