Teach Me Something

You may know your ABO blood group, you may event know your RhD blood group, but do you know your Kell, Duffy, or Kidd group? Well, old timey doctors didn't know about any blood groups and they made some poor decisions during the course of medical advancement.

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Retroviruses are interesting in so many ways, like breaking the central dogma of molecular biology. Did we mention that you wouldn't be a mammal, or even a vertebrate, without these handy little invaders?

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The Roman amphitheatres are a marvel of ancient engineering and construction. Not to be confused with theatres, forums, and other purpose built Roman buildings, the amphitheatres were designed for one goal; violence for public spectacle. From gladiators to ship battles, amphitheatres saw it all.

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How was Rome founded? How much of the world was it destined to rule? How long will the empire last? Who is the greatest leader, descendant from the gods? Answering those questions is easy if you read the Aeneid by Virgil, one of histories most famous pieces of propaganda. Come learn what happened to the survivors of Troy after the events of the Odyssey, which surprisingly seem to mirror the Odyssey and Iliad, in order to understand how the stage was set for the Roman Empire to thrive.

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How did ancient Rome transition from a republic to an empire? Great question, and we are here to give you the low down on years of civil war, numerous dictators, and so many women being given away for alliance forming purposes. Worried that we don't have enough tangents? We got you covered with the crazy Roman calendar, Spartacus, and Egypt's civil war.

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This episode hits a lot of notes, from English monarchs to mythological monsters. And fear not, dear listener, we also found a way to talk about Pliny the Elder. So join us to learn a little about porphyria, and a lot about all the other interesting tangents we manage to fit in.

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Socrates once said, "the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing," and for this episode that couldn't be more true. We've consulted the latest research to figure what we think we know and what we know we don't know. As far as prehistoric Homo sapiens are concerned, the answer is... who knows?

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Are you like the two of us, having learned about early Hominins more than a decade ago? If so, come learn how much of your education is wrong, or only partially correct. We will learn about the human family tree right up until Homo sapiens. (That episode is next)

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In this episode we are joined by our son to tell the story of cane toads in Australia. We also talk about the costs, both economic and ecological, of other invasive species in Australia and New Zealand.

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What is there to say about Paracelsus? Well, a lot really. He was a complicated man with a complicated name and in this episode we discuss his life, beliefs, and impact on medical history.

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