Special Episode: Lawrence Ingrassia & A Fatal Inheritance
March 17, 2026
The book *
Ep 203 Cancer Part 2: Why does it happen?
March 10, 2026
Cancer is fundamentally a consequence of complex multicellular life, arising when cells break the evolutionary 'multicellularity playbook' by exploiting cooperative mechanisms for uncontrolled growth.
Ep 202 Cancer Part 1: What is it?
March 3, 2026
Cancer is not one disease but many, with diverse causes, mechanisms, and outcomes, a complexity that has historically led to public fear, blame, and silence.
Special Episode: Jon Adams and Edmund Ramsden & Rat City
February 24, 2026
John B. Calhoun's rat experiments, conducted under the guise of a "rat utopia" with unlimited resources but limited space, revealed that social stress and unwanted interaction, rather than resource scarcity alone, led to severe behavioral breakdown and population collapse.
Ep 201 Poop Part 2: Flushed away
February 17, 2026
The historical management of human waste has cycled between viewing excrement as a valuable resource (e.g., Minoans, ancient China/Japan nightsoil) and viewing it as a dangerous waste product requiring immediate removal (e.g., Great Stink of London), with the latter view dominating modern sanitation.
Ep 200 Poop Part 1: How the sausage gets made
February 10, 2026
Human poop is composed of approximately 75% water, with the remaining 25% biomass being up to 55% bacteria, highlighting the significant role of the gut microbiome in waste composition.
Special Episode: Nicola Twilley & Frostbite
February 3, 2026
Refrigeration, a relatively recent technology, has fundamentally transformed global food systems, health, and the environment, creating an invisible 'cold chain' that extends from farm to consumer.
Ep 199 Sleep Part 2: Predictably unpredictable
January 27, 2026
Historical evidence suggests that pre-industrial humans commonly practiced segmented (biphasic) sleep, waking for an hour or two around 2 a.m. for activities like socializing or chores, a pattern that has been largely lost due to industrialization.
Ep 198 Sleep Part 1: Sleeping with one eye open
January 20, 2026
Human sleep is scientifically defined and categorized into two main phases, REM and non-REM, based on measurable electrical brain activity (EEG), muscle activity (EMG), and eye movement (EOG) recorded via a polysomnogram (PSG).
Special Episode: Daniel Stone & American Poison
January 13, 2026
The invention and widespread adoption of tetraethyl leaded gasoline, driven by the desire to eliminate engine knock and increase car power, resulted in a global, preventable lead poisoning pandemic despite early warnings from figures like Alice Hamilton.
Ep 197 Detox: Enemas for everyone
January 6, 2026
The modern multi-billion dollar detox industry is built upon a millennia-old tradition of promoting purification practices, such as enemas, which were historically administered for nearly every ailment under the concept of auto-intoxication.
From the Vault - Endometriosis: Menstrual Backwash (Ep 88)
December 30, 2025
Endometriosis is technically defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus, which causes inflammation, scarring, and often severe pain and infertility because the tissue responds to hormones but cannot exit the body.
From the Vault - Hepatitis B: Hepatiti, Take 2 (Ep 89)
December 23, 2025
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a bizarre, partially double-stranded DNA virus that uniquely utilizes reverse transcriptase for replication, similar to RNA viruses like HIV.
Ep 196 Health Myths: Fact or fiction?
December 16, 2025
The episode of "This Podcast Will Kill You," Ep 196 Health Myths: Fact or fiction?, will explore popular health myths, examining their origins and searching for any underlying truth, often challenging long-held beliefs rooted in oral tradition.
Special Episode: Dr. Homer Venters & Outbreak Behind Bars
December 9, 2025
Communicable disease spreads unchecked in correctional facilities due to systemic factors like overcrowding, poor sanitation, understaffed infection control roles, and barriers to individual medical care.
Ep 195 Salt Part 2: The Substance
December 2, 2025
Sodium is essential for life, primarily determining total body fluid balance because it is the most abundant cation in extracellular fluid, contrasting with potassium, which dominates intracellular fluid.
Ep 194 Salt Part 1: The Seasoning
November 25, 2025
Salt, or sodium chloride, was historically a critical commodity that shaped human settlement, trade, and even led to political unrest and revolution due to taxation and control.
Special Episode: Gabriel Weston & Alive
November 18, 2025
Gabriel Weston's book, *
Ep 193 Necrotizing Fasciitis: A strange beast
November 11, 2025
Necrotizing fasciitis is a severe bacterial infection characterized by rapid spread along the fascia, a connective tissue layer with poor blood supply, leading to tissue death (necrosis).
Ep 192 New World Screwworm: Oh-oh here they come
November 4, 2025
The New World Screwworm (*
Special Episode: Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal & Dead Ends!
October 28, 2025
Failure is an essential and fundamental part of the scientific and medical process, leading to eventual progress and marvels.
Ep 191 Famine: More than starvation
October 21, 2025
Famine is far more complex than mass starvation, involving social disruption, epidemics, and often being intentionally caused or perpetuated by political decisions rather than solely natural events.
Ep 190 Starvation: More than hunger
October 14, 2025
The body progresses through predictable metabolic phases during absolute food deprivation, starting with glycogen use, moving to fat oxidation (ketosis), and finally resorting to breaking down skeletal muscle for energy.
Special Episode: Antonia Hylton & Madness
October 7, 2025
The history of segregated asylums like Crownsville Hospital, founded in 1911, reveals deep-seated structural racism in American mental healthcare, where Black patients received the worst of available treatments and resources.
Ep 189 Newborn screening: The future is here
September 30, 2025
Newborn screening is a monumental public health achievement that has saved countless lives by identifying treatable conditions early, exemplified by the personal story of Max, diagnosed with PKU.
Ep 188 Candida yeast: Here, there, and everywhere
September 23, 2025
Candida, often perceived as a simple yeast causing infections, is a multifaceted fungus capable of existing as both a single-celled yeast and a filamentous mold, contributing to its wide range of potential infections.
Special Episode: Mary Roach & Replaceable You
September 16, 2025
The history of replacement body parts, from early skin grafts to modern bioprinting, reveals a long and often bizarre journey driven by human ingenuity and the persistent challenge of immune system rejection.