Nels and Vincent discuss a chemically defined synthetic cell capable of growth and replication.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• Chemically defined synthetic cell (bioRxiv)
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Nels – Jimothy the short spined racoon in Seattle Vincent – Nitrogen-fixing organelle in a marine alga

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Nels and Vincent discuss molecular mimicry of a pathogen virulence target by a plant immune receptor.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• Molecular mimicry of a pathogen virulence target by a plant immune receptor (Science)
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Nels – Plug-in solar Vincent – This Engine Will Reinvent Space Travel

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Science journalist Roxanne Khamsi joins Nels and Vincent discuss her first book, Beyond Inheritance, which explores how DNA continuously mutates throughout our lives, challenging the idea that our genetic destiny is fixed at birth.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Roxanne Khamsi

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• Beyond Inheritance (Amazon)
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Nels and Vincent discuss the development of a comprehensive transcriptomic atlas of early embryogenesis from 61 animal species to understand the control of gene expression transitions from maternally deposited products to newly transcribed zygotic RNA.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• Evolutionary landscapes of zygotic genome activation across animals (bioRxiv)
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Nels – Biologists Confirm Not Much Evolution Happened Today Vincent – How Trains Take Electricity from Wires Without Breaking Contact

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Nels and Vincent discuss the discovery of a short RNA with the ability to catalyze its own synthesis.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• A small polymerase ribozyme (Science)
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Nels – The University of Illinois Just Released a Popcorn So Good It Doesn't Need Butter Vincent – Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash by Alexander Clapp

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Nels and Vincent explain how stinkbug females smear fungus on their eggs to protect them from wasp parasitism.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs (Science)
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Nels – Meet the Olympic superstar who trains under the radar in Utah Vincent – The Discovery That Changed the Universe

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Nels and Vincent explain how selfishness evolved multiple times from an essential tRNA synthetase gene in a nematode.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• Evolution of selfishness from a tRNA synthetase gene (Nat Ecol Evol)
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Nels - From Where Does it STEM? Vincent - An Act of Cosmic Sabotage

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Nels and Vincent examines the use of AI and genome language models to design novel derivatives of bacteriophage phiX174.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• AI design of bacteriophage phiX174 derivatives (bioRxiv)
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Nels – NIH official resigns after flap over risks of seasonal flu virus study and The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requests input from all interested parties on Federal policy updates that aim to accelerate the American scientific enterprise, enable groundbreaking discoveries, and ensure that scientific progress and technological innovation benefit all Americans. Vincent – One Plus One Equals One: Symbiosis and the evolution of complex life by John Archibald

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Nels and Vincent explain research which shows that insertion of a retrovirus into the genome regulates a novel color trait in swordtail fish.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• Retrovirus and swordfish scale color (bioRxiv)
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Nels – Some like it hot! A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes and Kara Marshall's talk on history of science/science funding in the US, family connections to medical care, and her own lab's work at Baylor College of Medicine Vincent – NIH shake-up to grant decision-making draws concerns of political meddling

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Nels and Vincent explain research attempting to explain why among humans, females around the world live on average 5 years longer than males, but the trend is reversed in many birds, amphibians, and insects.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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• Sexual selection drives sex difference in adult life expectancy (Sci Adv)
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Nels – NIH Leadership Is Failing Early Career Researchers Vincent – Kennedy's Comments on Circumcision Are Only Going to Confuse and Shame Parents

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