10/26/2012

Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite

In Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite: The Science of Monsters, science journalist Matt Kaplan writes of real-life zombies in Haiti, poisoned by a witch’s brew of pufferfish and tree frogs, and discusses how rabies infection could explain the vampire’s aversion to garlic, water and sunlight.

Segment Guests

Matt Kaplan

Matt Kaplan is a science journalist and the author of Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite: The Science of Monsters (Scribner, 2012). He is based in London, England.

Meet the Producer

About Christopher Intagliata

Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.