Superheroes of Science

Do you know all the ways you can be hacked? Dr. Ida Ngambeki, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Technology and Executive Director of Purdue Cyber Education Network Training Resources (CENTR) at Purdue Polytechnic Institute, explains many different types of social engineering including vishing, shoulder surfing, and watering holes. Dr. N presents strategies we can use to protect ourselves, and provides examples of dialogue to help us navigate awkward social interactions with politeness while avoiding any compromises to our cyber hygiene.

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

https://protonmail.com/

While some invasive species like the Bradford pear tree can seem like a good thing, (trees ARE good for the environment!), they are considered invasive because they crowd out more favorable and sustainable native trees, shrubs, and understory plants that are better for the environment. Lindsey Purcell, Urban Forestry Specialist for the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University explains why invasive species outcompete native species so well. Purcell describes actions the general public can take to combat invasive species.

Resources mentioned:

Purdue Extension Education Store

https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/default.asp

International Society of Arboriculture: Trees Are Good

https://www.treesaregood.org/

Alternative Options for Invasive Landscape Plants

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/ID-464-W.pdf

The Natural Heritage of Indiana, by Marion T. Jackson

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3457097-the-natural-heritage-of-indiana

Horticulture helps us improve the environment, strengthen community, use environmental solutions to solve real-world problems, and bring beauty to the world, all through growing plants! We can't exist without the field of horticulture. As Brie explains, horticulture is relevant, necessary, and essential. In this episode, Brie discusses the different types of plant propagation and where each type is most appropriate - from nurseries to public gardens to home landscapes.

Brie the Plant Lady on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJjehwRXiIa25aV7kLHLZoQ

Brie Grows Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BrieGrows

Brie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brietheplantlady/

Growing a Greener World: https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/

4H online: https://4honline.com/

Emergent Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/471693102884875

International Plant Propagators' Society: http://ipps.org/

Seed Your Future: https://www.seedyourfuture.org/

What is MRI? Is it an invasive procedure? How do the risks of getting an MRI compare to the risks involved with getting an X-ray? Deva Chan, Assistant Professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, joins us this week to explain MRI and how Chan's research specifically uses MRI to study arthritis.

Proteins perform a lot of different jobs within our cells. As proteins either age or mutate, they can begin to cause problems for the cells. The ubiquitin system, (present only in eukaryotic organisms - animals and plants), works to tag proteins that go bad. Proteins tagged by the ubiquitin system send a signal to proteasomes which then shred the bad protein, hence the expression "kiss of death." Normally, a cell infected by a pathogen, (bacterium or virus), will undergo a process known as xenophagy, where an infected cell will kill itself to avoid becoming infectious to other cells around it. At the same time, the process of xenophagy kills the pathogens causing the infection. Even though pathogens don't have a ubiquitin system, they have adapted their ability to survive by producing proteins that hijack the ubiquitin system of eukaryotic cells. Sebastian Kenny, PhD candidate the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University, explains the research he is doing to learn more about how pathogens are able to hijack the ubiquitin system.

Are there habitable planets outside of our solar system? Dr. Ravi Kopparapu, Planetary Scientist at NASA Goddard, explains that almost every star in our galaxy has a planet around it. This means there may be 100 billion planets in our Milky Way galaxy! Most of these planets range between the sizes of Earth and Neptune. Data available to exoplanet scientists is limited to what can be collected through remote observations with telescopes. Therefore, scientists tend to focus on terrestrial planets (similar to Earth), with suitable atmospheres (nitrogen and oxygen), that are able to maintain liquid water on the planet's surface. A biological presence could interact and change the gas composition of the atmosphere, which could then be detected by remote telescopes and lead to potential discoveries of life.

What is medicinal chemistry? Delmis Hernandez, PhD candidate (focusing in organic chemistry) in the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University, describes the process of studying the skeletal structure of compounds in an effort to develop new medicines to fight cancer. Medicinal chemists identify the parts of a compound that are most effective as a medicine, but watch out for PAINS! These compounds can give false positive results that seem promising as a cancer drug when really the compounds might be toxic to both cancerous and healthy cells.

What might clouds on other planets, even planets outside our own solar system, look like? Alexandria Johnson, Assistant Professor of Practice and Research in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University discusses the process of analyzing a few pixels of light, detected by telescopes, in order to study cloud formation on exoplanets. With a focus on sub-Neptune planets that could reach temperatures near 500K in their upper atmosphere, scientists believe there are clouds formed both from potassium chloride and zinc sulfide. On planets described as Hot Jupiters, which are thousands of degrees Kelvin in their upper atmospheres, there could be titanium oxide clouds and it may even rain rubies!

Brian Bates, owner of Bear Creek Organic Farm, suggests thinking about organic farming in terms of an overall broad system that includes biodiversity, soil health, and water quality. Over the last five years, organic food has accounted for the fastest growing segment in the food industry. The biggest challenge in American organic agriculture? We don't grow enough organic food in America to satisfy the demand.

EWG's 2021 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce:

Dirty Dozen - https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

Clean Fifteen - https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php

Learn more about Bear Creek Organic Farm: https://bearcreekorganicfarm.com/

Dr. Monika Bleszynski, Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, discusses some of the harmful impacts of road salt along with potential alternatives. There are many negative impacts of the bioaccumulation of salt in environments near roadways, including damage to plant life, physiological drought, and the buildup of salt in our water reservoirs. By studying organisms with evolutionary adaptations to produce their own antifreeze proteins, Bleszynski has worked toward the development of safer alternatives to road salt with less harmful environmental consequences.