Climate Change is Unleashing New and Deadly Microbes episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 17, 2026 · 54 MIN

Climate Change is Unleashing New and Deadly Microbes

from KQED's Forum · host KQED

We tend to focus on how climate change affects coral reefs, sea turtles and polar bears on melting ice. But we rarely focus on how climate change is affecting microbes — the bacteria, fungi and viruses we can only see with microscopes — which outnumber all other life on earth. So says science writer Shayla Love, who warns that a warming planet might be making those microorganisms mutate in a concerning and even deadly way. And that melting ice may even unleash new, unfamiliar microbes. We talk with Love about her New Yorker article, “Our Warming Planet Is a Petri Dish for New and Deadly Microbes.” Guests: Shayla Love, science writer; her recent New Yorker article is “Our Warming Planet Is a Petri Dish for New and Deadly Microbes” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We tend to focus on how climate change affects coral reefs, sea turtles and polar bears on melting ice. But we rarely focus on how climate change is affecting microbes — the bacteria, fungi and viruses we can only see with microscopes — which outnumber all other life on earth. So says science writer Shayla Love, who warns that a warming planet might be making those microorganisms mutate in a concerning and even deadly way. And that melting ice may even unleash new, unfamiliar microbes. We talk with Love about her New Yorker article, “Our Warming Planet Is a Petri Dish for New and Deadly Microbes.” Guests: Shayla Love, science writer; her recent New Yorker article is “Our Warming Planet Is a Petri Dish for New and Deadly Microbes” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Climate Change is Unleashing New and Deadly Microbes

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This episode is 54 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 17, 2026.

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We tend to focus on how climate change affects coral reefs, sea turtles and polar bears on melting ice. But we rarely focus on how climate change is affecting microbes — the bacteria, fungi and viruses we can only see with microscopes — which...

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