Episodes

  • Malaria: The Empire Strikes Back | LeechFest Ep 46
    Apr 8 2024

    This month we're talking about malaria! This episode is quite similar to our early ones, in that we take a disease, talk about its pathology/ treatment, the role it has played in history, and then look toward the future. None of this politics crap we've been doing lately, just pure, unadulterated medical history. Although, we do complain about imperialism and also people being racist towards the Chinese a bit, so perhaps just a bit of politics.

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Assassinations: Leftist Infighting | LeechFest Ep 45 Part 2
    Mar 11 2024

    This is the second part of our episode about assassinations! This episode turned out very leftism-centric, with Salem covering Trotsky and Mia going over the assassination of Kim Jong Nam. There is a healthy dose of history in this episode, not just of the assassinations themselves, but also of the important historical events leading up to the murders, so if you feel like you need a refresher on Soviet history, this episode is for you!

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    46 mins
  • Assassinations: The Russian Devil | LeechFest Ep 45 Part 1
    Mar 4 2024

    Most often on this podcast we talk about people's attempts to preserve and improve health and wellbeing. This month, however, we are switching gears as we embark on a two parter covering three historical figures whose powerful enemies wanted them dead. In this first part, we introduce the term ''assassin'' and discuss its etymology, and take a look at the life and death of one of Russia's most infamous monks.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Stockholm Syndrome | LeechFest Ep 44
    Feb 12 2024

    In this month's episode we tackle the concept of Stockholm Syndrome as follows: Mia talks about the original bank heist which led to the coinage of the term, and Salem follows up with another very famous case- that of Patricia 'Patty' Hearst. We briefly give our personal interpretation of both cases, after which we discuss some potential psychiatric explanations of the phenomenon: specifically that it's an inborn (yet conscious) response to particular types of intraspecies threats, and/or that it's an automatic response in the face of threat. Enjoy!

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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Bacteria? Eating MY Flesh? | LeechFest Ep 43
    Jan 4 2024

    A short and sweet episode for you this month- no mucking about with this one. We discuss flesh-eating bacteria, every tabloid's favourite germ to fear monger about. Salem covers the medical and biomedical part, specifically what causes flesh-eating disease, how the disorder manifests and what to expect if you end up having it, and Mia talks about how we came to learn more about this condition (and also delivers a long rant about medical doctors half-assing the history section in their papers). Enjoy!

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    52 mins
  • Paws, Pills and Progress: Animal Models in Research | LeechFest Ep 42
    Dec 12 2023

    This month's episode focuses on the history of the use of animals in medical science. We start out with an overview of currently available study models, and a short discussion of why animal models remain irreplaceable at this point in time. Mia goes on into the history of animal use in research, with a special focus on the development of ethical considerations. Trigger warning here! There is some talk about animal torture. To round off the episode, we discuss some very exciting, rapidly developing technologies, specifically organoids (<3) and AI (

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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • Spookysode 4: I Want To Believe | LeechFest Ep 41
    Nov 20 2023

    In this year's second Spookysode, we discuss the Dyatlov Pass incident, which refers to the mysterious death of nine experienced hikers in the Ural Mountains in 1959, as well as the phenomenon of alien abductions, focusing on the case of Betty and Barney Hill. Were the deaths of Igor Dyatlov and his schoolmates caused by a weather phenomenon, a freak accident, or perhaps something a lot more disturbing? And is there any stock in alien abduction reports? Listen to find out!

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    1 hr and 59 mins
  • Spookysode 3: Cursed Content and Real Curses | LeechFest Ep 40
    Oct 31 2023

    We are back just in time for Halloween with a spooky, spooky episode. This year, we've got for you the story of Karl Tänzler, who may be our least favourite scientist, and that of King Tut's curse. Enjoy, and happy Halloweeeeen!

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    1 hr and 50 mins