Ep 115 - Golden Geese and Cone Snails

In today's episode, Harini shares the incredible story of The Freedom House Ambulance Service. Freedom House was the first emergency medical service in the United States to provide training beyond first aid and other amazing things, such as being the first emergency service to supply Narcan in overdose cases! Freedom House, staffed entirely by black paramedics, was the blueprint for paramedic training and emergency medical services today (although back then, a ride in the ambulance was entirely free *sigh*). Further Reading: "American Sirens" by Kevin Hazzard. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Megan provides a step-by-step update on her compounded semaglutide journey. She and Harini also contemplate the quick but quiet death of the Ozempic craze (at least by frenzied-netizen-discourse standards). Why were we all so passionately opiniated about Ozempic for five months, and now can barely get DailyMail to cover it? And what has the FDA had to say since the Ozempic name has become passé? Tune in to find out! NOTE: Since the recording of this episode, the American Diabetes Association has released new data on a wide-array of novel GLP-1 agonists ("obesity drugs") that truly make semaglutide old news. Read about it here: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/06/ozempic-pills-obesity-drugs-semaglutide/674541/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"AI, so hot right now. AI." - Mugatu In today's episode, Harini and Megan discuss the perceived implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. MegaSyn, an AI drug discovery platform originally invented to develop drugs to combat orphan (rare) diseases, made waves in 2021 when it's creators discovered that a simple change of code would lead MegaSyn to generate thousands of known AND novel toxic molecules (for example, VX). Of course, this raised flags across the international healthcare community and posed the questions: what happens if AI falls into the wrong hands, and how can we prevent this from happening? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Megan talks about the slime-tastic world of snail mucin and how, in the past 10 years, it has gained a foothold in the beauty/skincare industry. Is slime mucin simply a gimmicky ingredient advertised to coerce the curious (or desperate) to shell out more money on skincare products? Or does it actually have scientifically-backed qualities that benefit human skin? Megan has the answers.  Also mentioned...Harini is a Telly Award Winner! Check out her winning videos below:  Where the Heck do Eels Come From?  (Silver Award 44th Annual Telly Awards) Are F1 Drivers Athletes? (Bronze Award 44th Annual Telly Awards)  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're back(!)... with a continuation of Harini's coverage of significant Golden Goose Recipients. In today's episode, Harini talks about 2019 Golden Goose awardees, Dr. Jack Levin and Dr. Frederik Bang, who pioneered the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) Test by identifying the sterilizing potential of horseshoe crab blood. To this day, the blood of horseshoe crabs is used in pharmaceutical testing to ensure safety during drug development. Harini and Megan talk about these fascinating, living fossils and the potential for synthetic alternatives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Harini regales us with the origin story of the Golden Goose Awards (formerly Golden Fleece Awards) - a designation given to impactful research projects that, from the outset, may not seem potentially beneficial to society, but end up being so. One such project involved an obsession with cone snails and their ability to paralyze fish with a unique peptide cocktail hidden in their lethal stingers. Tune in to find out more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yup, there was another latex spill and, yup, we're covering it! Happy Earth Day? In this episode, Harini and Megan chat with long-time friend and Philly resident, Arizona Milotich, about the latex spill in Philadelphia (Delware River) this past March. What happens when the sixth most populous city in the United States suddenly faces water insecurity and uncertainty? Tune in to find out.  BONUS: Harini provides an update on the ongoing cleanup of East Palestine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Harini introduces Megan to Thomas Midgley Jr., the inventor of leaded gasoline and freon, two of the most harmful industrial pollutants to captivate the world. To this day, local environments and the ozone are still on long journeys to recovery.  In this episode: Ep. 48 - One Rock to Rule Them All Ep. 109 - Environmental Disaster Watch: The Norfolk Southern DerailmentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Harini and Megan discuss the recent pop-culture fascination in weight loss drugs. Specifically Ozempic, Wegovy, and generic semaglutide. What are these drugs, what do they do, and why have they (allegedly) taken the celebrity world by storm? Are these drugs legitimately controversial or has the online zeitgeist created artificial contention? We have answers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Megan gives a quick mycology lesson on the most poisonous mushroom in the world: the DEATH CAP. Equipped with a toxin that inhibits DNA transcription, and whose only antidote (in extreme cases) is a liver transplant, this mushy is truly as metal as it's name. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.