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!

Head to the link below to find out how you can help support SciShow Tangents, and see all the cool perks you’ll get in return, like bonus episodes and a monthly newsletter! https://www.patreon.com/SciShowTangents

A big thank you to Patreon subscriber Eclectic Bunny for helping to make the show possible!

Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! 

While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on Twitter: Ceri: @ceriley Sam: @slamschultz Hank: @hankgreen

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.