The genetic structure of a population can shape an organism’s ecology and evolution. However, that structure often changes depending on the geographic scale you’re looking at. In this episode Dr Alex Twyford (University of Edinburgh) discusses the complicated genetic structures displayed by an emerging model – the yellow monkey flower, Mimulus guttatus. A proud botanist, Dr Twyford also explores the issue of ‘plant blindness’: the unfortunate tendency of biologists to overlook the research value, and potential, of plant systems.

Associated article: Multi-level patterns of genetic structure and isolation by distance in the widespread plant Mimulus guttatus

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-020-0335-7

A novel tumor type with EWSR-CREB fusions blending features of Angiomatoid FH and Mesothelioma; a discussion with the author Pedram Argani.

Associated article:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41379-020-0646-5

The application of the study of genetics and the use of big data to identify patterns of inheritance as well as de novo mutations has had a dramatic impact on the field of Autism Spectrum Disorder research, and it offers pathways to a greater understanding of biological mechanisms, even potentially treatments. Matthew State, chair of the department of psychiatry at University of California San Francisco, and his colleagues wrote a review paper in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, called “Leveraging large genomic datasets to illuminate the pathobiology of autism spectrum disorders.” Have a listen to learn more!

Related Article - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-020-0768-y

Smoking in adults and adolescents is at an all-time low today, yet around 1 in 2 children who visit the Emergency Department have been exposed to tobacco smoke. We know that there numerous health consequences associated with tobacco smoke exposure (TSE), and that this also comes at a substantial monetary cost- in 2010, child tobacco smoke exposure resulted in more than 101,570 annual ED visits, costing nearly $63 million. In this episode, we meet Early Career Investigator, Ashley Merianos from the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, who performed a cross-sectional analysis of children visiting the ED in order to assess the contribution of child TSE on healthcare resource utilization patterns.

Related Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-020-0997-0

Museum collections play a vital role in active research and conservation programmes, and in this episode we’re going to explore a prime example of just how valuable they can be. Join Kyle Ewart (University of Sydney; Australian Museum Research Institute) and Leo Joseph (Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO) as they discuss their recent research on the iconic red-tailed black-cockatoo, and their discovery of a new subspecies that was hidden in plain sight.

Associated article: Phylogeography of the iconic Australian red-tailed black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) and implications for its conservation

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-020-0315-y

A history of distrust and skepticism surrounds genetics research for Alaska Native tribes. Not having tribal health organizations engaged with genetics research in a meaningful way means Alaska Native people are missing out on benefits from discoveries that come out of research. On this month’s GenePod, Denise Dillard, PhD, director of research for South Central Foundation, a tribal healthcare organization, discusses the goals behind facilitating a workshop between Alaska tribal leadership, biomedical researchers, and representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The key takeaways from the workshop build upon ways to overcome barriers and address the need to form more effective partnerships. Tune in!

Related article:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41436-020-0926-y

A conversation with David Rimm, the author of a recent study on Triple negative breast cancer, on using a novel statistical algorithm (ONEST) to improve reproducibility of PD-L1 assessment by pathologists

Associated article: Prospective multi-institutional evaluation of pathologist assessment of PD-L1 assays for patient selection in triple negative breast cancer

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41379-020-0544-x

Institutions and healthcare systems had started to introduce wellness initiatives following the growing realization of the widespread problem of physician distress and burnout. Whilst these programs might be effective, there is currently a lack of evidence about who uses them and whether they are best suited to their target audience. In this episode, we meet Dr. Andrea Weintraub from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who conducted a cross-sectional national survey amongst different pediatric subspecialties to find out which initiatives were available, whether people knew about them or used them, and to better understand what initiatives pediatricians would like to see made available.

Related Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-020-0805-x

Motivated by a series of mass mortalities, a team of marine biologists voyaged across the Caribbean in search of a poorly understood organism – the vase sponge. Join Dr Sarah Griffiths (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Prof. Donald Behringer (University of Florida) as they discuss the complex population genetic structures they uncovered, and the potential impact of their spongy discoveries on marine conservation and restoration efforts.

Associated article: Oceanographic features and limited dispersal shape the population genetic structure of the vase sponge Ircinia campana in the Greater Caribbean

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-020-0344-6

It’s understood in epidemiological research that women who experience trauma during puberty are at significantly higher risk for affective disorders such as depression and anxiety when they become pregnant. And so Tracy Bale, a professor in the departments of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, has done several studies using mice to try to model and understand this effect. In her latest paper in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, she and her colleagues set out to study just what was happening to make the mouse brain so vulnerable to stress and trauma during puberty, and how this was activated during the hormonal onslaught of pregnancy. Have a listen to learn more!

Related article;

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-020-0634-y