Episode 16 Season 7: Giant Sloths, Swimming Robots, and Science Whiz Liz on Measles!

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We dive into the fascinating world of extinct giant sloths, explore how dogs are inspiring better swimming robots, and discuss the alarming resurgence of measles with immunologist Dr. Elisabeth Marnick.

• Ancient sloths evolved wide body size diversity based primarily on their habitat preference
• Tree-dwelling sloths evolved to be smaller while ground-dwelling species became massive
• The largest ground sloths were predated by enormous short-faced bears and likely hunted by humans
• Engineers created an amphibious robot that mimics dogs' swimming motion rather than reptiles or insects
• The dog-inspired robot achieves better transition between land and water with superior stability

And our guest: 

• Dr. Elizabeth Marnick explains that measles causes "immune amnesia," erasing the body's memory of other infections
• The MMR vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles infection with two doses
• One in four measles cases requires hospitalization, with potentially severe complications
• Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis can appear 7-10 years after measles infection and is 100% fatal
• Science communicators face significant challenges combating misinformation on social media

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