Incubation
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
The Viral Universe Inside Us
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The world is full of undiscovered viruses. They’re in the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, and they’re inside our bellies. For this last epi...
Measles: The Cancer Killer?
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We thought we knew everything there was to know about measles. But in recent years, new research has revealed that the virus attacks the immune system...
Mosquitoes, Viruses and the History of the World
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For thousands of years, humans have shaped mosquito evolution while mosquitoes have shaped human history. Today on the show, Noah Rose, an ecologist a...
HIV: Racing to Identify a Killer
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After four decades of dedicated research on HIV, scientists have made extraordinary progress in treating the disease. But we still don’t have a vacc...
Shingles: The Mystery of Pain
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For a long time, people could tell that there was some connection between chickenpox and shingles. But exactly how they were related was a mystery. Th...
Epstein-Barr Virus: The Fog of Discovery
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Almost everyone on earth has Epstein-Barr virus. Usually it's pretty mild - you get sick, you get better. But the virus lives on in your body forever....
Ebola: Preventing the Next Pandemic
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What did the 2014 Ebola outbreak teach us about preventing future pandemics? Our guests this week, Christian Happi and Pardis Sabeti, are world expert...
Rabies: When Monsters are Real
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why has rabies invaded our nightmares for centuries? Author and veterinarian Monica Murphy tells us about the cultural history of rabies (which involv...
Introducing Incubation Season 2
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Incubation Season 2 begins October 17th.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Phages: Bacteria’s Worst Nightmare
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can bacteriophages help us in the fight against antibiotic-resistant infections? Author Tom Ireland joins the show to discuss the fascinating world of...
Herpes: Symptoms and Stigma
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we all know so little about the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), despite the fact that herpes infections are common and chronic? First, we get some ...
HPV: Unpacking Papilloma
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can the mythical jackalope teach us about HPV? Author Michael Branch tells the story of how scientists first discovered horned rabbits, and how t...
Influenza: In the Wild
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What risk does H5N1 pose to humans? We hear from David Quammen, author of “Spillover,” about the vast and complicated interplay between influenza,...
The Common Cold: A Viral Mystery
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do we know – and not know – about the suite of viral infections known as “the common cold”? We speak with curator Katie Dabin about the U...
RSV: The Quest for a New Vaccine
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is ‘structure-based’ vaccine design? Before scientists used these techniques to design vaccines against Covid, they were testing them in the ...
Polio: The Last Mile
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why has polio been so challenging to eradicate? Karen Torghele tells the story of two polio vaccines and the two rival scientists who developed them: ...
Smallpox: Gone but Not Forgotten
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can we learn from the centuries-long quest to eradicate smallpox, once the scourge of humanity? And how did it set the stage for all vaccines to ...
Introducing: Incubation
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new podcast that traces the history of humanity through viruses. New episodes weekly starting September 7.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...