117 episodes

Cause of Death - 100 Seconds to Midnight explores the things that will kill you through the lens of science, personal experience as a microbiologist and history.
For more information, check out my website at www.causeofdeath100secs.net

Cause of Death - 100 Seconds to Midnight Cause of Death Premium

    • Science
    • 5.0 • 25 Ratings

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Cause of Death - 100 Seconds to Midnight explores the things that will kill you through the lens of science, personal experience as a microbiologist and history.
For more information, check out my website at www.causeofdeath100secs.net

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    S8 E2: Brain Suckers: The Story of Naegleria fowleri

    S8 E2: Brain Suckers: The Story of Naegleria fowleri

    Brain Eating Amoeba Show Notes: You can reach me on the website at http://www.causeofdeath100secs.net or you can email me at mailto:Jackie@causeofdeath100secs.net. My Link Tree can be found at: https://linktr.ee/CauseofDeathpod This season is called “Creepy Crawlies” and today, I’m going to be talking about one of the strangest and most dangerous among them, Naegleria fowleri. This animal is the brain eater that’s made a huge splash, pun intended, in the media over the last couple of years. While this organism thrives in temperatures above 80° Fahrenheit, it can be found in lake or river sediment at temperatures well below that. The mortality rate for PAM is roughly 97% with only four people out of 157 having survived in the US between 1962 and 2022. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350905632_Naegleria_fowleri_Sources_of_infection_pathophysiology_diagnosis_and_management_a_review https://www.thoughtco.com/the-life-of-an-amoeba-4054288 https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-cells-373361 https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/general.html https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/infections/Pages/naegleria-fowleri-the-brain-eating-amoeba-how-to-prevent-this-rare-infection.aspx https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535447/ https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/naegleria/index.html https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p01085.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9964342/ https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-biosafety-biosecurity/pathogen-safety-data-sheets-risk-assessment/naegleria-fowleri.html https://www.tceq.texas.gov/toxicology/q-a/amoeba https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/why-brain-eating-amoeba-infections-are-becoming-more-common.html https://weather.com/health/video/rare-brain-eating-amoeba-cases-could-rise-due-to-climate-change?cm_ven=PS_GGL_DSA_09162019_1&par=MK_GGL&tpcc=mktg-search-Google-acquisition&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAuYuvBhApEiwAzq_YiUAkKam_smsl0ezdn7j4gstP7QyZTDtoE5uFzjHC_5siNsBL80-DpxoCdt4QAvD_BwE https://www.science.org/content/article/repurposed-drug-battles-brain-eating-amoeba https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7783332/ https://byjus.com/biology/amoeba/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31612525/#:~:text=Though%20the%20exact%20pathogenesis%20of,pathogen%20invading%20the%20host%20CNS. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604384/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001706X16305897 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00232 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1440-1681.13192 https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/223910-overview?form=fpf https://academic.oup.com/femspd/article/51/2/243/888715 https://academic.oup.com/f https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/aac.01293-15 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/naegleria-fowleri https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11684-021-0865-2 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350905632_Naegleria_fowleri_Sources_of_infection_pathophysiology_diagnosis_and_management_a_review https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Reported-cases-of-primary-amebic-meningoencephalitis-n-381-by-country-of-exposure-No_fig1_341190198 https://applications.emro.who.int/imemrf/Parasitologists_United_J/Parasitologists_United_J_2012_5_2_93_104.pdf https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-73772-5_88 https://www.academia.edu/70102030/A_Review_on_Global_Distribution_of_Primary_Amoebic_Meningoencephalitis_PAM_Caused_By_Naegleria_Fowleri_The_Brain_Eating_Amoeba https://acsw.dypvp.edu.in/documents/Study-Material/Microbiology-TYBSc/Entamoeba-histolytica.pdf https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/5100/420-002-epitrends2019-03.pdf https://acsw.dypvp.edu.in/documents/Study-Material/Microbiology-TYBSc/Entamoeba-histolytica.pdf   Darkcast Network – Promo by Yours Truly Podcast Promos: Rogue Darkness Hands Off My Podcast Weird True Crime...

    • 30 min
    S8 E1: The Worms Crawl In: The Story of Whipworm (feat Sweet Pea)

    S8 E1: The Worms Crawl In: The Story of Whipworm (feat Sweet Pea)

    You can reach me on the website at www.causeofdeath100secs.net or you can email me at Jackie@causeofdeath100secs.net. My Link Tree can be found at: https://linktr.ee/CauseofDeathpod Today, we’re going to talk about whipworm. I chose this particular parasite because my dog, Sweet Pea was diagnosed with it a few weeks ago despite having worm meds every month. We’ll begin this story, as usual, with etiology and pathology. Whipworm is a parasitic roundworm. Its scientific name is Trichuris trichiura, it’s phylum is Nematoda, Class Enoplea, Domain Eukaryota. It’s in the Family Trichuridae, Genus Trichuris and Kingdom Animalia. The body of the worm is shaped like a whip with a long, thick handle-like structure at one end, the anus, that tapers off to a thin whip-like structure at the other end. It’s this end that attaches to the cecum, but we’ll get to that. For those of you who love my dog, she’s a special guest on this episode. She’s talking about her experience with whipworm. And her birthday party. Whipworm Show Notes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507843/ https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1000631-clinical?form=fpf https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/whipworm/gen_info/faqs.html https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/whipworm/health_professionals/index.html#:~:text=Whipworm%20is%20effectively%20treated%20with,should%20be%20taken%20with%20food. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/whipworm/index.html https://nexgard.com.au/products/heartgard#:~:text=Do%20heartworm%20tablets%20kill%20all,added%20to%20your%20deworming%20program. https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/about-us/psv/articles/what-have-you-forgotten-about-whipworms https://www.marvistavet.com/whipworms.pml https://us.virbac.com/home/health-topics/whipworms.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/trichuris https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29334-0 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.637570/full a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/whipworms-dogs-symptoms-treatment-prevention/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer...

    • 30 min
    S7 E7: 100 Seconds to Midnight: Countdown, the Finale

    S7 E7: 100 Seconds to Midnight: Countdown, the Finale

    You can reach me on the website at http://www.causeofdeath100secs.net or you can email me at mailto:Jackie@causeofdeath100secs.net. My Link Tree can be found at: https://linktr.ee/CauseofDeathpod This episode is the season finale of “Countdown”, and that sentiment has been announced by the Board of Atomic Scientists. They made the announcement on January 23, 2024. They have referred to this time as a moment of historic danger. “This year, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists leave the hands of the Doomsday Clock unchanged due to ominous trends that continue to point the world toward global catastrophe.” Countdown, the Finale Show Notes: The January 23rd announcement of the Science and Security Board: https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/ https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/nuclear-risk/ https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/worldwide#:~:text=Nine%20countries%20possess%20nuclear%20weapons,is%20close%20to%2013%2C000%20weapons. https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_arsenals?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAt5euBhB9EiwAdkXWOyENFzF9Rcw4CyCkeD-ubxbexrclYhy_iQrf0Bta0HfvjW6AvwvIuBoC7EgQAvD_BwE https://ee.stanford.edu/~hellman/opinion/inevitability.html https://ee.stanford.edu/~hellman/breakthrough.html https://www.nti.org/area/nuclear/ https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/nuclear-weapons?CMP=ILC-refresh https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/27/us-frets-over-irans-accelerated-uranium-enrichment-programme https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/real-russian-nuclear-threat https://time.com/6323059/us-china-russia-nuclear-threat/ https://www.ntiindex.org/ https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/as-the-us-faces-down-new-nuclear-threats-will-cold-war-solutions-work-once-again/ https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/solutions https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/05/04/rattling-nuclear-saber-what-russia-s-nuclear-threats-really-mean-pub-89689 https://www.icanw.org/will_putin_use_nuclear_weapons https://world101.cfr.org/global-era-issues/nuclear-proliferation/nuclear-world https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/return-nuclear-escalation https://fas.org/initiative/status-world-nuclear-forces/ https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/israel-war-on-gaza/ https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/worldwide?utm_source=googlegrants&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=GSP&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfnpqmexpLcMY3Kgo1EpbsSYGLtOrs0OOvQMPK48EMT9AOzH1qM9hDhxoCGUgQAvD_BwE https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-kim-jong-un-us-missile-tests-threat-nuclear-war/ https://thebulletin.org/2023/11/why-a-russian-nuclear-expert-thinks-the-doomsday-clock-should-move-away-from-midnight/ https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15250.doc.htm https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_50068.htm https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-u-s-s-plans-to-modernize-nuclear-weapons-are-dangerous-and-unnecessary/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=tfd_dsa&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfniXvPhGsmExdPF0TbFL-t-I1wROwuKtLzwaMVVRIf1CBqutWoXxr2xoCCY0QAvD_BwE https://gsinstitute.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfnrsJFQ-KeYi8Jfd1tus-ZaiPBG5eowGF0UR1lt8ClNqIFI6oVxfDFhoCfQAQAvD_BwE https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_arsenals?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAt5euBhB9EiwAdkXWOyENFzF9Rcw4CyCkeD-ubxbexrclYhy_iQrf0Bta0HfvjW6AvwvIuBoC7EgQAvD_BwE https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/worldwide#:~:text=Nine%20countries%20possess%20nuclear%20weapons,is%20close%20to%2013%2C000%20weapons. https://www.statista.com/statistics/264435/number-of-nuclear-warheads-worldwide/ http://nuclearrisk.org/3likely.php https://cepa.org/article/the-china-russia-axis-moves-into-high-gear/ https://news.mit.edu/2023/foreign-policy-scholars-examine-china-russia-relationship-1117 https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/11/china-russia-alliance-cooperation-brics-sco-economy-military-war-ukraine-putin-xi/...

    • 31 min
    S7 E6: 100 Seconds to Midnight: Bees and the Environment

    S7 E6: 100 Seconds to Midnight: Bees and the Environment

    You can reach me on the website at www.causeofdeath100secs.net or you can email me at Jackie@causeofdeath100secs.net. My Link Tree can be found at: https://linktr.ee/CauseofDeathpod Bees pollinate about a third of the fruits, nuts and vegetables that we eat every day. There are about 20,000 bee species in the world and 4,000 of those species are in the US. More than 2,000 of the US species are in decline and half are facing extinction. Today, I’m going to talk about bees and their importance as pollinators, and what would happen if they weren’t around anymore. It’s 90 seconds to midnight and not only could several ecosystems fail, but we could face a critical global food shortage if we don’t save one important pollinator, the bee. Bees and the Environment Show Notes: https://thebeeconservancy.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhomtBhDgARIsABcaYymaDOkotGVKmcrYVl8HQ6GM3FVGzqx7Vi-QscOpxktLO81aNxRKDJkaAj2eEALw_wcB https://defenders.org/blog/2021/05/bee-biodiversity?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_campaign=prospecting&utm_content=Grant-EvergreenBlog-beeforbiodiversity&supporter.appealCode=3WDW2300PJXXX&en_og_source=FY23_Google_Grant&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhomtBhDgARIsABcaYym8RorfWy94JD4m9VOFxhwCpefWCIDQhwvaTibNOS4NVpv6IW8e__8aAgNLEALw_wcB https://www.ivo.vet/blog/the-decline-of-pollinators-and-why-it-matters?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhomtBhDgARIsABcaYylF9qklR6vmcrtBSpn4csYxGDCUaC2LVwWHgB_-VrJ_L8Ig42HDoKUaArejEALw_wcB https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/why-bees-are-essential-people-and-planet#:~:text=Bees%20are%20part%20of%20the,propolis%20and%20honey%20bee%20venom. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/the-environmentalist-the-coolest-things-bees-do-for-the-planet-and-humans/ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140502-what-if-bees-went-extinct https://www.britannica.com/story/what-would-happen-if-all-the-bees-died https://www.nrdc.org/stories/world-without-bees-heres-what-happens-if-bees-go-extinct a href="https://depts.washington.edu/triolive/quest/2007/TTQ07077/consequences.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer...

    • 34 min
    S7 E5: 100 Seconds to Midnight: Super Eruptions

    S7 E5: 100 Seconds to Midnight: Super Eruptions

    There have been rumors about Yellowstone being overdue for a super volcanic eruption circulating for years, but is there actually a timer on super eruptions? Can we predict that? And what would the consequences of a super eruption be? It’s 90 Seconds to Midnight and the earth is rumbling with volcanic activity. Could any of these eruptions mean the end of life as we know it? You can reach me on the website at http://www.causeofdeath100secs.net or you can email me at mailto:Jackie@causeofdeath100secs.net. My Link Tree can be found at: https://linktr.ee/CauseofDeathpod Volcanic Eruptions Show Notes: https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/42/what-do-volcanoes-have-to-do-with-climate-change/#:~:text=Volcanic%20eruptions%20are%20often%20discussed,by%20more%20than%20100%20times https://byjus.com/ias-questions/what-are-the-3-main-causes-of-volcanic-eruptions/ https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/volcanoes/facts.html#:~:text=Volcanoes%20spew%20hot%2C%20dangerous%20gases,drinking%20water%20contamination%2C%20and%20wildfires. https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/climate-change/what-causes-the-earths-climate-to-change/#:~:text=Volcanoes%20affect%20the%20climate%20through,interacts%20with%20the%20volcanic%20material. https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanoes-can-affect-climate https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/340/graphic-volcanoes-and-climate-change/ https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-climate-works/how-volcanoes-influence-climate https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/effect-of-volcanic-eruptions-significantly-underestimated-in-climate-projections https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/get-ready-for-more-volcanic-eruptions-as-the-planet-warms/ https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2023/october/lethal-climate-change-millions-of-years-ago-was-due-to-volcanic-.html https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3204/tonga-eruption-blasted-unprecedented-amount-of-water-into-stratosphere/ https://www.science.org/content/article/massive-volcanoes-could-cool-earth-more-warming-world https://www.pdx.edu/news/new-research-shows-climate-change-will-increase-impacts-volcanic-eruptions https://theweek.com/world/495053/6-volcanoes-that-could-shut-down-the-world https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/when-sleeping-giant-awakes/ https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/questions-about-future-volcanic-activity-yellowstone https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinandrews/2019/03/25/volcanoes-are-never-overdue-for-an-eruption-heres-why/?sh=58f65cc433a5 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/campi-flegrei-volcano-closer-to-erution-last-erupted-1538-researchers/ https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-a-supervolcano.html https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-a-supervolcano-what-a-supereruption https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/-super-volcanoes.htm https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/questions-about-supervolcanoes https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/questions-about-supervolcanoes https://geologyscience.com/gallery/geologic-lists/10-most-powerful-super-volcanoes/?amp https://www.nationalgeographic.org/forces-nature/volcanoes.html#:~:text=Magma%20rises%20from%20the%20hot,were%20formed%20in%20this%20way. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/forces-nature/volcanoes.html#:~:text=Magma%20rises%20from%20the%20hot,were%20formed%20in%20this%20way. https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/eruption/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00842-1 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/headlines/2023/dec/italys-campi-flegrei-volcano-ready-erupt https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-volcano-kilauea-erupts-third-time-2023/ https://pbsinternational.org/programs/kilauea-hawaii-on-fire/ https://apnews.com/article/kilauea-volcano-erupts-acbd84358872fafe63b3244af7d4d2a9 https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/recent-eruption-september-10-16-2023#:~:text=USGS%20Volcanoes&text=Overview-,K%C4%ABlauea%20was%20erupting%20at%20the%20summit%20most%20recently%20from%20September,Hawai'i%20Volcanoes%20National%20Park. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21166-8...

    • 31 min
    Bonus Episode: 100 Seconds to Midnight: The Santa Tracker

    Bonus Episode: 100 Seconds to Midnight: The Santa Tracker

    This is the story of how one of the fiercest defense systems in the world ended up tracking Santa every Christmas Eve.

    Music by: Rupert Sachs

    • 10 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
25 Ratings

25 Ratings

Murder & Mimosas ,

Hate Science Love the Pod

I have never been a fan of science, but when I heard an episode of this podcast I was sucked in. It makes science interesting, entertaining and educational. So many mind blowing things I have learned all from an expert. Can't get better than that!

DJ GemJam ~ Noize PolluZion ,

Makes me cringe but so worth it!

When you hear all the things us humans have created to destroy mankind 100 times over. So worth the listen!!

Capnaurora ,

Let Me Count the Ways I Could Die!

I often use mg powers of anxiety to dream up ways I could die, but Jackie has me beat! This show is so great if you’re an over-thinker because it breaks down possible ways people can die from zombie apocalypse to the measles, but also how to protect yourself. The best part, Jackie is actually a scientist, so its well researched and accurate!

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