Science is Fun!

Science is Fun is finally back after a long hiatus. Where have we been? I've been doing science now that the pandemic slow-down has lifted. So much science to do, so little time! I've got an exciting line-up for the next few weeks - a mini-season of shows. I hope you enjoy it and stay subscribed to the show for when our next full season launches. This week I welcome Dr. Yvette Fisher to the show. Yvette is a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley. She does wild experiments, including putting fruit flies into virtual reality simulations to study how their brains work. I hope you'll enjoy our chat as much as I did!

I'm am so excited to welcome Dr. Monica Gandhi to the show. Throughout the pandemic, Monica has been a source of reliable and clear headed insight, especially with regards to the importance of re-opening schools. This conversation remains timely given the increasing rate of infections and stalled vaccination effort.

This week I chat with another talented chemist: Bill DeGrado from UCSF. Bill is a pioneer in the de novo design of proteins. He talks about how he got into this area and how it has created opportunities to treat disease.

This week I'm joined by Charly Craik, a chemist at UCSF who develops sophisticated tools for studying biology. He talks about his quest to watch enzymes function in real-time in cells and even whole mice, and how his research is paving the way for new therapies for HIV, cancer, and COVID-19.

Keith Yamamoto, the Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Strategy at UCSF, explains why he has been committed throughout his career to reform the funding, publication, and practice of science. He also discusses his vision for the future of precision medicine and how team-based projects could accelerate scientific progress.

Dr. Alan Venook is a renowned expert on gastrointestinal malignancies at UCSF. He discusses the innovative ways doctors are treating cancer, the challenges of designing clinical trials, and the future of cancer therapy.

KC Huang, a physicist at Stanford with one of the most eclectic research histories I've seen, patiently explains photons, the biophysics of cell shape, and why biologists should embrace theory.

Dr. Hiten Madhani is an expert in yeast biology, including the neglected human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Hiten's lab has made major contributions to our understanding of gene splicing, gene silencing, and quorum sensing. These eclectic areas arise organically from his group's ability to follow the data and their own curiosity, coupled to his strategy of encouraging trainees to follow their passion.

Dr. Abby Buchwalter, my former classmate from Washington University in Saint Louis, tells us why everyone should care about the nuclear lamina. She also talks about the winding path of discovery and her efforts to found the SciChats outreach program at the Salk Institute.

My guest this week is Dr. Seemay Chou, my colleague at UCSF who uses ticks as a model system for host-microbial interactions. She talks about her remarkable discovery of bacteria genes that have transferred into ticks and how they serve to protect ticks from microbes found on human skin.