Elsa and Riya’s ER 🚨

We are living in a bacterial world and Elsa and Riya are bacterial girls... okay maybe not that last part. This week the girls discuss antibiotic resistance and the potential it has to regress society. Elsa and Riya start with the discovery of antibiotics such as penicillin and sulfa drugs and how they completely revolutionized medicine. However, bacteria are smart little things and through mutation, some have developed the gene to become resistant to antibiotics. Through reproductive measures, this mutation has become more common and thus antibiotic resistance has become a big problem in today’s world. So big that if we don’t come up with a solution, minor surgeries and procedures may become quite risky; Infections that killed our great grandparents might just kill us. To prevent this, we need to be more cognizant of our own antibiotic intake as well as that of the animals we consume. This is harder said than done because of the economics involved so we may need more science to come in and fix the problem by heightening inflammatory responses, using bacteriophages, and/or holding biomarker exams. Tune in this week to hear Elsa and Riya discuss all of the intricacies of Antibiotic Resistance. 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only. 🚨

Shut the front door! Don’t you know there are disease carrying mosquitos that could come in! Now you may be thinking this is just a problem for developing countries, but don’t be so naive. Dr. Osterholm’s own son was bitten by the Aedes triseriatus mosquito right in Minnesota and then developed La Crosse encephalitis. The U.S also used to have many cases of Yellow Fever, but fortunately efforts of the government helped to eradicate this virus. However, now it is slowly creeping back. This seems to be the general trend for other mosquito-born illnesses throughout the world as well such as Malaria, Dengue, Zika, and Chikiungunya, as temperatures and population increase. There are preventative measures such as bed nets, sprays, creams, and vaccines, but will they be enough? We may need to rely on gene editing to get the job done once and for all. Tune in to this week’s episode to hear all about the threat that mosquitos pose and what we’re doing to protect ourselves.🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only. 🚨

In September of 2014, news of the Ebola virus in Texas, US made headlines all around the country. For many, it was the first time hearing about this deadly disease, but this isn’t the first time Ebola was in the United States. Crazy right? Pigs poultry and aquatic birds seem like harmless animals- that is until you take a closer look because they are a natural reservoir for many deadly viruses such as SARS. It might be easy to kill off infected populations of animals to control the spread of the virus, but what if the infected populations were worth millions, such as camels who carry MERS? Tune in this week to hear Elsa and RIya talk more about SARS, MERS and how the brave actions of one saved the lives of countless others. 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only. 🚨

We’ve all heard the saying “curiosity killed the cat”, but science is all about making new discoveries by venturing out into uncharted territory... so does this maxim still hold? This week, Elsa and Riya talk about the dangers of faulty biosecurity, and the potential harm imposed on the world due to the growing threat of bioterrorism. What if we told you one small vial of anthrax had the potential to wipe out hundreds of people. Now imagine this in the wrong hands. In short, it is impending havoc to be wrecked. Will the US be prepared to handle an attack of this caliber or will we feel the effects of our unpreparedness when it’s too late? Tune into this week’s episode to hear more! 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only. 🚨

Keep out the enemy at all costs! Unless... introducing the enemy at a smaller scale would be beneficial. But how would this be possible? Here’s a hint- Vaccines! Vaccines save the day but they are harder to manufacture than you would think. For HIV, the science is not there yet, but for mosquito-transmitted viruses it’s the economy standing in the public’s way. Tune in this week to hear Elsa and Riya discuss the advances the medical community has made with vaccines, and hear about our ongoing fight against malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis! 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only. 🚨

We hope your immune system is equipped because you are in the midst of a war- whether you knew it or not- and the enemy is a tough one- microbes! The domino effect of our societal actions, and their implications on our biosphere is shown through discussion of a variety of diseases, such as Ebola and malaria. Is it too late to change the tide or can we win this battle? Methods of disease transmission, as well as steps taken to prevent outbreaks are highlighted as Elsa and Riya dive into the microscopic world of microbes, and the effect of hyper-evolution on this population. 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only. 🚨

You’ve probably heard the saying “you’re so much bigger than a spider, you have nothing to be afraid of”. But what happens when the deadliest killers are invisible to the naked eye? Elsa and Riya dive into the world of microbes as they discuss Toxic Shock Syndrome, Pasteur’s finding and much more. In our rapidly evolving world, antibiotics might become a thing of the past as we encounter an increasing number of resistant microbes. Could this be a pitfall in our civilization? Tune in to hear about the four events that could wreck havoc on life as we know it, and what we can do to prevent this. 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only. 🚨

Welcome back to season 2! It’s finally here! Listen in as Elsa and Riya dive into this season’s book “Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs” by Dr. Michael T. Osterholm and author Mark Olshaker. Dr. Osterholm is a world renowned epidemiologist who has focused his expertise on infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, influenza and STDs, among many others. In this podcast, Dr. Osterholm discusses in general how these black swans are handled and how they should be handled in the future to prevent global pandemics. Important? We think so. Tune in for the season opener you’ve been looking forward to all semester! 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only. 🚨

Is that a wrinkle on your forehead? Save yourself the Botox injections and listen to Elsa and Riya talk about the scientific fountain of youth: telomeres. Scientists haven’t unlocked the key yet to age reversal, but in this episode Elsa and Riya talk about how it may be possible. However, is it too good to be true? All this and water births only a few taps away...TAP in to the season finale! 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only.🚨

Chances are you’ve heard about the “magical” health properties of green tea. Well it turns out, the beverage might just be magical after all; it might be an example of a “magical methyl marker” as Dr. Moalem puts it. Okay... you caught us: it’s really just science. However, this science may explain why chewing a certain nut may lead to cancer; why male fetuses may be more prone to miscarriage; why you’re destiny might be dependent on your grandma. Tune in to learn about this science so unbelievable, you’ll think it’s magic. 🧙‍♀️✨ 🚨Disclaimer: Elsa and Riya are not licensed medical professionals and therefore all things discussed in this episode, as well as past and future episodes, are for the purpose of entertainment only.🚨