We talk about the nuts and bolts of the genetic machinery at the heart of all living systems, about different layers of conceptualizing DNA, from the chemical to the biochemical to the biological, learn about the field of synthetic biology and the attempts to construct DNA with novel chemical ingredients like Xeno nucleic acids, and hear how researchers like Niklas are trying to teach polymerase to work for them based on fascinating, Nobel-prize winning lab techniques like directed evolution.

We address the current COVID crisis, what role PCR tests play in it, how genetics could shape medicine of the future, and what there is to fear and look forward to. We close by talking about what makes science so great and what makes it so difficult, the passion and emotion that young scientists should bring to the game, and what important lessons can be learned along the way.