In this episode of The Hottest Generation, Marlowe explores the surprising connection between climate change and Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia caused by bacteria that thrive in warm water systems. Prompted by the ongoing outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side, she breaks down how rising temperatures, urban heat islands, and aging infrastructure are creating conditions that can increase the risk of these outbreaks. From cooling towers and public health to environmental justice and climate resilience, this episode uncovers one of the lesser-known ways climate change is already affecting our everyday lives.

Most people don't spend much time thinking about wastewater, insects, or DNA sequences. After attending the Urban Barcode Research Program Symposium, I learned why we should. In this episode, I discuss how scientists use wastewater to track public health trends, how DNA barcoding helps identify species, and what my own research on urban wasps revealed about biodiversity in New York City. Plus, I share what it was like winning the Outstanding Poster Award and why science communication matters just as much as scientific discovery.

In this episode of The Hottest Generation, Marlowe explores biodiversity in an unexpected place: New York City. Through her work DNA-barcoding urban wasps, she unpacks how life adapts to heat, pollution, and density, and why biodiversity isn’t just about ecosystems, but public health and environmental justice.

From lab work to city streets, this episode challenges how we see nature and asks a simple question: what happens when we start paying attention to the life around us?