Science Straight Up

Quantum computing promises to supercharge scientific research with its ability to solve multiple problems all at once. It could lead to more rapid development of drugs and materials to improve the way we live. But first, there are some serious bugs that have to be overcome.  Dr. Kade Head-Marsden, a chemist at the University of Minnesota, who uses quantum computers to study molecules, lays it all out for us; what is quantum computing, how will it help us, what are the promises and pitfalls.  Her presentation, excerpted from a live talk sponsored by Telluride Science, was moderated by veteran broadcast journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis.

Scientists, intensly focused on their own areas of research, don't usually stray out of their own lanes. So, Dr. Rohit Pappu, of Washington University in St. Louis, whose field is cellular and molecular biophysics and bioengineering, was surprised when asked to review a scientific publication about improving heart transplants. But when he began to read the article, he saw that a team of doctors at the Mayo Clinic, led by surgeon Paul Tang, had drawn on the basic research of his lab and others to save lives. Dr Pappu and Dr. Tang join us to tell this heartwarming tale about how studying little molecular communities within cells can lead to advances in medicine.  Veteran broadcast journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis are our guides for this podcast.

A revolution in fabricating DNA into useful objects is underway and Dr. Guillermo Acuña of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland is right in the middle of it. In a talk sponsored by Telluride Science, he laid out a world of possibilities; tiny drug delivery devices, nano sensors to detect disease, tiny traps to catch cancer cells. His presentation, in Mountain Village, Colorado, was moderated by veteran broadcast journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis. Our sponsors are Alpine Bank and the Telluride Mountain Village Owners' Association.

Dr. Josh Schaidle is the Laboratory Program Manager for Carbon Management at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. According to Schaidle, there are all sorts of untapped opportunities in above-ground carbon, found in biomass such as plants and trees and also in carbon dioxide emissions from factory smokestacks or in the air. During his presentation, Schaidle plans to describe the different ways we can access these carbon sources and convert troublesome greenhouse gases into the fuels and products that we use in our everyday lives. Veteran broadcast journalists George Lewis and Judy Muller are the hosts for this series of podcasts.

Movies tell stories – whether it’s a gritty historical drama or a teen vampire romance – there are few better ways to absorb content than by watching events unfold on the silver screen (or in the comfort of your home). Similarly, Steve Corcelli's molecular movies welcome viewers into a new world with cutting-edge visualizations that capture the motion of molecules in real time, allowing researchers to observe chemical and biological processes at the atomic level. Dr. Corcelli spoke at one of the "Town Talks" presented by Telluride Science and the session was moderated by veteran broadcast journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis. 

Dr. Natalia Shustova’s lab at the University of South Carolina works with metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs, molecules of metal ions and organic links. MOFs can be engineered with specific properties for a wide variety of applications – from building construction, clothing, and smartphone materials to pharmaceuticals and energy generation.

Part of Dr. Shustova's work centers on nuclear waste management and she and her colleagues are exploring ways MOFs could be used in detecting and storing radioactive materials. 

But wait, there's more!  And you'll hear all about it in this podcast moderated by veteran award-winning broadcast journalists George Lewis and Judy Muller.

Amid growing piles of plastic waste in our landfills and in our oceans, Dr. Michael McGuirk of the Colorado School of Mines and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working on new methods to recycle plastics and turn them into useful products, from new plastics to fuels to polymers that can capture CO2 from the atmosphere and help ease global climate change. 

His optimism about his research is tempered by the fact that he's worried by the current cutbacks in government research funds. His talk was recorded before a live audience at the Telluride Mountain Village Conference Center with veteran journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis moderating.

The double helix structure of DNA discovered in 1953 explained the basic mechanism for how our genetic information can be inherited through replication. But, we've since found that those genes have on/off switches.  Understanding how our genes are turned on and off has been complicated partly due to the compacting of DNA with proteins (the histones) into chromatin.  Dr. Song Tan has spent years studying chromatin using advanced imaging technology and he and his colleagues have made some big discoveries looking at molecular sized objects. He is joined by Mark Kozak, Executive Director of Telluride Science and by Dr. Richard Kriwacki of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.  Podcast hosts: veteran broadcast journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis.

Mankind has long searched for the fountain of youth. Recent studies indicate that both immunological and global aging processes can be reversed in humans now using repurposed medicines that are known to be safe.  The key is the thymus, the center of your adaptive immune system, which withers starting at puberty but can be fanned back to life even after the age of 60.  It turns out that a side effect of restoring your immune system is the reversal of the most reliable indices of generalized aging. Dr. Greg Fahy says he has a recipe for restoring the thymus, although he has a critic or two.  We discuss all that on this episode.  Veteran broadcast journalists Judy Muller and George Lewis are the hosts.

As climate change worsens, the need for a transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources gets more urgent.  But clean energy often has its own environmental costs. The risks posed by nuclear reactors and mining lithium for batteries are well known, but our speaker, Dr. Peter Ladwig, a materials scientist, is working on another aspect of the problem: dirty magnets used in the electric motors that power green transportation.  In a "Town Talk" sponsored by Telluride Science, he describes how his company, Niron Magnetics, is working on producing a clean magnet and scaling up production to meet future needs.  Adam Chambers, Telluride Science Board Member, moderated this session. Podcast hosts: Judy Muller and George Lewis