Base Pairs

By Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

What's Base Pairs about?

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Base Pairs podcast tells stories that convey the power of genetic information – past and present.

Named among the 2018 Webby Awards’ “five best podcasts in the world” for the subjects of science and education.

Presented the Platinum Award for podcasting by PR News.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Base Pairs episodes:

12.27.2018
17.5 – Special interview with Yaniv Erlich
SPECIAL EPISODE! [We strongly recommend listening to Base Pairs episode 17 to contextualize this extended discussion.] Some of the most sought after gifts this holiday season are at-home DNA tests. These tests let anyone send a sample of his or her...
09.15.2018
17 – Genomes, Justice, and the Journey Here
Mail-order genetic testing —more accurately known as genotyping— is a growing trend. But what exactly is this data that's send back? And what can people (even law enforcement) DO with that data? We explore the tricky situation posed by private genetic...
08.15.2018
16.5 – Fuels of the Future
Biofuels are the wave of the future, and a small plant called duckweed could be a significant part of that. Hear more from Professor Rob Martienssen about how genetic modification and advances in genome mapping technology factor in to the...
07.15.2018
16 – Big Plans for a Tiny Plant
As concentrations of greenhouse gasses continue to rise, scientists are working hard to develop ways to ween the world off our need for fossil fuels. Biofuels are one promising solution, and they're commonly made from food crops like corn, or...
06.14.2018
15.5 – Cellular Hide and Seek
Immunotherapy has been receiving much more attention over the past few years, but the history of this promising type of cancer therapy is a long one. Adding to the story of William Coley’s early immunotherapy from Base Pairs 15, “The...
05.15.2018
15 – The Immune System, Unleashed
You may have heard of it; "immunotherapy" has started to appear in headlines over the last few years. In this episode, however, we reveal that the practice of cancer immunotherapy is actually far older than even our understanding of the...
04.13.2018
14.5 – Medicine and Mad Scientists
It’s important to know that a drug works, but knowing how it works can be just as crucial. CSHL Fellow Jason Sheltzer discovered that the hypothesis explaining the action of a new cancer drug was incorrect, indicating that its beneficial...
04.06.2018
From the hosts: An exciting update!
Base Pairs was just named among the 2018 Webby Award’s “five best podcasts in the world” for the subjects of science and education. Now, WE NEED YOUR HELP to take home the People's Voice award
03.15.2018
14 - The Cancer Answer That Wasn't
We look at the "reproducibility crisis" in science, and dive into a case in which cancer researchers discovered something completely unexpected while experimenting with a supposed drug target.
12.15.2017
13 – A Lesson in Class
No, we're not talking about high society or your biology class! In this episode, we share three distinct stories about classification in the life sciences and how genetic information is changing how we define important categories.
11.15.2017
12.5 - Big Decisions
Who will use CRISPR to alter their child's DNA? Who gets to decide which traits are desirable? Following up on our last episode, "Good Genes, Bad Science," we hear from David Micklos, executive director at CSHL’s DNA Learning Center, and...
10.13.2017
12 - Good Genes, Bad Science
In the early 1900s, American science took a wrong turn toward eugenics. In this episode, we talk with experts in both science and history about what we can learn from this dark period in today’s age of unprecedented control over...
09.15.2017
11.5 - What Silicon Valley and Biology Research Share
A few favorite moments from our talk with theoretical physicist and quantitative biologist, Associate Professor Gurinder "Mickey" Atwal, that touch on topics ranging from his stint in medical school to the job market in the age of big data to...
08.14.2017
11 – Biology, Behind the Screens
A "behind the screens" look at how biology is addressing its "most wonderful problem" – too much data. Associate Professor Gurinder S. "Mickey" Atwal joins us to explain the essential enigma that is quantitative biology.
07.14.2017
10.5 – Tomato Baby and its Family
Plant scientist Zachary Lippman tells stories from the field of bizarre tomatoes, intensely hot peppers, and giant pumpkins in this latest "chat" episode of Base Pairs. Hear more from Zack in episode 10 – CRISPR vs Climate Change.
06.14.2017
10 – CRISPR vs Climate Change
Much of the hype around the genome editing tool known as CRISPR focuses on its potential to cure genetic diseases. But our bodies need more than a healthy genome to survive and thrive—they also need food, and that’s where we...
05.15.2017
9.5 – Redefining Biologists, Redefining Genes
Set aside your notions of how biologists are born, or what the word “gene” means as you listen to our first chat episode. We talk with Assistant Professor Molly Hammell, a genome biologist who started out as an astrophysicist. She...
04.14.2017
9 – Dark Matter of the Genome (part 2)
One scientist’s junk is apparently everyone’s treasure! They just haven’t realized it yet. . . In this episode of Base Pairs, we question the mythos that is “junk DNA” and explore how and why scientists are becoming enthralled by...
03.14.2017
8 – Dark Matter of the Genome (part 1)
Could “genome” be a misnomer? The name implies that our genetic information is mainly genes, yet when the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, it revealed that genes comprise a tiny minority. About 98 percent of the genome is...
01.27.2017
0 – Molecules and a Mission
We are Base Pairs, the podcast about "the power of genetic information." But why did we choose this name? In this bonus episode, we explain the molecules and the metaphor. Pictured: Tin model of Adenine as first constructed by James Watson...
12.14.2016
7 – The Brain Atlas
One in six people suffers from a mental disorder, and yet, compared to cancer and infectious disease, neuropsychiatric treatment options have barely improved since the 1950s. But why is that? In this episode of Base Pairs, we explore some of...
11.14.2016
6 - When Antioxidants are Pro-cancer
Fighting cancer is so difficult in part because the healthy cells we want to support often end up casualties in the crossfire of toxic treatments. This episode is about how we might overcome this obstacle even in some of the...
10.14.2016
5 - Sink or Swim
Professor Adrian Krainer was offered the opportunity to run his own lab when he was just 27 years old as part of a brand new “Fellows” program—which allowed him, in his words, to “sink or swim.” These kinds of programs...
09.15.2016
4 - The People Problem
Nearly ten billion people will walk the Earth by 2050, and for some of the poorest and fastest growing countries, that could mean a bleak and hungry future. Dr Josef Schmidhuber of the FAO and CSHL Professor David Jackson explain what...
08.15.2016
3 - Non-modern Family
From the scale of a single ancient murder victim to interactions between large groups of humans and Neanderthals who lived 100,000 years ago, genetic information holds many secrets about human history. In this episode, "Ötzi the Iceman" and Dr Adam Siepel...
07.15.2016
2 - Corn Controversy
The ongoing GMO labeling debate wasn't the first agricultural controversy. In the early 1900s, it was a new and so-called "wicked" breeding technique that had everyone on edge. In this episode of Base Pairs, we dive into the surprisingly contentious history...
06.08.2016
1 - From Phages to Faces
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's first fully-produced podcast series! Base Pairs tells stories that convey the power of genetic information — past and present. This pilot episode exemplifies the series, offering one story about the quirky history behind the field of...

What's Base Pairs about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Base Pairs episodes:

17.5 – Special interview with Yaniv Erlich

17 – Genomes, Justice, and the Journey Here

16.5 – Fuels of the Future

16 – Big Plans for a Tiny Plant

15.5 – Cellular Hide and Seek

15 – The Immune System, Unleashed

14.5 – Medicine and Mad Scientists

From the hosts: An exciting update!

14 - The Cancer Answer That Wasn't

13 – A Lesson in Class

12.5 - Big Decisions

12 - Good Genes, Bad Science

11.5 - What Silicon Valley and Biology Research Share

11 – Biology, Behind the Screens

10.5 – Tomato Baby and its Family

10 – CRISPR vs Climate Change

9.5 – Redefining Biologists, Redefining Genes

9 – Dark Matter of the Genome (part 2)

8 – Dark Matter of the Genome (part 1)

0 – Molecules and a Mission

7 – The Brain Atlas

6 - When Antioxidants are Pro-cancer

5 - Sink or Swim

4 - The People Problem

3 - Non-modern Family

2 - Corn Controversy

1 - From Phages to Faces