KYTOS Biology

2020 proved to us all that health is unpredictable. The pandemic, not only catalysed a global crisis as services were strained and lives were lost, but also forever altered the way we practice medicine. We saw a 50% drop in A&E visits, whilst more importantly a great proportion of appointments were moved online. This shows the great adaptability and resilience of our healthcare system, which will see doctors adapt the way they practice medicine in 2031 to overcome future challenges. In this podcast, Year 12 biologist Ellie MH discusses how exactly this might look.

Autism is lifelong developmental disorder with no known cures. A significant amount of research has been conducted into the causes of autism and research is increasing into the treatment of autism. Given that research has indicated there appears to be functional and structural differences in the brains of individuals with autism as well as the fact the main symptoms of autism are displayed behaviourally; drug therapy and behaviour interventions, such as ABA have been cited as the two main recognised and proven treatments. It is important to state that treatment for autism is not a one size fits all approach. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

Culling is defined as the killing of animals in order to reduce population numbers. Culls can happen for various reasons, including health and disease control and prevention, or to protect other species. However, the ethics make the subject a strongly polarising one, and while culling in some cases may be necessary, it can be unclear when culling should take place, as there can be unforeseen consequences, both ecologically and economically. (With thanks to U6 Biologist Alice W for conducting the research and providing content for this podcast)

There's no doubt that Gregor Mendel is one of the great biologists of our time. His findings on inheritance led to multiple new fields of research, most notably genetics, in which breakthroughs have revolutionised biology and medicine. His work helped to create the modern understanding of how evolution and selection works, and his mathematical methods of analysis inspired a new approach to experiments, involving models and statistics. In this podcast, I'll explain the significance of his work, how he went about his initial research, and why the 'father of genetics' really is one of the greats. (With thanks to U6 Biologist Alice W for conducting the research and providing the content for this podcast)

Sometimes, scientists can take advantage of real-world incidents to help us understand the function of particular parts of the brain. Psychologists can carry out case studies on people who have experienced bran injuries. They are not interested so much in the actual injury, but what that injury can tell us about the normal functions of the brain. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

There will always be elements of near death experiences (NDE's) that are difficult to explain scientifically. This is partly because researchers are entirely dependent on the reports people provide of their individual experience, which means the data is received second-hand and there is no way of verifying that the report given is accurate. Some researchers have tried to address this by artificially simulating NDEs in laboratories, using drugs. Even here though, the researchers are still not able to directly experience the NDE for the participant. However, by using a mixture of different methods which explore real-life experiences as well as laboratory-induced ones, it becomes possible to triangulate these findings in order to increase our understanding. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that research will give us a full understanding of NDEs and, even if it did, it is unlikely that everyone would accept these insights; whatever causes NDEs, the effect of having one seems to be highly profound, meaning people are likely to formulate their own explanations of what they experienced in order to draw meaning from their own vivid experience. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

Are ‘ordinary’ people capable of carrying out wicked and immoral acts against other individuals, if the context suggests that is what is expected of them? These are the questions that Philip Zimbardo was trying to answer in his infamous study, 50 years ago. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

Just one week before I recorded this podcast, the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration authorised e-cigarette products for use in the US for the first time ever, claiming that...'the benefit to adults trying to quit smoking outweighs the risk to young'. Vaping is often seen as the 'safer' alternative but research suggests that this is simply not the case; in fact, inhalation of vapour is leading to irreversible lung damage, malignant transformation (cancers) and increasing the risk of CHD and other neurological conditions in those who vape. In this podcast, I'll explore these 'hidden dangers', and consider what options we have for protecting society - given the relentless advertising targeting young adults, and the sale of unregulated vaping devices, is this even possible?

There's no doubt that Gregor Mendel is one of the great biologists of our time. His findings on inheritance led to multiple new fields of research, most notably genetics, in which breakthroughs have revolutionised biology and medicine. His work helped to create the modern understanding of how evolution and selection works, and his mathematical methods of analysis inspired a new approach to experiments, involving models and statistics. In this podcast, I'll explain the significance of his work, how he went about his initial research, and why the 'father of genetics' really is one of the greats. (With thanks to U6 Biologist Alice W for conducting the research and providing the content for this podcast)

How keen is your sense of smell? Well, according to new research published in Frontiers in Psychology, people who witnessed a crime are able to identify criminals by their smell. Police line-ups normally rely on sight, but nose-witnesses can be just as reliable as eye-witnesses. It's not quite time to replace the sniffer dogs, however; the 2010 America Vs Wade case highlights the significance of human scent evidence from canine trails and its importance to forensic investigations. In fact, understanding the pattern of change of the chemicals that make up the scent during the process of decomposition could be of huge benefit to forensic science. Not only could it help determining the time of death of a victim, it could also lead to more scientifically rigorous training of cadaver dogs. All of these ideas are explored further in this fascinating podcast about Forensic Odorology and the Science of smells.