Hantavirus outbreak, and salmon on cocaine
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This episode of The Naked Scientists explores three major scientific stories: a hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondias, which left Argentina in April 2026 and has resulted in eight confirmed cases including three deaths. Experts discuss the rare human-to-human transmission potential of the Andes strain of hantavirus, environmental exposure risks in rural Argentina, and the ongoing epidemiological investigation to determine whether infection originated ashore or spread aboard. The episode also highlights a fascinating evolutionary adaptation in indigenous Andean populations, where extra copies of the amylase gene—linked to starch digestion—evolved over 10,000 years ago in response to a potato-rich diet at high altitudes, offering a powerful example of gene-culture coevolution. Finally, research reveals that salmon exposed to cocaine and its metabolites in polluted rivers exhibit dramatically altered behavior, dispersing up to 14 kilometers further than controls, raising concerns about ecological impacts of pharmaceutical pollution. NASA’s Curiosity rover also uncovers complex organic molecules on Mars, including potential DNA precursors, suggesting ancient Martian chemistry could have supported life, with future missions set to build on this breakthrough.
Hantavirus outbreaks on cruise ships may involve rare human-to-human transmission, requiring careful epidemiological tracking to determine origin.
Indigenous Andeans evolved higher amylase gene copy numbers over 10,000 years ago due to a high-starch, potato-based diet—evidence of gene-culture coevolution.
Salmon exposed to cocaine metabolites in rivers show extreme behavioral changes, indicating ecological risks from pharmaceutical pollution.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected complex organic molecules on Mars, including potential DNA precursors, expanding the search for ancient life.
Wastewater treatment gaps allow pharmaceuticals like cocaine to enter ecosystems, threatening aquatic life and highlighting the need for advanced filtration.
Hantavirus Outbreak on the MV Hondias Cruise Ship
“It's that damage to your lungs and ultimately once it's got through your body down to your kidneys that can cause a real problem.”
Evolutionary Adaptation to Potato Diet in Andean Populations
“The archaeology can tell us when the people did the things we know they did, and when they began to inhabit these areas, when they began to shift their diet in this way. Is there a similar genetic clock running that enables you to show that this genetic change lines up with the archaeology? Yes... the two strands of evidence have aligned and it fits into a coherent story.”
Salmon Behavior Altered by Cocaine Pollution
“Any change in an animal's behaviour that is not a natural change is not a good thing.”
NASA's Discovery of Complex Organic Molecules on Mars
“We expect life to make complex organic molecules. And if that is preserved in the rocks on Mars, we've sort of demonstrated that it could potentially survive over billions of years and it could be detectable with the techniques that we have on board this mission as well as future missions to Mars.”
“We expect life to make complex organic molecules. And if that is preserved in the rocks on Mars, we've sort of demonstrated that it could potentially survive over billions of years and it could be detectable with the techniques that we have on board this mission as well as future missions to Mars.”
“The archaeology can tell us when the people did the things we know they did, and when they began to inhabit these areas, when they began to shift their diet in this way. Is there a similar genetic clock running that enables you to show that this genetic change lines up with the archaeology? Yes... the two strands of evidence have aligned and it fits into a coherent story.”
“The fact that there was this basically more complex organic matter that we broke apart with this first-of-its-kind experiment, that tells us there's more complex carbon preserved on Mars than we realized previously.”
Host
Guests
Hantavirus
other
Cocaine
product
Mark Fielder
person
Omer Gökümman
person
Marcus Michelangeli
person
NASA Curiosity Rover
other
Amy Williams
person
Andes
other
MV Hondias
other
Argentina
place
Nature frozen in time
The Naked Scientists Podcast • 29m • 3/31/2026
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