The Scientist Speaks

A Way with Words: Using Genomics to Dispel Stuttering Myths

Most mammals communicate vocally but humans are unique in their ability to communicate using spoken language. Humans are not born with an innate capacity to speak and understand language, but rather learn this skill as the brain develops. The complex interplay between neurobiology, genetics, and the environment shape vocal learning, but scientists do not understand the full extent to which each of these contribute to language development or to speech and language disorders. A recent study by a team of genetics and communication sciences researchers showed an association between specific gene variants and the susceptibility to developing early childhood-onset stuttering.

In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Jennifer Piper Below, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Division of Genetic Medicine, and Dillon Pruett, a postdoctoral fellow in her lab, to learn more.

 

The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research.

Immune Cells and ALS: A Balance Between Life and Death

Neurodegenerative disorders progressively impair a patient’s ability to function. Scientists expect the prevalence of these conditions to increase as the world’s population ages, and their clinical, genetic, and pathological heterogeneity complicates disease diagnosis and prognosis. The link between the immune system and neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is becoming clearer thanks to improvements in immune cell profiling. A recent study by a team of ALS researchers showed that specific immune cells in blood and cerebrospinal fluid at the time of ALS diagnosis may help predict disease progression.

In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Caroline Ingre, a physician and neurologist at Karolinska University Hospital, and Solmaz Yazdani, a PhD candidate at the Karolinska Institute, to learn more.

 

The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Building Cancer Models with Creative Collaborators

Jennifer Munson is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech. Her overarching research goal is to find new therapeutic targets in the tumor microenvironment by examining cancer from an onco-engineering perspective. Munson’s work combines fluid mechanics, neuroengineering, tissue engineering, and translational cancer research. She creates personalized models of brain and breast cancer with patient-derived cells to examine the roles of interstitial fluid flow and cellular microenvironment components in cancer progression and treatment.

In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Munson to learn more about how she built her bioengineering lab.

Science Philosophy in a Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Sharing Scientific Ideas in Disease Genetics

Jukka Koskela, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine, studies the complex genetics of various diseases, including rare diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis. Koskela began pursuing research as a requirement of his clinical training at Helsinki University Central Hospital, and through discussions shared with other scientists, he became passionate about seeking genomic avenues for personalized disease risk assessment.

In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Koskela to learn more about what motivates him as a scientist.

Science Philosophy in a Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist.

The Fight Against Time: Stem Cells and Healthy Aging

Despite the genetic basis of healthy aging, diet plays an important role in preventing inflammation, diabetes, and cognitive decline. Yet, healthy food choices are just part of the equation. Researchers are discovering how fasting can undo some of the metabolic damage imposed by the overindulgences of the typical Western diet. The human body may be wired to function optimally when exposed to periods of fasting, which reawakens stem cell activity and the body’s intrinsic capacity to regenerate. The next frontier in this research field is the brain and the ways in which fasting may help improve age-related cognitive deficits.

In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Valter Longo, a professor of gerontology and biological sciences at the University of Southern California and the director of the USC Longevity Institute, to learn more.

 

The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research. This month's episode is sponsored by ATCC.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Wired to Regenerate

Paul George, an assistant professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University, taps into the bioelectrical language of the injured brain to reawaken the healing potential of neural stem cells. Inspired by his patients, he looks for innovative strategies that may one day help patients recover from neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke. In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with George to learn more about what being a scientist means to him.

For more on this topic, please see "Stem Cell Engineering for Tissue Regeneration."

Science Philosophy in a Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist.

Exploring the Secrets to Longevity and Cancer Resistance in Mole-Rats

As humans age, cells often acquire defects that lead to cancer. However, this fate may not be set in stone, as certain animals can circumvent the ravages of time and keep their cells healthy.

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Vera Gorbunova, professor of biology at the University of Rochester and co-director of the Rochester Aging Research Center, to learn about her research on naked and blind mole-rat cancer resistance.

 

The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research. This month's episode is sponsored by Mettler Toledo.

What Comes Up Must Go Down: Maintaining Hormone Balance Through RNA Decay

To regulate protein production, cells use sophisticated strategies to keep RNA levels in check. This balance is especially important for hormone production, particularly aldosterone—the master regulator of blood pressure. When this balance is disrupted, the risk for disorders including hypertension and cardiovascular disease increases.

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Neelanjan Mukherjee, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, to learn more.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Making Scientific Strides in the Produce Aisle

Welcome to Science Philosophy in a Flash, a mini podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. In this series, we highlight researchers’ unique outlooks on what it means to be a scientist.

Andrew Pelling, a professor at the University of Ottawa with appointments in the Departments of Physics and Biology, has a fresh approach to practicing science. He uses fruits and vegetables to create biodegradable scaffolds for tissue regeneration. His lab is a cross-pollinating hive of diverse disciplines, unencumbered by the rigidity of traditional approaches that favor a narrower focus. With the creative freedom to pursue knowledge for its own sake, Andrew’s lab tests innovative solutions for some of the most challenging medical research questions. In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Andrew to learn more about his unique philosophy of science.

To learn more about Pelling's work, check out this article.

Filling in the Gaps: Sequencing the Entire Human Genome

Sequencing the human genome in the early 2000s was an incredible feat, but the sequence was incomplete. Recently, a consortium of researchers published a telomere-to-telomere assembly of a complete human X chromosome. This accomplishment was made possible by advances in sequencing technology, allowing researchers to address the previous technical difficulties in analyzing challenging genomic regions. Filling in these gaps of the human genome represents a breakthrough in human genetics and opens the door to a wealth of future studies that will undoubtedly advance our understanding of health and disease.

In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Karen Miga, an assistant professor of biomolecular engineering at University of California, Santa Cruz’s Genomics Institute and a recent honoree on TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2022, to learn more.

 

The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research.