This week, we’re joined by scientist and podcaster Amanda Wacker to talk about DNA, the building blocks of life! A blueprint for building a living thing, even!

Webster’s dictionary defines DNA as “any of various nucleic acids that are usually the molecular basis of heredity, are constructed of a double helix held together by hydrogen bonds.” I define it as the little wiggly guys inside us that make our cells and stuff. We’re both right, in our own way.

If you want more Amanda Wacker, check out her podcast, Triplicates! And check her out on Twitter: @AstroAma!

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If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:

[Ask the Science Couch]

Gene expression & cell type

https://www.cirm.ca.gov/our-progress/advanced-how-does-stem-cell-%E2%80%9Cknow%E2%80%9D-what-become

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26885/

https://www.cell.com/trends/cell-biology/fulltext/S0962-8924(20)30059-3

https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/our-cells-are-filled-with-junk-dna-heres-why-we-need-it

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05462-w

[Butt One More Thing]

Pooprints

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/19/pooprints-brings-in-millions-testing-dog-poop-dna-to-snag-non-scoopers.html