Pop Culture Science Weekend: Going Really Viral

Studio 360 this week has a viral theme.  No, it’s not a discussion of the Harlem Shake or any of the other cultural earworms that make Top of The Pops issues seem to have the permanence of stone.

It’s about viruses in pop culture.  You’ll want to listen to the whole show.  And then go explore Studio 360s archive of pieces on Science and Creativity

This week’s stories:

Viruses at the Movies – Science writer Carl Zimmer and infectious disease specialist Larry Madoff discuss how viruses feature as the new cause of bad things in television and movies.

(This makes me think of the various journal publications on zombies and Centers for Disease Control declarations on zombie outbreaks in a slightly different light.  Neither appear to be mentioned in this show.)

Does Your Zombie Have Rabies? – Long before science got a handle on rabies, written and spoken literature were wrestling with the disease.

Playing Against the Virus – Viruses are actually a common theme for gaming (and in gaming).  The (new to me) story about a virus in World of Warcraft is fascinating.

(as an aside, you can watch Wil Wheaton and friends play the board game Pandemic on Tabletop over at Geek and Sundry.)

Reconstructing Viruses – A discussion with Vincent Racaniello of Columbia University on the reconstruction of viral DNA.  As the piece notes, the U.S. government has released guidelines on dual-use research into dangerous items like viral DNA (See my earlier post on the process behind these guidelines).

What Going Viral Means – OK, a small portion of this show is about the meme of going viral.

Our Computers, Our Viruses, Our Selves – Not all viruses are biological.  However, trying to compare biological and computer viruses can only go so far.

The Flame Alphabet – Discussion of a novel by that name where language turns out to be lethal to adults, but not children.

(I can’t resist mentioning two Star Trek episodes that echo aspects of this plot.  “Miri” is the story of a planet where a virus has killed off all the adults, meaning Captain Kirk and the landing party become infected on landing.  “Babel” is an early episode of “Deep Space Nine” where a virus mimics aphasia, making the residents of the space station unable to communicate with each other.)

If you can’t catch this episode on your local public radio station, it is available for streaming online.