OUR RATING:
Ever wanted to feel absolutely terrified about touching any surface in public while simultaneously laughing so hard you might let out a little pee? Boy, do I have the podcast for you! “This Podcast Will Kill You” delivers exactly what it promises – a delightful cocktail of infectious disease knowledge served with a side of existential dread that somehow leaves you wanting more.
Hosted by disease ecologists and epidemiologists Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke (yes, they’re both named Erin, and yes, they call themselves “the Erins,” which is adorably nerdy), this podcast transforms potentially dry medical history into captivating storytelling that’ll have you canceling plans just so you can learn more about cholera. Nothing says “sorry, can’t make it to dinner” like being knee-deep in a fascinating explanation of how dysentery ravaged Napoleon’s army. Your friends might worry about you, but who needs social interaction when you have plague facts?
The structure is brilliant in its simplicity. Each episode begins with the Erins mixing a themed cocktail (and non-alcoholic “quarantini”) inspired by whatever horrifying disease they’re covering. Nothing complements learning about flesh-eating bacteria quite like sipping a cleverly named beverage. It’s like a biology class taught by your coolest professors who decided that education goes down easier with booze. They’re not wrong.
What I really love about this podcast however, is how they make complex scientific concepts accessible without dumbing them down. They’ll take you through the biology, history, and modern implications of each disease with such enthusiasm that you’ll find yourself nodding along to explanations of pathogen transmission vectors like you’re listening to the hottest gossip. “And then, get this, the bacterium releases an ENDOTOXIN! Can you believe it?!” Yes, I can now, and I’m unreasonably excited about it.
The historical deep-dives are particularly fascinating, offering context that your high school history teacher conveniently skipped over. “Remember the Black Death? Let’s talk about how it fundamentally restructured European social hierarchies!” or “Here’s how syphilis possibly traveled from the New World and became Europe’s most embarrassing souvenir!” Suddenly those dusty historical events make a lot more sense when you realize everyone was just trying not to die from microscopic invaders.
Perhaps the most impressive feat is how the Erins balance truly horrifying medical realities with genuine compassion and unexpected humor. One minute you’re laughing at their banter, and the next you’re confronted with the sobering reality of health inequities or the tragic human toll of preventable diseases. Then, just before you spiral into complete despair about the fragility of human existence, they’ll crack a joke about parasitic worms that somehow makes everything bearable again.
By the end of each episode, you’ll have graduated from “vaguely germaphobic” to “amateur epidemiologist” (because that’s exactly what the Internet needs more of… amateur epidemiologists) who can’t help but share disease facts at inappropriate times.
Your friends might start avoiding you, but that’s fine, you’ve got two new friends named Erin who understand your newfound appreciation for hand sanitizer and vaccine science. “This Podcast Will Kill You” probably won’t actually kill you, but it will certainly kill any illusion you had about humanity’s dominance over the microbial world. And you’ll love every minute of it.
Where to listen to This Podcast Will Kill You
Episodes.fm | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro
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