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A Wasp Mom’s Gift: Blankets of Bacteria

Season 1 Episode 5 | 9m 10s

In this episode, Ed talks to Martin Kaltenpoth about something strange he found inside the mother beewolf’s antennae—a paste packed with bacteria called Streptomyces. Ed and Martin discuss what a beewolf is doing with this antibacterial goo, and what exactly would go wrong if she didn’t have access to it.

Aired: 01/24/18
Extras
We can’t talk to the dead, but in their own way, the dead can speak to us.
Do you remember your first birthday present? No? Good, because it’s gross.
To scientists like Mark Smith, poop is more than just waste – it’s medicine.
Let's put plants in the spotlight and focus on their best microbial partner: Fungi.
A world without microbes seems at first like a utopia, but let’s take a deeper look.
An unlikely alliance with bacteria gives this squid an amazing superpower: Invisibility.
At the bottom of the ocean, a bacterial discovery reshaped our view of life on earth.
The next time you spot a termite eating on wood, know that they’re not dining alone.
Antibiotics have a key role in medicine, but using them is not a decision made lightly.
Science is inching closer to an unlikely solution to Dengue fever. Bacteria.
Latest Episodes
We can’t talk to the dead, but in their own way, the dead can speak to us.
Do you remember your first birthday present? No? Good, because it’s gross.
To scientists like Mark Smith, poop is more than just waste – it’s medicine.
Let's put plants in the spotlight and focus on their best microbial partner: Fungi.
A world without microbes seems at first like a utopia, but let’s take a deeper look.
An unlikely alliance with bacteria gives this squid an amazing superpower: Invisibility.
At the bottom of the ocean, a bacterial discovery reshaped our view of life on earth.
The next time you spot a termite eating on wood, know that they’re not dining alone.
Antibiotics have a key role in medicine, but using them is not a decision made lightly.
Science is inching closer to an unlikely solution to Dengue fever. Bacteria.