Vincent, Elio and Michael discuss the finding that copper surfaces reduce microbial burden and hospital-acquired infections in the intensive care unit.
Tags / infection
Tagged with “infection”
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TWiM #55: In the copper room
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Worthy Parasites: A Villain’s Silver Lining
People hate parasites. They’re slimy and repulsive - worms emerging from blisters on the body, mites breeding in skin folds. They hold wild parties in our guts. They bring pestilence, misery…even death. But wait: parasites can also be good - really, really good! Author Rosemary Drisdelle explores these much maligned creatures and their importance in nature, and she unveils exciting new medical research into the good they can do for us.
http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/2013/01/08/worthy-parasites-a-villains-silver-lining/
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Caustic Soda: Ebola
Dr. Jenna Capyk joins us to discuss the lighter and darker side of ebola. Spoiler alert: it’s mostly dark. Plus news and pop culture, plus Lesser of Two Evils: ebola versus serving on a slave ship.
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Science Writer Carl Zimmer
The New York Times has called Carl Zimmer "as fine a science essayist as we have." We talk with Zimmer about recent developments in biology and neuroscience, and discuss his latest book "Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed."
The book features hundreds of photos of tattoos inspired by various scientific disciplines, each accompanied by Zimmer’s essays. Zimmer’s previous books include "A Planet of Viruses" and "Parasite Rex and Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea."
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Carl Zimmer “Viral Time”
The frontier of biology these days is the genetics and ecology of bacteria, and the frontier of THAT is what’s being learned about viruses. "The science of virology is still in its early, wild days," writes Carl Zimmer. "Scientists are discovering viruses faster than they can make sense of them." The Earth’s atmosphere is determined in large part by ocean bacteria; every day viruses kill half of them. Every year in the oceans, viruses transfer a trillion trillion genes between host organisms. They evolve faster than anything else, and they are a major engine of the evolution of the rest of life. Our own bodies are made up of 10 trillion human cells, 100 trillion bacteria, and 4 trillion very busy viruses. Some of them kill us. Many of them help us. Some of them are us. Viral time is ancient and blindingly fast.
Science journalist Carl Zimmer’s new book, A Planet of Viruses, is the best introduction to the subject. His previous books include Parasite Rex and Microcosm.