This Podcast Will Kill You is an American podcast hosted by disease ecologists and epidemiologists Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke.[1] Its first full-length episode was released on October 31, 2017. New episodes were released weekly until the second season, when they were released every two weeks. Each week a different disease is covered, the majority of which are infectious diseases with some exceptions, such as scurvy in episode 19.[2]
"This Podcast Will Kill You" is part of the Exactly Right Podcast Network, created by the hosts of "My Favorite Murder."[3]
Structure of Episodes
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Each episode is about an hour in duration and generally starts with a firsthand account of someone affected by the disease. After that, the hosts create a mixed drink that is connected to the disease, called a 'Quarantini',[4] in a segment known as 'Quarantini time'. After this introduction, the biology of the disease is explained, then history, epidemiology, and finally, the disease's effect on the modern world.[2] Generally, Welsh tells the history of the disease and Updyke explains the biology epidemiology.[5] Finally, the hosts cite the sources used to present the information, and supply a link to their website where the sources can be found.
Erin Allmann Updyke, co-host, has an M.S. in epidemiology from the University of Hawaii and a Ph.D. in entomology and an M.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[5] Erin Welsh, co-host, has an M.S. in epidemiology from the University of Louisville and a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[5] "The Erins," as they've coined themselves, started "This Podcast Will Kill You" because they felt that the medical knowledge that they have gained from their education rarely transfers out of the academia world.[6] They wanted to make medical knowledge more accessible and easier to understand to the general public, without diluting it.[6] Their first episode aired on October 31, 2017.[7] In 2018, prior to launching Season 2, "This Podcast Will Kill You" joined The Exactly Right Network.[3] In doing so, their downloads rose four times.[8] The show was nominated for a 2019 Webby Award in the Science and Education Podcasts category.[9] In 2020, they started a special series of episodes focusing on the COVID-19 Pandemic.[10] In 2023, Season 6 featured a miniseries of bonus episodes focussing on popular science books, "TPWKY book club".[11]
| Date
|
Episode
|
Title
|
| October 23, 2017
|
0
|
Trailer
|
| October 31, 2017
|
1
|
Influenza Will Kill You
|
| November 7, 2017
|
2
|
[Leprosy:] Skin in the Game, Horse in the Race
|
| November 14, 2017
|
3
|
[Smallpox:] Gnarlypox
|
| November 21, 2017
|
4
|
[Cholera:] The Poop Show
|
| November 28, 2017
|
5
|
Plague Part I: The GMOAT
|
| December 5, 2017
|
6
|
Plague Part II: TGFA
|
| December 12, 2017
|
7
|
Hit Me With Your Best (Polio) Shot
|
| December 19, 20117
|
8
|
ABRACADABRA - Go Away Malaria!
|
| January 2, 2018
|
9
|
Tuberculosis: A Slow Burn
|
| January 9, 2018
|
10
|
Yellow Fever: Is there a Hamilton song about this?
|
| January 16, 2018
|
11
|
Ebola: The New Kid on the Block
|
| January 23, 2018
|
12
|
HIV/AIDS: Apathy Will Kill You
|
| January 30, 2018
|
13
|
Bonus Episode: HIV/AIDS
|
| February 27, 2018
|
-
|
Don't Tread on my Monkshood: Crossover with IDOP
|
| Date
|
Episode
|
Title
|
| November 27, 2018
|
14
|
Rabies, Don't dilute me, bro
|
| December 11, 2018
|
15
|
MRSA: Make resistance Susceptible Again
|
| December 24, 2018
|
16
|
Scratch and Sniff Diphtheria Membrane
|
| January 8, 2019
|
17
|
Oh No Tetrodo: Crossover with TBOSP
|
| January 22, 2019
|
18
|
Hantavirus: The Real Rat Race
|
| February 5, 2019
|
19
|
Scurvy: Thanks a lot, evolution
|
| February 20, 2019
|
20
|
Prions: Apocalypse Cow
|
| March 5, 2019
|
21
|
Measles: The Worst Souvenir
|
| March 19, 2019
|
22
|
Belladonna will dilate your mind: Crossover with IDOP
|
| April 2, 2019
|
23
|
Opening a can of Hookworms
|
| April 16, 2019
|
24
|
Zika: Rumors and Rumours
|
| April 30, 2019
|
25
|
Put your hands together for: Gonorrhea!
|
| May 16, 2019
|
26
|
Vaccines Part I: Let's hear it for Maurice
|
| May 21, 2019
|
27
|
Vaccines Part II: Have you thanks your immune system lately?
|
| May 28, 2019
|
28
|
H.pylori: Don't try this at home
|
| June 11, 2019
|
29
|
Aspirin the Wonder Drug: Crossover w/ IDOP
|
| June 25, 2019
|
30
|
Encephalitis Lethargica: Sleep Perchance to Dream (& Dream & Dream)
|
| July 9, 2019
|
31
|
Giardia: Gerardia
|
| July 23, 2019
|
32
|
Ask the Erins
|
| August 6, 2019
|
33
|
Chytrid: The Silent Forest
|
| August 20, 2019
|
34
|
Cystic Fibrosis: Complete Somatic Rebellion
|
| September 3, 2019
|
35
|
Lyme Disease: I'd like to check you for ticks
|
| Date
|
Episode
|
Title
|
| October 29, 2019
|
36
|
Shades of Syphilis
|
| November 12, 2019
|
37
|
E. coli (unless it's beets)
|
| November 26, 2019
|
38
|
Lead Poisoning: Heavy Metal Episode
|
| December 10, 2019
|
39
|
Toxoplasmosis: Calling All Cats
|
| December 24, 2019
|
40
|
Dancing Plague: Worst Dance Party Ever
|
| January 7, 2020
|
41
|
Ricin: A Bad Seed (crossover with IDOP)
|
| January 21, 2020
|
42
|
Dandy Dengue Fever
|
| February 4, 2020
|
43
|
M-m-m-my Coronaviruses
|
| February 18, 2020
|
44
|
Pertussis: Whoop Here It Is
|
| March 3, 2020
|
45
|
Hepatitis C: Hepatiti?
|
| March 17, 2020
|
46
|
Lactose Intolerance: Never trust a fart
|
| March 31, 2020
|
47
|
Schistosomiasis: A Snail's Pace
|
| April 14, 2020
|
48
|
Botulism: Why are you the way you are?
|
| April 28, 2020
|
49
|
Eastern Equine Encephalitis: Triple EEEk!
|
| May 12, 2020
|
50
|
Antibiotics: We owe it all to chemistry!
|
| May 26, 2020
|
51
|
The Path of Most (Antibiotic) Resistance
|
| June 23, 2020
|
52
|
Rinderpest: Moo Cows, Moo Problems
|
| July 7, 2020
|
53
|
Radiation: X-Ray Marks the Spot
|
| July 21, 2020
|
54
|
Wake up and Smell the Caffeine
|
| August 4, 2020
|
55
|
Rocky Mountain spotted fever: the Tick must be destroyed!
|
| August 18, 2020
|
56
|
Sickle Cell Disease: Invisible Illness, Enduring Strength
|
| September 1, 2020
|
57
|
Herpes: Stop the STIgma
|
| September 15, 2020
|
58
|
Guinea worm: (Almost) Ancient History
|
| September 29, 2020
|
59
|
Thalidomide: Justice Delayed, Justice Denied
|
| October 13, 2020
|
60
|
Giving birth to "the pill"
|
| Date
|
Episode
|
Title
|
| December 1, 2020
|
61
|
Typhoid: There's Something About Mary
|
| December 15, 2020
|
62
|
Leishmaniasis, Relationship Status: It's Complicated
|
| December 29, 2020
|
63
|
Poison Ivy: It's Just Us
|
| January 12, 2021
|
64
|
Rubella: Timing is Everything
|
| January 26, 2021
|
65
|
Sweating Sickness: Ready, Sweat, Go!
|
| February 9, 2021
|
66
|
The Outs and Ins of Organ Transplantation
|
| February 23, 2021
|
67
|
HPV: My wart be with you
|
| March 9, 2021
|
68
|
Coccidioidomycosis: It's never a spider bite
|
| March 23, 2021
|
69
|
Huntington's disease: Let's talk frankly
|
| April 6, 2021
|
70
|
Henrietta Lacks: HeLa There, & Everywhere
|
| April 20, 2021
|
71
|
Onchocerciasis/River Blindness: So many mysteries
|
| May 4, 2021
|
72
|
White-Nose Syndrome: How deep is your torpor?
|
| May 18, 2021
|
73
|
Puerperal Fever: Seriously, wash your hands
|
| June 1, 2021
|
74
|
Naegleria fowleri: The "brain eating amoeba"
|
| June 15, 2021
|
75
|
Mercury: The cost of progress
|
| June 29, 2021
|
76
|
Chickenpox: There's always a ‘but’
|
| July 13, 2021
|
77
|
Legionnaires’ Disease: A Killer Mist
|
| July 27, 2021
|
78
|
Bartonella: Keep Calm and Carrión
|
| August 10, 2021
|
79
|
Hemophilia: A Hemorrhagic Disposition
|
| August 24, 2021
|
80
|
Dysentery loves a disaster
|
| September 7, 2021
|
81
|
Chagas disease: The Reverse Triple Discovery
|
| September 21, 2021
|
82
|
Anthrax: The Hardcore Spore
|
| October 5, 2021
|
83
|
Diabetes: Short & Sweet
|
| October 19, 2021
|
84
|
West Nile virus: The Crow in the Coal Mine
|
| November 2, 2021
|
85
|
Alcohol: Beer for Thought
|
In Season 5, a few of the regular podcast episodes were followed by a special episode often going deeper into detail on what was covered in the previous episode.
| Date
|
Episode
|
Title
|
| December 14, 2021
|
86
|
Typhus: Another lousy episode
|
| December 28, 2021
|
87
|
C. diff: Fighting poop with poop
|
| January 11, 2022
|
88
|
Endometriosis: menstrual backwash
|
| January 25, 2022
|
89
|
Hepatitis B: Hepatiti, Take 2
|
| February 1, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: Hep B stigma & discrimination
|
| February 8, 2022
|
90
|
Human African Trypanosomiasis: A lot to unpack
|
| February 15, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: Human African Trypanosomiasis & drug development
|
| February 22, 2022
|
91
|
Myxomatosis: Down the rabbit hole
|
| March 1, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus
|
| March 8, 2022
|
92
|
Multiple Sclerosis: Scarred nerves & skating saints
|
| March 15, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: Epstein-Barr virus
|
| March 22, 2022
|
93
|
Lightning & Other Stories: Power Hour (and a Half)
|
| March 29, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: Electricity
|
| April 19, 2022
|
94
|
Chlamydia: Double Trouble
|
| April 26, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: Chlamydia, Koalas and More!
|
| May 3, 2022
|
95
|
Tetanus: An inhuman calamity!
|
| May 10, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: On the Origin of Epidemiology
|
| May 17, 2022
|
96
|
Tapeworm: We encyst you listen
|
| May 24, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: Coprolites!
|
| May 31, 2022
|
97
|
Snake Venoms: Collateral Damage
|
| June 7, 2022
|
Special
|
Special Episode: Snake Venom Evolution
|
| June 14, 2022
|
98
|
Folate: Marmite, anyone?
|
| June 28, 2022
|
99
|
Salmonella: A hard egg to crack
|
| July 12, 2022
|
100
|
Monkeypox: Here we go again?
|
| July 26, 2022
|
101
|
Immortality; This Podcast Won't Kill You
|
| August 9, 2022
|
102
|
Arsenic: Paris Green with Envy
|
| August 31, 2022
|
103
|
Leptospirosis: Don't blame the rats
|
| September 6, 2022
|
104
|
The Bends: Industrial Revolution, Baby
|
| September 20, 2022
|
105
|
Down in the Mumps
|
| October 7, 2022
|
106
|
Turner Syndrome: Let's talk about X
|
| November 4, 2022
|
107
|
Sepsis: It's a mess
|
| November 4, 2022
|
108
|
Gout: Toetally fascinating
|
| November 15, 2022
|
109
|
Chikungunya: Not dengue (or is it?)
|
| November 29, 2022
|
110
|
Influenza, Take 2: Fowl Play
|
| Date
|
Episode
|
Title
|
| January 31, 2023
|
111
|
RSV: What's syncytial anyway
|
| February 14, 2023
|
112
|
Epilepsy: It's always the phlegm
|
| February 28, 2023
|
113
|
Vitamin D: The D stands for drama
|
| March 14, 2023
|
114
|
Listeria: It put Dairy on the map
|
| March 28, 2023
|
115
|
Altitude Sickness: Balloons though?
|
| April 11, 2023
|
116
|
It's never lupus (except this time)
|
| May 15, 2023
|
117
|
Bedbugs: Bug-bitten and bedeviled
|
| June 6, 2023
|
118
|
Asbestos: Corruption and cancer and corporate greed, oh my!
|
| July 4, 2023
|
119
|
Marburg virus: Too fast, too furious
|
| July 18, 2023
|
120
|
Acetaminophen/Paracetamol: Pain. Killer
|
| August 1, 2023
|
121
|
Tularemia: Hare today, gone tomorrow
|
| August 15, 2023
|
122
|
Asthma: A phlegmy episode
|
| August 29, 2023
|
123
|
Hand, Foot, and Mouth (and Butt?) Disease
|
| September 12, 2023
|
124
|
The full spectrum of color vision deficiency
|
| September 26, 2023
|
125
|
Blastomycosis: How fungus became amongus
|
| October 10, 2023
|
126
|
Migraine: A Cacophany in Four Movements
|
| October 24, 2023
|
127
|
Bhopal: The 1984 Union Carbide Disaster
|
| November 7, 2023
|
128
|
Skin Cancer: We love and fear the sun
|
| November 21, 2023
|
129
|
Lymphatic Filariasis: Hiding in plain sight
|
| December 5, 2023
|
130
|
Cocoliztli: We do love a salty dish
|
| December 19, 2023
|
131
|
Parkinson's Disease: Dopamine & discoveries
|
To discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the podcast introduced "The Anatomy of a Pandemic" series in which each episode tackles a particular aspect of COVID-19. This mini-series not only addresses the virus itself, but also addresses how it can impact mental health and cause societal disarray.[18] The series reached its tentative end with Chapter 19.
| Season
|
Date
|
Episode
|
Title
|
| Special
|
March 23, 2020
|
Chapter 1
|
COVID-19: Virology
|
| Special
|
March 23, 2020
|
Chapter 2
|
COVID-19: Disease
|
| Special
|
March 23, 2020
|
Chapter 3
|
COVID-19: Control
|
| Special
|
March 23, 2020
|
Chapter 4
|
COVID-19: Epidemiology
|
| Special
|
March 23, 2020
|
Chapter 5
|
COVID-19: Vaccines
|
| Special
|
March 23, 2020
|
Chapter 6
|
COVID-19: Mental Health
|
| Special
|
April 6, 2020
|
Chapter 7
|
COVID-19: Spillover
|
| Special
|
April 9, 2020
|
Chapter 8
|
COVID-19: Disparities
|
| Special
|
April 20, 2020
|
Chapter 9
|
COVID-19: Economics
|
| Special
|
April 23, 2020
|
Chapter 10
|
COVID-19: Schools
|
| Special
|
May 4, 2020
|
Chapter 11
|
COVID-19: Modeling (Institute for Disease Modeling interview)
|
| Special
|
December 10, 2020
|
Chapter 12
|
Control, Take 2
|
| Special
|
December 22, 2020
|
Chapter 13
|
Vaccines, Take 2
|
| Special
|
January 5, 2021
|
Chapter 14
|
Virology, Take 2
|
| Special
|
March 30, 2021
|
Chapter 15
|
Disease, Take 2
|
| Special
|
April 13, 2021
|
Chapter 16
|
Disparities, Take 2
|
| Special
|
April 27, 2021
|
Chapter 17
|
Frontline Mental Health
|
| Special
|
May 11, 2021
|
Chapter 18
|
Conservation & Pandemics
|
| Special
|
May 25, 2021
|
Chapter 18
|
Your Stories
|
| Special
|
June 8, 2021
|
Chapter 19
|
Looking forward by looking back
|
Season 6 contains a miniseries of bonus episodes which features interviews with authors of popular science books, covering topics ranging from why sweat matters to the history of food safety, from the menstrual cycle to the persistence of race science.[19]
| Season
|
Date
|
Title
|
| 6
|
February 21, 2023
|
Special Episode: David Quammen & Breathless
|
| 6
|
March 7, 2023
|
Special Episode: Sarah Everts & The Joy of Sweat
|
| 6
|
March 21, 2023
|
Special Episode: Angela Saini & Superior
|
| 6
|
April 25, 2023
|
Special Episode: Dr. Kate Clancy & Period
|
| 6
|
May 26, 2023
|
Special Episode: Mary Roach & Fuzz
|
| 6
|
June 20, 2023
|
Special Episode: Dr. Steven Thrasher & The Viral Underclass
|
| 6
|
July 11, 2023
|
Special Episode: Dr. Andrew Wehrmann & The Contagion of Liberty
|
| 6
|
July 26, 2023
|
Special Episode: Deborah Blum & The Poison Squad
|
| 6
|
August 8, 2023
|
Special Episode: Ed Yong & An Immense World
|
