BioTime

Life around us is ever changing. If we were to time travel back a hundred thousand years, the many animals that we adore and love would not look the same. Dogs would not look the same. Cats would not look the same. Even plants like trees would not look the same. Why? The answer lies in evolution. In this episode, we will be exploring five major pieces of evidence that support the theory of evolution: artificial selection, intermediate forms, homologies, vestigial traits, and the hierarchical organization of life. 

Have you ever wondered how beer is brewed? How does yogurt gain its signature creamy texture? These delicacies owe their existence to fermentation. Today we will be exploring fermentation, a form of anaerobic respiration. Specifically, we will be exploring lactic acid fermentation and alcoholic fermentation. We will dive into why these processes are essential to life, the steps involved in each pathway, and how they are applied in the beer and yogurt industry.

Looking out at the plants surrounding us, it might seem as if there is not much going on in their lives. But, if we were to zoom in on these plants and gaze into their interior, we would find the most intricate and complex biological processes that we are still far from fully understanding. One process that we can observe is the light dependent reactions of photosynthesis where plants harness the energy of the sun, converting it into a form of usable energy. Today, we will be explore how this process works.

As humans, we have a constant need to breathe. With every breath, we fill our lungs with an essential gas: oxygen. But why is oxygen so essential to life? Oxygen is needed for a process called oxidative phosphorylation. This is a process that we as humans along with countless other organisms need to survive. Today, we will explore how oxidative phosphorylation works.

In the 20th century, there was an explosion in our understanding of cellular structure. Many of these recent finding have transformed the way biologists approach cellular function. In 1972, S.J. Singer and Garth L. Nicolsen, proposed a revolutionary cell membrane model called the fluid mosaic membrane. This episode dives into what the fluid mosaic model proposes, the structural components of a cell membrane, and how a cell membrane maintains its fluidity.

This episode is the very first of our new series, From the Inside, where I interview high achieving professionals in the life sciences about their academic journey, advice they have for those interested in their field, and what life is like in their line of work. Our first speaker is Dr. Eladio Abreu, an associate teaching professor of biology at Emory University. In this episode, Dr. Abreu discusses his path to becoming a professor, advice he has for others interested in careers in academia, challenges he has faced in his career, work life balance, and more.

Skin color is something that has baffled scientists for centuries. As we look around ourselves, we find tremendous amounts of variation in skin color, from black to brown to white. There is an entire spectrum of skin color to be found. Why does this variation exist? In this episode, we dive into the evolutionary origins of skin color. We will begin our discussion by exploring melanin and why it is important to humans. We will then move onto a discussion of how and why we are able to observe such a wide variety of skin tones. Finally, we will end the episode with a conversation on the importance of understanding skin color and how this knowledge can be applied to medicine.

From wound healing to cell growth to bone formation, fibroblast growth factors (FGF) and fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) are responsible for a diverse range of biological processes. This episode begins with the basics: the functions of FGFs and FGFRs. We will then move on to an indepth dive into the structure of FGFRs and how they work with FGFs to initiate the desired cellular response. Finally, we will end the episode by exploring the three main pathways used by FGFs and their corresponding receptors. 

FGFR Model: https://images.app.goo.gl/FaZjvuh5H1QnTgfa8

Cancer is a disease that has a chokehold on today’s society. With approximately 2 million new cancer diagnoses in the US every year paired with 10 million cancer-caused deaths worldwide, scientists have been struggling for centuries to find a cure. In today’s episode, we discuss the two main classes of genes that lead to cancer: proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. We will dive into the functions of these genes along with how and why they induce cancer.

When we think about the air surrounding us, we often relate this gaseous mixture to oxygen, the giver of life. However, there is another vital element in the air that we too often disregard: nitrogen. The Earth’s biosphere would be nothing without nitrogen. Life as we know it today would not exist if it were not for this element. This episode will discuss the five different processes that convert nitrogen-containing compounds from one form to another: nitrogen fixation, nitrification, anammox, denitrification, and ammonification. We will then proceed to talk about why we even have this episode about nitrogen. Why is it important? Why is it necessary for life? Finally, we will close out the episode with a discussion on how we as humans have artificially inserted ourselves into the nitrogen cycle and the detriments this has led to for the environment.