Curious by Nature

Dr. Brian Button, Professor in the Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry at the University of North Carolina and a member of the Marsico Lung Institute, studies the biology of the lungs and the mechanisms behind lung disease.

We often take our lungs for granted. It’s one of those remarkable examples of how the brain places many of the body’s essential functions on autopilot. As we go about our day, our lungs quietly expand and contract, pulling in the oxygen that sustains life.

But beneath that simple rhythm lies an incredibly complex biological system. In this episode, Dr. Button explains how the lungs function at the cellular level and how understanding these processes can help scientists better understand and treat a variety of lung diseases.

Dr. Richard Webby, Virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, studies how influenza viruses evolve and move between animals and humans.

We tend to think of the flu as something seasonal, a nuisance we can fend off with a shot and a bit of luck. But what if the real threat isn’t just circulating among humans, but quietly evolving in birds?

Dr. Webby has spent his career studying the invisible boundary where animal viruses spill over into people. Much of his work focuses on influenza viruses that circulate in aquatic birds, strains that most of us rarely think about but that can sometimes jump species.

In this episode, Dr. Webby walks us through the complex and often surprising world of influenza A, including the H5N1 virus currently making headlines, and explains how scientists are working to understand which strains could pose the next major global threat.

Dr. Fiona McNeill, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University, has spent more than 30 years studying lead poisoning and its effects on human health.

At first glance, it sounds like a tragic story from the distant past: an 18th-century socialite, admired for her porcelain skin, dies young after using a cosmetic made with toxic white lead. But for Dr. McNeill, the story of Mariah Gunning, a glamorous aristocrat whose beauty routine may have been fatal, sparked a modern scientific investigation.

In this episode, Dr. McNeill shares how her research into lead exposure led her into the world of historical cosmetics. Combining physics, history, and a bit of serendipity, she explores how toxic ingredients once used for beauty can reveal surprising insights about health risks, both in the past and in products we still use today.

Jules Bernstein, Senior Public Information Officer at the University of California, Riverside, is a science communicator who shares stories about insects, agriculture, and the hidden complexity of the natural world.

Insects are everywhere, shaping ecosystems, inspiring innovation, and sometimes crawling into our nightmares. But for Jules Bernstein, bugs are far more than background noise. They are a gateway to curiosity, discovery, and a deeper appreciation of how nature works.

In addition to covering scientific research at UC Riverside, she is also the creator and host of the podcast “Can I Bug You?”, where she explores the surprising ways insects intersect with our lives, sometimes fascinating, sometimes unsettling, but always illuminating.

Dr. Carlotta Ronda, Principal Investigator at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at the University of California, Berkeley, studies how gene-editing tools like CRISPR can be used to better understand and engineer the human microbiome.

When scientists want to edit DNA, they need a set of molecular scissors. That’s where CRISPR comes in. This powerful technique can locate a specific spot in the genome, cut it, and insert new genetic code. Researchers are now exploring how this technology can be applied not just to human cells, but also to the microbiome, the vast community of beneficial bacteria that live in and on our bodies.

In this episode, Dr. Ronda explains how scientists are using CRISPR to study and potentially engineer the microbiome, opening new possibilities for understanding how these microbes influence our health and well-being.

Dr. Gilbert Bernier, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Montreal, studies how stem cells can be used to treat vision loss and diseases that affect the eye.

Vision is one of the most important senses we have, and losing it can have devastating consequences. One of the leading causes of blindness, particularly in older adults, is age-related macular degeneration, a disease that damages the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision.

In this episode, Dr. Bernier explains how researchers are exploring the use of stem cells to repair damaged retinal tissue and potentially restore vision. His work offers new hope that regenerative medicine could one day help treat or even reverse certain forms of blindness.

Dr. Connie Mulligan, Professor of Anthropology and the Genetics Institute at the University of Florida, studies how stress and traumatic experiences can influence our biology at the genetic level.

There’s no shortage of self-help advice about managing stress, and a growing body of research supports the idea that chronic stress can have serious effects on our health. But what many people don’t realize is that long-term stress and traumatic experiences may leave marks that reach all the way down to our DNA.

In this episode, Dr. Mulligan explains how researchers are studying the genetic effects of stress and trauma. Evidence from events such as famine and war suggests that extreme experiences can alter patterns in our DNA, raising important questions about how stress may influence not only our health but potentially future generations as well.

Dr. Susan Woolford, General Pediatrician at the University of Michigan and Co-Director of the National Poll on Children’s Health, studies how parenting practices influence children’s health and well-being.

When it comes to parenting, setting boundaries and maintaining discipline is never easy. But what if the way we approach discipline also shapes our children’s relationship with food?

Research suggests that using food as a reward or punishment can create long-term habits that affect nutrition and may contribute to weight issues later in life. In this episode, Dr. Woolford discusses how parenting strategies around food can influence children’s eating behaviors and what families can do to build healthier relationships with food from an early age.

Dr. Shevaun Neupert, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at North Carolina State University, studies stress, aging, and the daily factors that influence our health and well-being.

Stress is everywhere. We hear constantly about how it harms our health and contributes to a wide range of problems. Most people feel it in their everyday lives, but when someone says, “just reduce your stress,” it can be difficult to know what that actually means or how to do it.

Dr. Neupert shares practical, research-backed strategies for managing stress in daily life, offering tangible ways people can better cope with the pressures they face.