Heather Forrest Fruscalzo public
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Tiny Vampires

Raven Forrest Fruscalzo

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Ever wonder how we genetically modify mosquitoes? Curious about the parasites? Have questions about how tick bites cause meat allergies? Tiny Vampires is a show about insects that transmit disease and the scientists that are fighting them. Each episode is guided by questions sent in by listeners. The question is answered with background information and the story of how scientists were able to shine a light on that particular mystery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Happy Halloween everyone!! And welcome to the Tiny Vampires Agoraphobia special. Every year I put together a story written from an insect’s perspective. This year is a horror story from the deadliest war in history and even though it is obviously a work of fiction, the facts are true. So even though we’re just having a little festive fun, you’ll st…
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Anyone growing up in the United States during the 1950s or 60s has memories of chasing trucks down the road as they doused the neighborhood in a mosquito-killing fog. The story of that fog is part of the broader epic of the insecticide DDT. With a cast ranging from Dr. Suess, the entire population of Naples, peregrine falcons, to a trendy shade of …
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Blood is vital, transporting hormones, nutrients, and oxygen, and removing waste products but for all its complexity some animals see it simply as food. While we grow up learning to protect our precious fluid from blood-suckers like vampire bats, leeches, and bed bugs they don’t have a monopoly on their gory craving. Unexpected animals from snails …
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Most of the time when we get sick we expect to suffer through it and end up rewarded with immunity to disease, or at least the knowledge that it won’t hit so hard if you get it a second time. A bout with the Dengue virus, also known as break-bone fever, is very different. It can actually increase the chance that a second encounter with the virus wi…
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The African continent was declared polio-free just a couple of days ago, which means that we are, once again, coming close to eradicating it from the globe. Yet, in 2014 children started to go limp, losing control over their arms and legs over the course of weeks, this polio-like condition is called Acute Flaccid Myelitis. Since then, there has bee…
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The CDC has a catalog of 537 viruses that are transmitted by insects or their relatives around the world. This number can be overwhelming and scary but the more we learn about the world of obscure viruses the better we’re equipped to fight them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…
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The symbol for medicine, a serpent wrapped around a staff, is displayed on everything from the World Health Organization logo to your doctor’s name tag, depicts the treatment of a single disease, the removal of a Guinea Worm from the patient by slowly wrapping it around a stick over the course of days. This disease is famous for another reason, it …
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Bloodsuckers can be hijacked by viruses and parasites, but some ticks are lethal all on their own. The Australian Paralysis tick paralyzes 10 thousand dogs and cats a year. We didn’t know how their venom worked until some researchers squirted some mouthwash on some ticks and made a discovery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat…
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You may have heard of mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and lice but there are other blood suckers out there, like tsetse flies, floor maggots, toe fleas, and kissing bugs. The race of the victims may have everything to do with the reason you have never heard of them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…
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Salvage logging is a way to get a silver lining out of a natural disaster like a wildfire or a hurricane, but how does it change our chances of getting Lyme disease. Learn about the connection between ticks, mice, and fallen logs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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For an unlucky few in the American South, Northern Europe, and Australia one bite from a tick can change everything from the food they eat to the types of cancer medications they can be prescribed. These areas, known for their love of all things meat, are also the home of ticks that can cause a meat allergy so bad it can kill. Hosted on Acast. See …
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Stomach bot flies live most of their lives inside the stomachs of horses. They have adapted to this harsh environment by breathing is a very strange way. Guest co-host Erin Updyke from "This Podcast Will Kill You" comes on to talk fly infestations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…
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There is a vaccine for the number one vector-borne disease in the US and Europe, but only for dogs. We explore why there is no Lyme disease vaccine available for humans and how the vaccine certification process is different when you are a dog. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…
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We have been hearing about the development of the malaria vaccine for years but there still isn’t one publicly available. Discover the history of, and current plans for, the RTS,S vaccine, currently our best hope for saving children and babies all over the African continent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…
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We hate fleas and love our cats but are flea and tick medications safe? Learn about the history of permethrin based medications, how they work on a cellular level, and how to keep your kitty from a potentially fatal overdose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Urban planning is more than just deciding where to put new roads. This is the first in a two part series on how urban planners work with public health workers to reduce or even prevent disease outbreaks. In this episode we investigate the surprising connection between snails and dams, eye worms and irrigation, and malaria and canals. Hosted on Acas…
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Unlike most diseases transmitted by blood feeders, the Zika virus can also be transmitted sexually. Find out how this surprising fact was discovered, what it has to do with the 1975 Nobel prize, and how it shapes public health recommendations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…
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Does the news about parasites in sushi have you avoiding your favorite restaurants? Learn all about the worms and how to avoid them. Announcements: Tiny Vampires has joined the Agora Podcast Network! I am very excited to have joined such a supportive team and really look forward to learning from them. My goal is always to bring more of the science …
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Videos about the Kite mosquito repellent stickers have been making their way around social media and news outlets. In this episode the host explains how the chemicals in these patches physically interact with the mosquito to change their behavior. The advertisement that the listener posted with questions about if these patches work and how. More de…
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A special companion episode to the “Outbreak” episode of the Beyond the Big Screen Podcast. The story of the development of the Ebola vaccine and the trails to determine if it really works. Details on different types of vaccines, the many ways they are tested, and ethical issues during an outbreak. The paper we discussed in this episode was Efficac…
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The risks in traveling to the Amazon rainforest: How travelers can find out if the trip is worth risk, including resources for anyone thinking about traveling anywhere in the world and an introduction to the connection between leishmaniasis and tourism. CDC's quick visual guide to help travelers pack Zika-smart for a trip to South America. This Epi…
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Gene drives and Mosquitoes: A new technology could save us from the deadliest parasite in the world today, but we aren't using it. Here's why. The episode thumbnail image this month is a microscope image of human blood cells infected by Plasmodium falciparum the parasite that kills millions. Its transmission could possibly be stopped by a gene driv…
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Mosquitoes and Sound: Love is in the air and there is more to that buzz than you might expect, but can you really use your phone as a mosquito repellent? This male mosquito is glued to a pin in the same manor as in the cantor study. This video is part of the art installation "Truce: Strategies for Post-Apocalyptic Comptation" by Robin Meier and Ali…
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