X-Files Science Part I: Mutants & Parasites

With the return of television's The X-Files, it's never been a better time to look at the science behind the show. Join Joe and Christian as they examine the possibilities of classic Monsters of the Week, including otherworldly parasites, killer mutants, talking tattoos and more. We'll add present research to the scientific theories surrounding the show during its initial release to find if the truth is out there.

X-Files Science Part I: Mutants & Parasites

With the return of television's The X-Files, it's never been a better time to look at the science behind the show. Join Joe and Christian as they examine the possibilities of some classic episodes, including otherworldly parasites, killer mutants, talking tattoos and more. We'll add present research to the scientific theories surrounding the show during its initial release to find if the truth is out there.

Image Caption: Flukeman from X-Files episode "The Host." (Fox)

Featured X-Files Art:

Image Credit: Scully à la El Greco, painted by STBYM listener Brooks Burgan. Check out brooksburgan.com to find more of his work!

Related Content:

X-Files Science Part II: Insects, Hybrids and Hypnosis (podcast)

Monster of the Week: Flukeman (blog)

The Psychedelic Nightmare of Ergotism (podcast)

Do You Really Stay Conscious After Being Decapitated? (HowStuffWorks)

Outside Content:

The Science of The X-Files by Jeanne Cavelos

The X-Files Files with Kumail Nanjiani (podcast)

"Flukeworm Infections on the Rise, CDC Says" LiveScience

"Millions of Undiscovered Species on Earth, Study Finds" Huffington Post

"Parasitoid wasps may be the most diverse animal group" BBC Earth

"Extremophiles I Have Known and Loved" io9

"Could silicon be the basis for alien life forms, just as carbon is on Earth?" Scientific American

"Fact or Fiction?: A Cockroach Can Live without Its Head" Scientific American

"The Bizarre History of Insect Head Transplants" io9

"The animal that regrows its head" BBC Future

"Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome" U.S. National Library of Medicine

"Watch Octopus Squeeze Through Tiny Hole" EarthSky