I’m Christina Kackos Brunelle. I received my PhD in Biomedical Sciences with in 2022. I’m a virologist who loves a good outbreak-apocalypse story. Here I'll break down the science behind pop culture outbreaks and how they relate to real-life science.
Analysis
**This movie is 57 years old, but just in case, spoilers below** It seemed fitting to start my zombie desensitization with the genesis of the subgenre as we know it: George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Not only is this movie the progenitor of modern zombie lore,
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It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, and since pretty much all of you reading this right now are friends and family, you know that in the last few years I’ve moved across the country (again), started a new job, and then unexpectedly started another. I
Analysis
Futurama “Cold Warriors” Review Part II In my last post I reviewed season 6 episode 24 of Futurama, “Cold Warriors”, in which the cold virus is transported to the year 3000 via the main character who was cryogenically frozen in 2000. Because the cold has been eradicated from the future
Analysis
Why we haven’t cured the common cold Futurama “Cold Warriors” Review Part I After watching The Last of Us for nine weeks I’ve decided I could use a palate cleanser. Something lighthearted that gives my psyche a break before I return to zombie and zombie-adjacent media, and
Analysis
A dissection of Ellie’s immunity in the season one finale of The Last of Us ***Spoilers for the season one finale of HBO’s The Last of Us*** I had planned for “There is No Cure” to be my last post about The Last of Us, but after watching
Analysis
Why fungal infections are so difficult to treat ***Spoilers for The Last of Us on HBO Max*** “And there are no treatments for this. No preventatives, no cures. They don’t even exist. It’s not possible to make them.” This statement, made by Dr. Neumann at the beginning of
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Replacing spores with tendrils in The Last of Us ***Spoilers for The Last of Us on HBO Max*** The Last of Us has been heralded as one of, if not the best, video game adaptations ever made1,2. Countless side-by-side comparison videos of the show and the game
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The Pathology of Rabies Virus and its Zombie Apocalypse Risk ***Spoilers for The Last of Us on HBO Max*** Even after deciding that cordyceps will most likely not cause the downfall of humanity, I can’t say I feel any better while watching The Last of Us every Sunday. After
Analysis
How likely is a cordyceps pandemic as depicted in The Last of Us? ***Spoilers for The Last of Us on HBO Max*** I hate zombies, and when I say hate I mean really hate. Something about undead cannibals overrunning the known world elicits a visceral repulsion in me. A primal
News
This is Of Microbes and Men, a brand new site by Christina Kackos Brunelle that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but you can subscribe in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new