July 17, 2023

Fantastic-er Voyage*

54 minutes

Thinking small can sometimes achieve big things. A new generation of diminutive robots can enter our bodies and deal with medical problems such as intestinal blockages. But do we really want them swimming inside us, even if they’re promising to help? You might change your mind when you hear what else is cruising through our bloodstream: microplastics!

We take a trip into the human body, beginning with the story of those who first dared to open it up for medical purposes. But were the first surgeons really cavemen?

Guests:

Ira Rutkow – Surgeon and writer, and author of “Empire of the Scalpel: The History of Surgery”

Dick Vethaak – Emeritus professor of ecotoxicology, water quality and health at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Free University, Amsterdam) in The Netherlands

Li Zhang – Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Michael LaBarbera – Professor in organismal biology, anatomy and geophysical sciences, University of Chicago

Originally aired June 20, 2022

Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake

Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact [email protected] to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.

You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more

View all episodes

By Big Picture Science

4.5

912912 ratings