Home Invasions (rebroadcast)

Big Picture Science

As we struggle to control a viral invader that moves silently across the globe and into its victims, we are also besieged by other invasions. Murder hornets have descended upon the Pacific Northwest, threatening the region’s honeybees. In Africa, locust swarms darken the sky. In this episode, we draw on a classic science fiction tale to examine the nature of invasions, and what prompts biology to go on the move.

Guests:

• Peter Ksander – Associate professor at Reed College in the Department of Theater. Producer of the spring 2020 production of War of the Worlds
• Eva Licht – A senior at Reed College, and producer and director of War of the Worlds
• Chris Looney – Entomologist with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, where he manages its general entomology laboratory
• Nipun Basrur – Neurobiologist at The Rockefeller University
• Amy Maxmen – Reporter at the journal Nature, in which her story about pandemic war games appeared.

Originally aired August 31, 2020

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