Learning With Lowell

Woolly Mammoth, PASSENGER PIGEON PROJECT, and much more with program manager at the Catalyst fund and Revive and Restore.

DARPA, program manager, Biological Technologies Office (BTO), Insect Allies, Advanced Plant Technologies (APT), Bio-complexity,Bio-systems,Disease, Syn-Bio, Engineered Living Materials (ELM)

Leave Review and nomintion information

https://www.podcastawards.com/

https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/

http://www.academyofpodcasters.com/

About Dr. Blake

"Dr. Blake Bextine joined DARPA as a Program Manager in March 2016. He is interested in novel approaches to addressing issues facing agricultural biotechnology and biosecurity, including nucleic acid-based anti-pathogen/anti-pest strategies, insect and plant transformation strategies for rapid trait selection, and innovative approaches for altering insect behaviors.

Dr. Bextine came to DARPA from the University of Texas at Tyler where he was a Professor of Biology and Assistant Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer. Prior to his arrival at UT Tyler, Dr. Bextine was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside.

He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oklahoma State University, Master of Science in Entomology from Texas Tech University, and Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Northern Iowa.

Dr. Bextine is a recipient of the University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award and has also won the UT Tyler President’s Scholarly Achievement Award, White Fellowship for Teaching Excellence Award, and multiple UT Tyler Researcher of the Year Awards. He received the 2014 USDA Partnership Award along with other members of the Zebra Chip Research group. In 2014, he appeared on the Discovery Channel Television Show “Tethered.”" Source

Programs (as seen on darpa website)

Engineered Living Materials (ELM)

The goal of the Engineered Living Materials (ELM) program is to develop living materials that combine the structural properties of traditional building materials with attributes of living systems, including the ability to rapidly grow, self-repair, and adapt to the environment. Living materials represent a new opportunity to leverage engineered biology to solve existing problems associated with the construction and maintenance of our built environments, as well as new capabilities to craft smart infrastructure that dynamically responds to the surroundings.

Advanced Plant Technologies (APT)

The Advanced Plant Technologies (APT) program seeks to develop plants capable of serving as next-generation, persistent, ground-based sensor technologies to protect deployed troops and the homeland by detecting and reporting on chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) threats. Such biological sensors would be effectively energy-independent, increasing their potential for wide distribution, while reducing risks associated with deployment and maintenance of traditional sensors. These technologies could also potentially support humanitarian operations by, for example, detecting unexploded ordnance in post-conflict settings.

Insect Allies

The Insect Allies program is pursuing scalable, readily deployable, and generalizable countermeasures against potential natural and engineered threats to the food supply with the goals of preserving the U.S. crop system. National security can be quickly jeopardized by naturally occurring threats to the crop system, including pathogens, drought, flooding, and frost, but especially by threats introduced by state or non-state actors. Insect Allies seeks to mitigate the impact of these incursions by applying targeted therapies to mature plants with effects that are expressed at relevant timescales—namely, within a single growing season.

Suggested conferences

entomological society of america

APS 

Links

DARPA

DARPA opportunities 

DARPA Events

Dr.Blake's portal

Part 2! Feeding the world, algae, finding a fulfilling purpose in life, 100 day challenges, value of building in LA, how he got started and has been developing his company, book and resource recommendations, hiring people, FBI bioterrorism, and much much much more in this 2 hour interview with this weeks guest Elliot Roth CEO of Spira

Blue man group, agriculture, feeding the world, algae, Egyptian stages of death, finding a fulfilling purpose in life, 100 day challenges, value of building in LA, how he got started and has been developing his company, book and resource recommendations, hiring people, FBI bioterrorism, and much much much more in this 2 hour interview with this weeks guest Elliot Roth CEO of Spira. This episode is one you won't want to miss!

About Elliot

"Elliot is incredibly motivated to solve physiological needs using simple biological design.

After being trained as a University Innovation Fellow at the Stanford d.School, Elliot started multiple entrepreneurial projects including the DIYbio lab Indie Lab, TEDxVCU, and 6 failed startups. He graduated Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and spent five years consulting in product design and business strategy before starting Spira.

He is a Kairos Fellow, a Seasteading Ambassador, a member of the TFF NextGen Council, and sits on the Virginia Governor’s Council for Youth Entrepreneurship. Elliot has spoken at Synbiobeta, SXSW, and Thought for Food on social impact, synthetic biology and food." Linkedin

About Spira

"Unless you've been living under a rock...

It’s becoming more apparent why we need to act now. These ingredients provide the proper nutrients that people need to thrive with the consideration of how we can help the environment thrive, too.

‍

With less resources needed to grow our ingredients and a drastically increasing global population, we’re thinking multiple decades ahead." Source

Products

"Spirulina Powder

It takes a lot of care to build strong relationships with farmers to get the very best spirulina from the start. No heavy metals, pesticides or contaminants.

‍

Our farmers provide a consistent supply with consistent taste and consistent affordability. Did we mention its consistent?

Electric Sky™

A beautiful natural blue dye unlike anything else found in nature. This spirulina extract not only gives off a mesmerizing look when added to any food, but also contains healthy antioxidant properties. Learn about the benefits and how our technology maintains this majestic hue.

Spirulina Protein Isolate

The world needs new plant-powered protein. The issue is that most of it tastes like s*** or is difficult to use. We've been working on something better." Source

Links

His Linkedin

Company website

Company Linkedin

"Orbit Fab envisions a thriving in-space market for products and services that support both existing space businesses (communications and Earth observation) and new industries like space tourism, manufacturing, and mining. We offer a ubiquitous supply of satellite propellant in Earth Orbit, expanding the operational potential of new and existing space assets and enabling unprecedented business model flexibility for satellite owners. The future for satellites is no longer restricted to the fuel they are launched with. We provide the fuel that satellites need, where and when they need it, to achieve things never before thought possible." source

Livestream

CEO Daniel Faber

"A serial entrepreneur leading a number of startups in Silicon Valley, Daniel Faber has leveraged his experience in a wide range of industry sectors to bring together teams and build companies in the emerging field of in-space operations.

As the former CEO of Deep Space Industries, Mr. Faber built a solid technology business, aggressively advancing a vision of delivering off-earth resources to the space economy. Under his leadership, the company released its first products with significant customer traction, grew sales from zero to nearly $10 million, changed global perceptions and regulations around space resources, and positioned DSI to systematically create and commercialize all the technology necessary for mining asteroids.

As a serial entrepreneur in the aerospace and mining industries prior to DSI, Mr. Faber has grown several high tech companies from startup through to commercial success. He is the recipient of multiple innovation awards and has filed a number patents in the fields of mining, entertainment, medical imaging, and aerospace.

Mr. Faber is in the process of completing a double-MBA at UCLA Anderson and National University Singapore (NUS), he holds a degree in engineering from the University of New South Wales and a Postgraduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies from the University of Canterbury. He has served as a director and officer in several non-governmental organizations. " Source

Orbit Fab Products

RAPIDLY ATTACHABLE FUEL TRANSFER INTERFACE (RAFTI)

Fill and Drain

The Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface (RAFTI) provides cost effective, reliable satellite fill and drain functions during ground operations. The service valve side is low profile, comparable to existing solutions. The rugged latching mechanism and triple seal design ensures a safe propellant transfer. RAFTI is designed for ease of use while exceeding industry range safety requirements. Redundant data logging allows for remote monitoring.

On Orbit Refueling

RAFTI is designed to allow reliable propellant transfers in the harshest space environments, making it ideal for mission operations at any orbit. High and low pressure variants are compatible with common modern propellants and pressurants with external leakages less than 1x10-6 scc/s. RAFTI is configurable to be normally-open or normally-closed in case of power loss, allowing for fail-safe and safe-fail operations for any mission profile.

Docking

RAFTI supports both primary docking or secondary attachment of two spacecraft. The double action latch mechanism accommodates significant misalignment on all axes during the docking process, allowing for self aligning operations without the need for complex robotic arms. High clamping force accommodates high pressure fluid connections and satellite body movements. Improved reliability by minimizing sliding surfaces and avoiding motors or gears

RIGID TANKER ISS PROTOTYPE (GEN-0) - EST. LAUNCH APRIL 30, 2019

Future satellites operations need not be restricted to the fuel they hold at launch. Following the tests on the International Space Station (ISS) orbit fab will begin work on the next generation of tankers.

The Generation-1 Tanker is Orbit Fab’s “minimal viable product”, a 16U sized satellite holding 15 liters of propellant.

"Dr. Moody is a process-oriented drug developer and executive who has specialized in the study of aging and aging mechanisms for over a decade. Since 2013, Dr. Moody has successfully built Ichor Therapeutics from a living room start-up into a premier, vertically integrated research organization focused on drug discovery and development for pathways of aging. R&D initiatives that constitute Ichor's portfolio companies span enzyme therapy (Lysoclear, Inc.), senolytics (FoxBio, Inc.), small molecule drug discovery (Antoxerene, Inc.), antibody mimetics (Auctus Biologics, Inc.), protein chemistry tools (RecombiPure, Inc.), contract research services (Icaria Life Sciences, Inc.) and a strategic investment fund (Grapeseed.Bio). Dr. Moody has received graduate-level training in medicine, business, and laboratory research. " Source

Ichor Therapeutics

A vertically integrated pre-clinical contract research organization that broadly focuses on the study of aging and aging pathways. The company offers a number of services and programs to support its clients and strategic priorities. Ichor operates from its corporate offices and research laboratories in rural LaFayette, NY (just south of Syracuse). The company is eager to engage collaborators and clients in industry and academia who share its vision of delivering next generation therapies for the illnesses of aging.

Dr. Kelsey Moody

"Dr. Moody is a process-oriented drug developer and executive who has specialized in the study of aging and aging mechanisms for over a decade. Since 2013, Dr. Moody has successfully built Ichor Therapeutics from a living room start-up into a premier, vertically integrated research organization focused on drug discovery and development for pathways of aging. R&D initiatives that constitute Ichor's portfolio companies span enzyme therapy (Lysoclear, Inc.), senolytics (FoxBio, Inc.), small molecule drug discovery (Antoxerene, Inc.), antibody mimetics (Auctus Biologics, Inc.), protein chemistry tools (RecombiPure, Inc.), contract research services (Icaria Life Sciences, Inc.) and a strategic investment fund (Grapeseed.Bio). Dr. Moody has received graduate-level training in medicine, business, and laboratory research. " Source

"Business units: (1) enzyme therapy (Lysoclear, Inc.), (2) senolytics (FoxBio, Inc.), (3) small molecule drug discovery (Antoxerene, Inc.), (4) antibody mimetics (Auctus Biologics, Inc.), (5) protein chemistry tools (RecombiPure, Inc.), (6) contract research services (Icaria Life Sciences, Inc.), and (7) a strategic investment fund (Grapeseed.Bio)

Responsibilities: Raised >$20M in funding to grow company from living room start-up to GXP facility with >40 employees. Designed and supervised buildout of four wet lab facilities (current facilities ~13,000 ft2 including SPF vivariums suitable for SCID work). Managed client relations, investor relations, and operating budgets >$7M. Built and worked with interdisciplinary teams to set translational plans for portfolio companies. Implemented GXP processes. Designed and executed numerous sponsored research projects. Managed collaborations with 3rd party companies, foundations, and academic institutions. Negotiated contracts with clients and licensing agreements with foundations and universities. Mentored and incubated visiting scientists and other start-up companies. Served on several advisory boards for companies, universities, non-profits, and investment funds" Source

Links

His Linkedin

Company Linkedin

Company website

The next part in a series I've been doing on anti-aging researchers and research. The George Church and Nichola Conlon episodes already up. In this episode focuses on Mitochondria - we get into hurtles and problems with Mitochondria, next generation doping with Mitochondria , Leigh Syndrome (Mitochondria disease), and more in under 30 minutes.

"The best way to predict the future is to create it"  Abraham Lincoln, Peter Drucker, and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom

Elizabeth Thomas has lead an amazing life, authoring countless priceless books, visiting many places on the planet, and being a part of many fascinating discoveries. Now she is sharing her experiences with the world through this podcast. You will hear what it was like to live with the San, her experiences with nature, how to challenge yourself to appreciate nature more, and other amazing stories. Seriously, you don't want to miss this episode!

Sarah’s research focuses on elucidating biochemical pathways in plants including those involved in the synthesis of the monoterpenes and the alkaloids, the enzymes involved and the evolution of these pathways.