#1179

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RECORDED ON AUGUST 19th 2025.
Dr. Jaap de Roode is Samuel C. Dobbs Professor in the Department of Biology at Emory University. He studies the ecology and evolution of parasites and their hosts, and is interested in co-infections of different parasite species, self-medication in hosts, and local coevolution of hosts and parasites. One of his main interests is the evolution of parasite virulence (i.e. parasite-induced reductions of host fitness). He is the author of Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves.

In this episode, we focus on Doctors by Nature. We talk about four different ways that animals use natural products to fight infections and alleviate disease: prophylaxis; therapeutic medication; body anointing; and fumigation. We discuss whether animals know that they are medicating themselves, and whether these behaviors are learned or innate. We go through examples of monarch butterflies, apes that swallow leaves to dislodge worms, how bees combat pathogens, social distancing, nausea and neophobia, and why dogs eat grass. We discuss when humans started using medication, and how we can benefit from studying the medicating behaviors of animals. Finally, we talk about applications of this knowledge.

Time Links:
00:00 Intro
00:30 The premise of the book
03:39 Prophylaxis, therapeutic medication, body anointing, and fumigation
17:41 Do animals know that they are medicating themselves?
20:00 Are these behaviors learned or innate?
22:41 Monarch butterflies
25:41 Apes that swallow leaves to dislodge worms
29:02 How bees combat pathogens
33:52 Social distancing
39:35 Nausea and neophobia
42:44 Why do dogs eat grass?
45:19 When did humans start using medication?
47:54 How can we benefit from studying the medicating behaviors of animals?
50:22 Applications
54:57 Follow Dr. de Roode’s work!
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Follow Dr. de Roode’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/4774z5rp
Google Scholar page: https://tinyurl.com/y2s4jzm9
Doctors by Nature: https://tinyurl.com/nhbdydkc
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航 豊川, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JAMES, JORDAN MANSFIELD, CHARLOTTE ALLEN, PETER STOYKO, DAVID TONNER, LEE BECK, PATRICK DALTON-HOLMES, NICK KRASNEY, AND RACHEL ZAK!
A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, NICK GOLDEN, CHRISTINE GLASS, IGOR NIKIFOROVSKI, PER KRAULIS, AND JOSHUA WOOD!
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