Season 14 • Episode 1089

Are Humans Hot Enough to Survive a Fungal Apocalypse?

Aug 10, 2026

14:04

Infectious Disease Global Health Public Health

Episode Description

About this episode:

New research has identified massive fungal blooms in North America in the Cretaceous period, suggesting significant ecological upheaval before and after the asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. In this episode: Arturo Casadevall, senior author of the study, explains why these findings are so significant and his hypothesis that fungi gave mammals an evolutionary leg-up over reptiles.

Guest:

Dr. Arturo Casadevall, PhD, MS, is chair of the department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a global expert in host defense mechanisms, fungi, and antibody-based therapies. He is also co-author of the book What If Fungi Win? with Stephanie Desmon.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Fungal Surges Marked Cretaceous Mass Extinction that Ended Age of Dinosaurs—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
What zombie show 'The Last of Us' gets right about fungus in a warming world—Washington Post
What If Fungi Win?—Johns Hopkins University Press
The Discovery of a New Clade of Candida Auris—A "Critical Pathogen"—Public Health On Call (August 2024)

Transcript information:

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