Kissing Bugs, Koalas and Clues to Life on Mars

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.3 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

A paper published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argues that Chagas disease is now endemic in the U.S. Koalas may finally be spared from a deadly epidemic. Meanwhile NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered tantalizing clues about potential ancient microbial life on the Red Planet. Hear about all that and more in this week’s news roundup. Recommended Reading Treating Koala STDs May also Quash Their Essential Gut Microbes New Black Hole Measurements Show More Ways Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein Were Right This Rock May Hold Proof of Life on Mars E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:43.0	For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Feldman.
0:53.2	You're listening to our weekly Science News Roundup, where we dive into some of the headlines
0:57.6	you might have missed last week. We'll start by checking in on the latest in public health news.
1:03.0	A report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week argues that
1:07.4	shock us disease, also dubbed kissing bug disease, is now an endemic illness in the
1:12.4	U.S. caused by tripinosoma cruisy parasites that lurk in the feces of blood-sucking insects
1:18.6	known as kissing bugs, the disease can cause fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, achiness,
1:25.1	loss of appetite and headache for a few weeks or months after infection.
1:29.6	If the parasite isn't eliminated with treatment during this acute phase, people with
1:34.4	Shagas can go on to develop digestive problems, as well as heart conditions that can prove fatal.
1:40.0	While casual contact won't spread the disease from person to person, transmission is possible
1:45.6	by way of blood transfusions, organ transplants, and between pregnant people and their babies.
1:51.2	You can also get the disease without a kissing bug bite if you eat uncooked food contaminated
	...

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