Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present

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34 Episodes covering pandemics, epidemics, and outbreaks in centuries of history all around the world, including “all about viruses,” (including retroviruses and phages), vaccine development, therapies, mechanisms of pathogen infections, historical figures, scientists, stories, interesting facts, and more. And yes, coronaviruses and an episode about COVID-19 vaccines.

Tim C. Smith


    • Apr 6, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 34 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present

    Wrap Up Ep. 31

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022


    A review of a few basics. The end. 7 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Extinct Isotopes Ep. 30

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022


    What are extinct isotopes and what do they tell us? 10 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Ep. 29

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022


    What’s an RTG? How does it work? RTG accidents. 12 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Murder by Isotope Ep. 28

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022


    Have isotopes been used to kill people? Of course they have. 12 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Detecting Isotopes Ep. 27

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2022


    Methods to detects isotopes. The Geiger counter. The scintillation counter. Mass spectrometry. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. 11 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Decay Series Ep. 26

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2022


    What is a decay series? A few extra facts about Uranium 12 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    U-235 Fission Ep. 25

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2022


    How does a U-235 atomic bomb work? How does fission work. What’s a chain reaction? 9 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Kik The Woolly Mammoth Ep. 24

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2022


    Who was Kik and how were isotopes used to learn about him? 6 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Krypton-86 Ep. 23

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2022


    The discovery of Krypton. It’s properties. It’s uses and some Krypton trivia. 8 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Cosmogenic Isotopes Ep. 22

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2022


    What are cosmogenic isotopes? What can they tell us? 6 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Americium-241 Ep. 21

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022


    How did this element get its name? Where would you find it? Can you make a nuclear bomb from a household item? 5 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Isotope Clumping Ep. 20

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022


    What is isotope clumping and what can it tell us? 10 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Positron Emission Tomography Ep. 19

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022


    Positrons! So cool. Check it out. 8 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Radioimaging Ep. 18

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022


    How are isotopes used in medical imaging? 5 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Targeted Radioisotope Therapy Ep. 17

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022


    How is targeted radioisotope therapy different from brachytherapy? 7 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Brachytherapy Ep. 16

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022


    What is brachytherapy and how are isotopes involved? 5 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Urea Breath Test Ep. 15

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2022


    What is the urea breath test used for and how are isotopes involved? 6 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Doubly Labeled Water Ep. 14

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2022


    What is double labeled water? How is it useful? 14 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Heavy Water Ep. 13

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2022


    What is heavy water? What are its properties? 12 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Zinc Tracers & Biomarkers Ep. 12

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2022


    What is a tracer? How are isotopes involved? 7 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Ötzi the Iceman Ep. 11

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2022


    Who was Ötzi? What did isotopes tell us about him? 9 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    King Richard III Ep. 10

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022


    What did isotopes tell us about King Richard III? 9 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Isotope Fractionation Ep. 9

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022


    What is isotope fractionation? How is it used? 7 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Carbon Dating Ep. 8

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022


    What is carbon dating? Also, what are Seuss Effects? 8 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Primordial Isotopes Ep. 7

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022


    What are primordial isotopes? Also some random isotope facts. 9 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Types of Radioactive Decay Ep. 6

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022


    What is radioactive decay? How do atoms decay? 9 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Stable vs Radioactive Ep. 5

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2022


    Some isotopes are stable. Some are radioactive. What’s the difference? 12 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    What's an Isotope? Ep. 4

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2022


    How isotopes are defined. Examples. 9 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Atoms. Ep. 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2022


    How atoms are constructed. 6 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    The Standard Model. Ep. 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022


    A review of what particles make up the universe. 6 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    It's About Isotopes. Ep. 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022


    Why isotopes? An introduction to the series. 4 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Special Topic: COVID-19 Vaccines. Ep. 34

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2020


    First I discuss the phases of drug or vaccine trials, then discuss the immune system, and finally outline the various approaches to COVID-19 vaccines (which largely applies to vaccines in general), including very recent advances in types of vaccines, and what the COVID-19 vaccine picture looks like in the Fall of 2020 – what companiesContinue reading "Special Topic: COVID-19 Vaccines. Ep. 34"

    Special Topic: The He Jainku Controversy. Ep. 33

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2020


    What did this guy do? Why was it so controversial? Hint: It involves CRISPR (Ep 31) and adeno-associated retroviruses (Ep 10) and making “designer babies.” 13 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

    Special Topic: How Pandemics End. Ep. 32

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2020


    First, I revisit the smallpox vaccine. Then I review a Ted Talk by Alex Rosenthal regarding how pandemics can end via three possible strategies. 12 min Pandemics & Pathogens Past & Present Podcastchemsmith1@gmail.comFacebookTwitter @chemsmithInstagram @timcsmith1961 Direct Link to episode

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