On this bonus episode of Natural Prodcast, it's the Self Promotion Episode! Dan chats with new-ish co host Jackie Winter, from the University of Utah, about her secondary metabolism research on weird microbes and bioactive compounds in the Great Salt Lake. Then, Dan talks (maybe way too much) about the Secondary Metabolism Collaboratory, or SMC, JGI's new data portal for natural product biosynthetic gene clusters.

Episode transcript at jgi.doe.gov/natural-prodcast-episode-24-jackie-winter-and-smc.

Natural Prodcast talks to Aaron Puri, from the University of Utah's Chemistry Department. We talked about carbon-fixing methylotrophs, quorum sensing, and inverse stable isotopic labeling.

Episode transcript at jgi.doe.gov/natural-prodcast-episode-23-aaron-puri.

In this episode, Dan and Jackie talk to Alison Narayan, from the University of Michigan's Life Sciences Institute and Department of Chemistry. We talked broadly about the field of "biocatalysis", about her DNA synthesis project with the JGI to explore flavin monooxygenases, and what we all need to do in the future to figure out how to make predictions about the functionality and chemical capabilities of enzymes. Also, the Prodcast formally declares its position on candy corn. 

Natural Prodcast's interview with Elizabeth (Betsy) Parkinson, from Purdue, about bacterial signaling molecules and regulation of biosynthetic pathways, semisynthetic cyclic peptides, student mental health, and getting kids interested in microbiology. 

Natural Prodcast's interview with Vanderbilt Professor of Chemistry, Brian O Bachmann. 

Natural Prodcast talks to Prof William Fenical of Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego about the beginnings of marine natural products, his experiences in drug discovery, and exploring marine bacteria. 

It's a crossover episode! Menaka Wilhelm, from JGI's Genome Insider, and I talk about how to work with the JGI, specifically in the form of the Community Science Program, or CSP. We talked to Deputy of User Programs, Tanja Woyke and Project Manager Miranda Harmon-Smith about all the details of what makes a good CSP, how to apply for one, and what happens once it starts. 

Natural Prodcast's Dan and Alison talk to Dr Cassandra Quave of Emory University, and author of The Plant Hunter. Transcript at https://jgi.doe.gov/natural-prodcast-episode-17-cassandra-quave/

Natural Prodcast presents our interview with Professor Marcy Balunas, currently at the University of Connecticut's Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences but soon moving to the University of Michigan's Department of Microbiology and Immunology. In this episode, we discuss her work in in many areas of chemical exploration of natural products for bioactive compound discovery, understanding symbiosis, and a JGI project around ants and their fungus farms. Transcript at https://jgi.doe.gov/natural-prodcast-episode-16-marcy-balunas/

This is Natural Prodcast's conversation with Professor Katherine Duncan from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Dr Duncan's work focuses on marine microbial chemical ecology. We also discuss Actinobase, molecular networking, and the future of integrated secondary metabolism data. Transcript at https://jgi.doe.gov/natural-prodcast-episode-15-katherine-duncan/