Ep 141 Maggots: Such noble work

Social media ads for egg freezing. A craigslist-like site for breast milk. Fertility fairs featuring IVF clinics alongside shamanic nutritionists. Surrogacy contracts offering a discount for multiple embryos. The rapidly-growing global fertility industry promises hope, fulfillmen ...  Show more

In keeping with last week’s theme of “bodily excretions that are kinda gross that you don’t really think about but are actually really important”, we’re devoting this episode to earwax, aka cerumen. In one hour, we somehow manage to weave together stories of earwax impaction, mis ...  Show more

Contributor: Chris Holmes, MD

Educational Pearls:

After centuries of use in wound-healing, the maggot is back. The rise of the drug-resistant superbug means fresh eyes are focused on the superpowers of the larvae of the greenbottle fly species, Lucilia Sericata. James Gallagher reports on the healthcare professionals who are tur ...  Show more

It's Day 2 of our trip down Maddie Sofia memory lane! Today's encore episode is all about how you're never really alone. We look at the tiny mites that live on your skin — including your face. They come out at night and mate. And we're not totally sure what they eat. See? Don't y ...  Show more

In the news, why a dose of bacteria might be the solution to combating kidney stones. What tooth enamel tells us about the lives and diets of dinosaurs. And what the world's most abundant insects can teach robots... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scient ...  Show more