Recent Episodes
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Biological Toxins as Medicines
Animals, plants and microbes can all produce deadly biological toxins. Botulinum from a bacterium; ricin from castor beans; and tetrodotoxin from Pufferfish are just a few examples. But scientists have learned to tame these deadly chemicals into useful medical treatments.
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Another Cruise Ship Virus - Maybe
If you're a fan of cruises, you might have heard of the norovirus or maybe even been sickened by one. Even though infections usually clear in one to three days, that's enough to ruin a trip. And the virus can cause serious illness in places such as nursing homes where the people are more vulnerable.
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Something Old Becomes Something New
We sometimes forget with all the modern painkillers out there, what a wonder drug good old aspirin is. The active chemical in aspirin is salicin, which was first extracted from Willow tree bark, and the modern form is the synthetic acetylsalicylic acid.
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Obelisks: They Are Living In You
Not only can we report on the discovery of a new life form, it's living inside of us! Wait, just you and me? We can debate if we're human (chuckle), although, sometimes I'd like to take a break from being human. No kidding! Since we can't, back to the episode - a new life form! Hidden among the microbiome of our mouths and guts are thousands of virus-like entities scientists have named obelisks.
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Celiac Disease Gets More Complicated
People with celiac disease are vigilant about avoiding gluten so they don't end up with painful GI issues, but it's not always foolproof. Scientists from four countries, including the US and Canada, have spent the past 6 years learning where in the gut the response to gluten begins and how.
