Slime: A Natural History by Susanne Wedlich

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Slime: A Natural History by Susanne Wedlich: Disgusting

Disgusting

BBC Radio 4 - Slime: A Natural History by Susanne Wedlich, Disgusting

Why we find slime, more than almost any substance, so universally disgusting.

Why we find slime so universally disgusting, and why we should overcome our disgust and appreciate the vital role it plays in keeping us healthy.

Slime is an ambiguous thing. It exists somewhere between a solid and a liquid. It inspires revulsion even while it compels our fascination in fiction and on the screen. It is both a vehicle for pathogens and the strongest weapon in our immune system. Many of us know little about it, yet it is the substance on which our world turns. 

Sirine Saba reads from Susanne Wedlich’s ground-breaking new book which leads us on a journey through the 3-billion-year history of slime, from the part it played in the evolution of life on Earth to its potential role in climate change and life beyond our planet. 

There is probably no single living creature that does not depend on slime in some way. Most organisms use slime for a number of functions: as a structural material, as jellyfish do; for propagation, as plants do; to catch prey, as frogs do; for defence, like the hagfish; or for movement, like snails. 

In this episode, the story of the French philosopher John-Paul Satre’s obsessive loathing of slime, and why it caused him so much existential angst. Feeding into his worst fears and anxieties about women, sex and death, he was unable to bear even foods such as tomatoes which reminded him of slime. 

Most of us do not share Satre’s extreme reaction to slime, but nonetheless often find it disgusting. But perhaps we should look beyond our disgust to appreciate the vital role it plays in our health and wellbeing. 

Written by Susanne Wedlich and translated by Ayça Türkoğlu
Abridged and produced by Jane Greenwood
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

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A ground-breaking journey through the three-billion-year history of slime.

Book of the Week. Sirine Saba reads from Susanne Wedlich's ground-breaking new book which leads us on a journey through the three-billion-year history of slime.

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