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This Podcast Will Kill You

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Public Health
Covid-19
Mental Health
Fluoride
Infertility
Tuberculosis
Pregnancy
Women's Health
Cancer
Endometriosis
Dental Health
World Health Organization
IVF
Pasteurization
Toxins
Vaccines
In Vitro Fertilization
Cocoliztli
Milk
Epidemiology

This podcast might not actually kill you, but Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke cover so many things that can. In each episode, they tackle a different topic, teaching listeners about the biology, history, and epidemiology of a different disease or medical mystery. They do the scientific research, so you don’t have to. Since 2017, Erin and Erin have explored chronic and infectious diseases, medic... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes288Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ScienceHealth & Fitness

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Artwork for This Podcast Will Kill You

Latest Episodes

An accurate diagnosis can give us so much. It can give us a path forward. It can give us answers to long-standing questions. And it can give us much-needed hope. Yet many people around the world wait years to receive an accurate diagnosis, which can ... more

It comes on sneakily. You become aware of your stomach. You break out in a cold sweat. Your mouth fills with saliva. And before you know it, you’re leaning over the side of the boat (or out of the car, or into the airplane sick bag), barfing up your ... more

YouTube

Once thought to be a rare, always fatal disease, histoplasmosis is now recognized as one of the most prevalent fungal infections in North America. It infects hundreds of thousands of people every year, and its distribution is growing. In this episode... more

YouTube

In a time when smallpox, tuberculosis, measles, and typhus ran rampant through the streets of London, there was another disease that instilled even more fear than these other killers: syphilis. So feared and so stigmatized was syphilis that it was so... more

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Recent Guests

Christina Kupka-Decker
Storyteller and motion sickness sufferer
Episode: Ep 211 Motion Sickness: It comes in waves
Olivia Weisser
Historian and Associate Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Boston
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Episode: Special Episode: Dr. Olivia Weisser & The Dreaded Pox
Adam Kucharski
Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Episode: Special Episode: Adam Kucharski & Proof
April Rideout
Sibling sharing story of ALL in 2017 and transplant journey
Personal account
Episode: Ep 205 Cancer Part 4: Where do things stand today?
Dr. Long-Win
OB-GYN physician who shares personal cancer story and professional insight
Independent clinician / guest on podcast
Episode: Ep 204 Cancer Part 3: How do we treat it?
Lawrence Ingrassia
Author of A Fatal Inheritance, How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery
Author, A Fatal Inheritance
Episode: Special Episode: Lawrence Ingrassia & A Fatal Inheritance
Jon Adams
Co-author of Rat City, historian focusing on population sciences
Episode: Special Episode: Jon Adams and Edmund Ramsden & Rat City
Ed Ramsden
Co-author of Rat City, historian specializing in demographic studies
Episode: Special Episode: Jon Adams and Edmund Ramsden & Rat City
Nicola Twilley
Author and co-host of the podcast Gastropod
The New Yorker
Episode: Special Episode: Nicola Twilley & Frostbite

Hosts

Erin Welsh
Host and disease ecologist/epidemiologist focused on science communication.
Erin Allmann Updyke
Co-host; epidemiologist and disease ecologist, physician-in-training.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 27.9k ratings
  • Like…like….like

    It’s a modern thing that really irritates me and I just cannot get over it and it’s becoming far too acceptable.

    These two say like far too many times to tolerate, it’s literally dozens of times per sentence.

    If you need to pause to think, pause, or say erm or something, just don’t keep saying like over and over again. Please!

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    christianfrench
    United Kingdom20 days ago
  • I just found an inaccuracy

    I am from Peru, I grew up there and I am pretty well read about the country’s history. The episode about smallpox indicates that the Inca empire fell because of smallpox. Untrue. It fell because of a civil war between two of the sons of the previous to last Inca, and because most of the empire was built through conquest and war. They did not gather in circles singing “Kumbaya” or whatever you gringos sing when high. They killed, they raped, they enslaved; so when the Spanish arrived, the combina... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Tired1mx100
    Canada23 days ago
  • Can’t get enough

    Love this podcast. The Erins do an excellent job of explaining the science of diseases and miscellaneous maladies. One of my faves was lactose intolerance. To have something so prevalent explained so well! Always a total treat when a new one shows up in my feed. One thing to note, I often re-listen to episodes when they become pertinent again-today it’s hantavirus.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    sallygorp
    United Statesa month ago
  • Really interesting and informative. Complex information presented and discussed in a really approachable way. Great pod!

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Booglehoops
    a month ago
  • Love some of it

    Love learning from them in an accessible way, but don’t love the political commentary. Wish they would just keep it to epidemiology.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    demy1915
    United Statesa month ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

In-depth research and robust references are a standout.
Mix of personal stories and rigorous science keeps episodes engaging.
Covers a wide range of health topics with strong historical context.
The hosts make dense medical topics approachable and entertaining.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Spotify
#18
United States/Science
Apple Podcasts
#21
United States/Science
Spotify
#27
United Kingdom/Science
Apple Podcasts
#12
Canada/Science
Apple Podcasts
#31
United Kingdom/Science
Spotify
#26
Australia/Science

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Special Episode: Dr. Olivia Weisser & The Dreaded Pox
Q: What kinds of sources did you rely on to reconstruct people's lived experiences with pox, beyond medical records?
I broadened beyond hospitals to include court records, personal diaries, ballads, advertisement pages, recipe books, and even maps of where cures were sold, which together illuminate private behaviors, social norms, and the urban marketplace surrounding the disease.
Special Episode: Dr. Olivia Weisser & The Dreaded Pox
Q: Could you summarize why you call this venereal disease the 'first modern disease' in the sense you describe it?
I call it the first modern disease because the pre-germ theory era treated diseases as fluid, symptom-based experiences rather than fixed biological entities, and the intense stigma of venereal disease pushed healers to look for patterns across bodies in ways that resemble later 19th-century clinical thinking and modern disease surveillance.
Special Episode: Adam Kucharski & Proof
Q: What is the role of uncertainty in science and communication during emergencies like COVID-19?
The host and guest discuss balancing transparency about uncertainty with the need to provide actionable guidance, the dangers of overstating certainty, and strategies for communicating evolving evidence across populations and governments.
Special Episode: Adam Kucharski & Proof
Q: How do we decide when to act given imperfect evidence, especially in public health?
The guest explains that decision-making often requires triangulating multiple data sources, considering ethical constraints, and sometimes acting with a workable level of confidence rather than waiting for perfect certainty, with examples from smoking-cancer research and pandemic responses.
Special Episode: Adam Kucharski & Proof
Q: What is proof? Is there a standard definition?
Kucharski discusses how proof and certainty are context-dependent, highlighting historical shifts from universal mathematical truths to probabilistic and threshold-based reasoning, and notes that different fields adopt different standards for what counts as convincing evidence in order to act.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast Will Kill You

What is This Podcast Will Kill You about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A data-driven, accessible deep-dive into the biology, history, and epidemiology of diseases and medical mysteries, with a focus on how public health, policy, culture, and science intersect. Episodes blend rigorous research, historical context, and human stories—ranging from venereal disease in early modern London to cancer, nutrition, and emerging pathogens—often paired with narrative anecdotes and practical takeaways. A standout is the hosts' ability to translate complex science for lay audiences while spotlighting social stigma, policy implications, and potential real-world impact. The show frequently features expert guests, patient voices, and writers, offering a broad view of health topics with both academic and personal insight, plus r... more

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This Podcast Will Kill You launched 9 years ago and published 288 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on This Podcast Will Kill You?

Recent guests on This Podcast Will Kill You include:

1. Christina Kupka-Decker
2. Olivia Weisser
3. Adam Kucharski
4. April Rideout
5. Dr. Long-Win
6. Lawrence Ingrassia
7. Jon Adams
8. Ed Ramsden

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