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University Rhode Island Prof Appears On 'Daily Show' To Answer Tick Questions

Professor Thomas Mather answered "neurotic 'Daily Show' staff questions about ticks" posed by host Michael Kosta.

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KINGSTON, RI — A University of Rhode Island professor recently appeared on "The Daily Show" to answer "neurotic 'Daily Show' staff questions about ticks."

Professor Thomas Mather, known as "The Tick Guy," answered the questions posed by host Michael Kosta.

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The questions included, "Are there ticks in Central Park or Prospect Park?"

The answer from Mather, to the audible chagrin of the studio audience, was yes, there are.

"Mather is a renowned researcher and expert in public health entomology," according to the university.

Mather "came to URI in 1992 from the Harvard School of Public Health, and now serves as director of URI’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease and its TickEncounter Resource Center," his university biography says.

"His research focus is on tick ecology, area-wide tick control strategies, tick-bite protection, and tickborne disease prevention," according to his biography.

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