I do not listen to podcasts but I was assigned to listen to one for my last evolution assignment. I was looking forward to this because I was tired of the same PPT/ worksheet based assignments. Thankfully, one of the TAs felt adventurous and changed things up. What podcast did he assign? Well, I listened to “Why We Get Sick” and one of my choice from ASU’s Ask a Biologist Podcast. I chose “History, Rabbits, and a Deadly Virus”.
As expected, I learned a lot from these two podcasts. In the first one, the interviewee is Randy Nesse, the Founder of the ASU Center for Evolution and Medicine. I enjoyed his reminder of the good in the “bad” things in life (fevers, pain, and anxiety). Without these critical basic human reactions, we would all be in worse shape. I also am interested in reading Dr. Nesse’s book called “Good Reasons for Bad Feelings”. It sounds counterintuitive but I am intrigued to learn about the topics he will cover.
In the second podcast, Grant McFadden is a research scientist at ASU who is investigating the interactions between the myxoma virus and human cancer cells. He was asked about this interesting and possible treatment for cancer. Different from modern approaches to fighting cancer, this viral therapy piqued my curiosity. Surprisingly, Dr. McFadden accidently stumbled upon using the myxoma virus as a cancer treatment. As it turns out, when the myxoma virus, which is deadly to rabbits, interacts with human cancer cells, it kills them. Better yet, it does not harm the host (unless, of course, it is a rabbit). The interaction is yet unknown but the results seem promising.
After listening to these podcasts, I realized how easy they are to follow and how much I can learn. Not only that but I didn’t know ASU had its own podcast. From now on, I will try to listen to podcasts and share any I like!
I have attached the links to the mentioned podcasts. Please feel free to explore and find others you may like!
- “Why We Get Sick” https://askabiologist.asu.edu/listen-watch/why-we-get-sick
- “History, Rabbits, and a Deadly Virus” https://askabiologist.asu.edu/listen-watch/history-rabbits-and-deadly-virus
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