Johns Hopkins Mosquito Minute
by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health · 110 episodes
ScienceLife
Impactful malaria science and the trailblazers leading the fight. A podcast from the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute in partnership with the Naked Scientists.
Latest episodes
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19 min
Could groundbreaking vaccine help eliminate malaria?
For decades, scientists pursued one goal: a vaccine that could prevent the disease. But malaria is caused by a complex parasite, making vaccine development far more challenging tha…
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9 min
Malaria drug revolution
Chris talks with Dr. Justin Boddey from Melbourne's WEHI about a promising new way to halt malaria, and make people immune at the same time.
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9 min
Sickle cell defeated malaria and opened up pastures new
Host Chris Smith speaks with Andrea Manica, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Cambridge, about what our ancient ancestors can teach us about grappling with malaria.
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15 min
Half a million years of malaria and its control, with guest Sonia Shah
Chris speaks with Sonia Shah, author of The Fever, about the history of malaria and human efforts to control it.
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10 min
Malaria in Africa -- Guest: Emory University malaria expert Dr. Boghuma Titanji
Why the continent accounts for the overwhelming majority of cases.
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9 min
Driven to End Malaria: World Malaria Day 2026 with Ashley Birkett from the PATH Center for Vaccine Innovation…
World Malaria Day 2026 is marked under the theme Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must.
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30 min
The Naked Scientists' "Titans of Science" Series: Jane Carlton
Professor Jane Carlton is director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. Dr. Chris Smith of the Naked Scientists interviews Jane about her research, her career and the f…
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11 min
EXTENDED: Baby Wraps and Malaria – A New Tool to Protect Young Children (with Ross Boyce)
In sub-Saharan Africa, mothers often carry their babies on their backs in colorful cotton wraps called lesu. Could treating these wraps with insecticide help prevent malaria? Dr. R…
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1 min
Insecticide-Treated Baby Wraps Cut Malaria Cases by Two-Thirds in Uganda
A new study in rural western Uganda finds that treating baby-carrying cloths, or lesu, with an insecticide with modest repellent effect significantly reduces malaria infections in…
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8 min
EXTENDED: Boosting Mosquito Immunity to Fight Malaria (with Emma Camacho)
Too much can kill the mosquito — too little can also kill it. But the right amount can strengthen the mosquito's defenses and stop malaria transmission. Today, the Goldilocks dose.…
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1 min
The Goldilocks Dose: Modulating Mosquito Diet to Control Malaria
Feeding mosquitoes L-DOPA can either strengthen their defences against malaria or shorten their lifespan — showing that in vector control, the dose makes the difference Transcript…
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11 min
SPECIAL: Hackathons for Malaria Genetic Epidemiology (with Bryan Greenhouse)
How do you turn vast amounts of genetic data into actionable insight – efficiently and accurately? Professor Bryan Greenhouse of UCSF discusses a series of "hackathons" at the John…
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12 min
EXTENDED: From River Blindness to Malaria Control – The Ivermectin Story (with Carlos Chaccour and Joseph Mwan…
In Kwale, Kenya, where bed nets alone can't stop malaria, researchers are testing ivermectin – a drug long used to treat parasitic infections – as a new way to kill mosquitoes. Tri…
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2 min
Ivermectin's Potential in the Fight Against Malaria
A new study in Kenya shows that mass drug administration of ivermectin safely reduced malaria cases by 26%, offering a promising supplement to insecticide-based prevention. Transcr…
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14 min
EXTENDED: The Turning Point – What Drives Malaria to Become Severe? (with Mark Travassos, Mahamadou Ali Thera…
Focusing on patients in Mali, researchers examine why some children develop life-threatening complications like cerebral malaria or severe malarial anemia. With Mark Travassos (Uni…
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1 min
What Severe Malaria Cases Have In Common
Although severe malaria presents in different clinical forms – such as cerebral malaria or severe malarial anemia – a new study reveals that all severe cases have one thing in comm…
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8 min
EXTENDED: Curing the Mosquito – Bed Nets That Target Parasites (with Alexandra Probst)
Dr. Alexandra Probst discusses a breakthrough in malaria prevention: bed nets coated with anti-parasitic drugs that stop transmission by curing infected mosquitoes. With Alexandra…
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1 min
Bed Nets That Target Parasites, Not Just Mosquitoes
How next-generation bed nets could stop malaria by killing the parasites inside mosquitoes, not just the mosquitoes themselves. Transcript Bed nets have long been a cornerstone of…
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5 min
EXTENDED: Why Malaria Vaccines May Work Better in Some Places Than Others (with Lemu Golassa)
The extent to which malaria vaccines reduce cases and deaths is a key consideration. But there's another factor, too. with Dr. Lemu Golassa, Head of Medical Parasitology at Addis A…
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2 min
Mismatch Between Malaria Vaccines and Local Parasite Strains in Ethiopia
A recent study in Ethiopia reveals that local malaria parasite strains differ genetically from those targeted by current vaccines, potentially reducing their effectiveness. Transcr…