Episode #551
News Items
Interview with SciBabe
- http://www.scibabe.com/
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Fiction
The virus has spread from continent to continent hitching a ride on mosquitoes that in turn were spread by shipping.
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Item #2
Science
Although the virus is primarily spread through mosquitoes, there is evidence for possible transmission through donated blood, sexual contact, and from mother to infant. http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=20751 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24739982 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=zika%2C+sexual+transmission
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Item #3
Science
The virus was first isolated from a rhesus monkey in the Zika forest in Uganda. http://zikavirusnet.com/history-of-zika.html
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘What’s the difference between an invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire and no dragon at all?’ – Carl Sagan, Demon Haunted World