The Bio Busters

Show notes:

In the show, The Bio Busters professors, Dr. A and Dr. C, discuss Thiel College’s Annual Scholarship and Arts Symposium and some of the posters presented. The docs also record on-site interviews with some of the students. Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

Music by Bahaa Naamani

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Show notes:

In the show, The Bio Busters professors, Dr. A and Dr. C, discuss with Dr. Thomas Newpher his path to becoming a professor at Duke University. Dr. Newpher graduated from Thiel College in 2000 and now works at Duke University. His website can be found below. Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

Music by Bahaa Naamani

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References:

https://dibs.duke.edu/scholars/thomas-newpher

Show notes:

In the show, The Bio Busters professors, Dr. A and Dr. C, discuss inflammatory bowel diseases. The professors discuss Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, focusing on etiology, symptoms and signs, as well as treatments and therapy (conventional and unconventional). Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

Music by Bahaa Naamani

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References:

Norman JM et al.. Disease-specific alterations in the enteric virome in inflammatory bowel disease. Cell. 2015

Mahesh Gajendran et al. A comprehensive review and update on ulcerative colitis. Disease-a-Month. 2019

Basso Paulo José et al. Microbial-Based Therapies in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease – An Overview of Human Studies. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2019

Eichenberger RM et al. Hookworm Secreted Extracellular Vesicles Interact With Host Cells and Prevent Inducible Colitis in Mice. Frontiers in Immunology. 2018

Liu Y et al. Schistosoma japonicum attenuates dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice via reduction of endoplasmic reticulum stress. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2017

Summers RW et al. Trichuris suis seems to be safe and possibly effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2003

Summers RW et al. Trichuris suis therapy for active ulcerative colitis: a randomized controlled trial. Gastroenterology. 2005

Show notes:

In the show, The Bio Busters professors, Dr. A and Dr. C, host Dr. Sarah Woodley, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Drs. discuss Dr. Woodley’s career path and her advice to those entering science or wanting to become scientists. Dr. Woodley also discusses research opportunities at Duquesne University. The Drs. also discuss the importance of science outreach. Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

Music by Bahaa Naamani

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Links:

Dr. Woodley’s Duquesne’s info:

https://www.duq.edu/academics/faculty/sarah-woodley

If you are interested in Duquesne’s University REU program, please apply here:

https://www.duq.edu/biologycircle

Show notes:

In the show, The BioBusters professors, Dr. A and Dr. C, discuss the science behind the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The BioBusters Docs discuss checkpoint control in immune responses, as well as activating and inhibitory receptors on T cells. The Docs discuss the various FDA approved checkpoint inhibitor drugs and the cancers they treat. Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

Music by Bahaa Naamani

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References:

Freeman, G.J., Long, A.J., Iwai, Y., Bourque, K., Chernova, T., Nishimura, H., Fitz, L.J., Malenkovich, N., Okazaki, T., Byrne, M.C., Horton, H.F., Fouser, L., Carter, L., Ling, V., Bowman, M.R., Carreno, B.M., Collins, M., Wood, C.R. & Honjo, T. (2000). Engagement of the PD-1 immunoinhibitory receptor by a novel B7 family member leads to negative regulation of lymphocyte activation. J Exp Med, 192(7), 1027–1034.

Hodi, F.S., Mihm, M.C., Soiffer, R.J., Haluska, F.G., Butler, M., Seiden, M.V., Davis, T., Henry-Spires, R., MacRae, S., Willman, A., Padera, R., Jaklitsch, M.T., Shankar, S., Chen, T.C., Korman, A., Allison, J.P. & Dranoff, G. (2003). Biologic activity of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 antibody blockade in previously vaccinated metastatic melanoma and ovarian carcinoma patients. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 100(8), 4712-4717

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2018/press-release/

https://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2015/09/what-is-a-checkpoint-inhibitor/

https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/immunotherapy/immune-checkpoint-inhibitors.html

https://www.science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/releasing-immune-systems-brakes-fight-cancer

https://www.wired.com/story/cancer-immunotherapy-has-arrived-but-not-for-everyone/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181009102517.htm

Show notes:

In the show, The Bio Busters professors, Dr. A and Dr. C, discuss with Philosophy professor Dr. Morgan the history of recombinant DNA and gene therapy. The professors also discuss CRISPR editing technology, as well as ethical and societal implications of these technologies, among many other musings. Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

Music by Bahaa Naamani

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References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/gene-therapy/about/pac-20384619

https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/therapy/safety

https://www.genome.gov/10004764/

https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/therapy/ethics

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3586794/

Show notes:

In the show, The Bio Busters professors, Dr. A and Dr. C, discuss with Biology Senior TJ Fisher the mysteries of life and how it could have started in the early days of our planet. The professors discuss abiogenesis, the Miller-Urey experiment, and the RNA world hypothesis among many other musings. Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

Music by Bahaa Naamani

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References:

“Exploring Life’s Origins: Ribozymes & the RNA World.” Accessed November 14, 2018. http://exploringorigins.org/ribozymes.html.

Miller, Stanley L. “A Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions.” Science 117, no. 3046 (May 15, 1953): 528–29. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.117.3046.528.

Nasir, Arshan, and Gustavo Caetano-Anollés. “A Phylogenomic Data-Driven Exploration of Viral Origins and Evolution.” Science Advances 1, no. 8 (September 1, 2015): e1500527. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1500527.

Richter, Viviane. “What Came First, Cells or Viruses?” Cosmos Magazine. Accessed November 14, 2018. https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/what-came-first-cells-or-viruses.

“Spontaneous Generation | Microbiology.” Accessed November 14, 2018. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/microbiology/chapter/spontaneous-generation/.

Show notes:

In the show, The Bio Busters professors, Dr. A and Dr. C, discuss with Conservation Biology Senior Grant Milne about some of the more peculiar reproductive mechanisms in the animal kingdom. Reproduction plays an important role in the diversity and speciation of animals that evolve over time and pass traits to offspring. From platypuses and their unique brood care, to some freaks in the sheets (bedbugs), we touch on a broad range of reproductive strategies in animals that stray dramatically from what we consider the norm. Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

Music by Bahaa Naamani

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References:

Angeloni, Lisa. “Sexual Selection in a Simultaneous Hermaphrodite with Hypodermic Insemination: Body Size, Allocation to Sexual Roles, and Paternity.” Animal Behavior, vol. 66, 2003, pp. 417–26, doi:10.1006/anbe.2003.2255.

Balcombe, Jonathan. “Sex Lives of Fish.” Natural History, vol. 124, no. 8, Sept. 2016, pp. 22–27.

Hawkins, Margaret, and Adam Battaglia. “Breeding Behavior of the Platypus (Ornithorhynchus Anatinus) in Captivity.” Australian Journal of Zoology, vol. 57, no. 3, Oct. 2009, pp. 283–93.

Kamimura, Yoshitaka, et al. “Duplicated Female Receptacle Organs for Traumatic Insemination in the Tropical Bed Bug Cimex Hemipterus: Adaptive Variation or Malformation?” PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 2, Feb. 2014, pp. 1–9. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089265.

Martin, Peer, et al. “The Parthenogenetic Marmorkrebs ( Malacostraca: Decapoda: Cambaridae) Is a Triploid Organism.” Journal of Zoological Systematics & Evolutionary Research, vol. 54, no. 1, Feb. 2016, pp. 13–21. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/jzs.12114.

Scholtz, Gerhard, et al. “Ecology: Parthenogenesis in an Outsider Crayfish.” Nature, vol. 421, no. 6925, Feb. 2003, p. 806.

Streit, Adrian. “How to Become a Parasite without Sex Chromosomes: A Hypothesis for the Evolution of Strongyloides Spp. and Related Nematodes.” Parasitology, vol. 141, no. 10, May 2018, pp. 1244–54, doi:10.1017/S003118201400064X.

In the show, The Bio Busters professors discuss vaccines and vaccination. Dr. A & Dr. C discuss the history of vaccines, along with important milestones in their development, safety, and recent disease outbreaks caused by non-vaccinations. Importantly, both professors debunk the maligned theory that vaccines cause autism (spoiler: they do not). Keep the discussion and comments going on the iTunes review section, or feel free to e-mail the podcast with future show ideas and thoughts on the current show.

References:

Curtis, B., Liberato, N., Rulien, M., Morrisroe, K., Kenney, C., Yutuc, V., … Hewitson, L. (2015). Examination of the Safety of Pediatric Vaccine Schedules in a Non-Human Primate Model: Assessments of Neurodevelopment, Learning, and Social Behavior. Environmental Health Perspectives, 123(6), 579–589.

Bharathi S. Gadad, Wenhao Li, Umar Yazdani, Stephen Grady, Trevor Johnson, Jacob Hammond, Howard Gunn, Britni Curtis, Chris English, Vernon Yutuc, Clayton Ferrier, Gene P. Sackett, C. Nathan Marti, Keith Young, Laura Hewitson, and Dwight C. German. Administration of thimerosal-containing vaccines to infant rhesus macaques does not result in autism-like behavior or neuropathology. PNAS October 6, 2015 112 (40) 12498-12503.

Phadke VK, Bednarczyk RA, Salmon DA, Omer SB. Association Between Vaccine Refusal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States: A Review of Measles and Pertussis. JAMA. 2016;315(11):1149-1158. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.1353.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines

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The Biobusters professors discuss weird scientific phenomena and tackle a couple conspiracy theories. Also, the professors discuss a possible explanation as to why people tend to believe in conspiracy theories.

Show notes:

References:

Bermuda Triangle

https://www.livescience.com/63242-bermuda-triangle-rogue-waves.html

Sleep paralysis

https://www.livescience.com/21653-brain-chemicals-sleep-paralysis.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160919151320.htm

Flat Earthers and Conspiracy Theories

https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/04/04/only-two-thirds-of-american-millennials-believe-the-earth-is-round/#540d9917ec66

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5646574/

Music by Bahaa Naamani

Email us at [email protected]