The Co-extinction Conundrum
Thursday, June 04 2009
by Frank Stasio and Lindsay Thomas
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Conservation efforts to save endangered animals have made us all familiar with cries of "Save the baby seals!" and "Protect the pandas!" But when cute and cuddly creatures start to die out, the parasites that feed off of them also become endangered. Sure enough, it's hard to drum up sympathy for the icky bugs and viruses that we're used to killing, but there is value in the existence of parasitic organisms. Rob Dunn, an assistant professor of ecology at North Carolina State University, joins host Frank Stasio to talk about new co-extinction research and the surprising effects parasites have on the world.
