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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
Mark Lurie is an associate professor of epidemiology at Brown University who joins the show to discuss his work from the early 90s until the present day. Tune in to discover:
Lurie has been involved in epidemiology since the early 90s, when he came across a fascinating study that looked at the early spread of TB in Africa. Since then, he's studied the spread of HIV and various other infectious diseases. He talks about how treatment for HIV has developed remarkably over the years despite there still not being a vaccine, and where the largest reduction in new cases of HIV have been seen. He reminds us that it wasn't more than three or four generations ago that our geographical footprint was very small… reaching not more than five or 10 miles from home. Clearly, this has changed significantly and impacted patterns of infectious disease.
He discusses the coronavirus pandemic, when he thinks a vaccine may be available, the public health interventions surrounding it, evidence that the coronavirus-related lockdowns helped slow the spread, the less-talked-about consequences of the coronavirus outbreak (some of them positive), the purpose and importance of testing for the virus, the pros and cons of a treatment versus a vaccine for the virus, and what he thinks will happen in the near and long-term future. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Co-lead of the meteorology team on the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Extreme Expedition and professor in the Department of Geography at Appalachian State University, Baker Perry, joins the show to discuss his fascinating and truly unique work. Tune in to discover:
On Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at 10pm ET on National Geographic, you can watch the television premier of Expedition Everest, an unprecedented journey that resulted in the installation of the world's highest weather stations and the collection of the highest ice core known to man.
Baker Perry shares firsthand experience as co-lead of this incredible mission, offering you a glimpse of what it would be like to make the climb yourself. By virtue of Perry and the rest of the expedition team, real-time weather data from the mountain and past and future projections of glacier change is now possible. This not only changes the game for climbing safety, but paves the way for significant improvements to forecast and glacier change models, as well as a better understanding of how the climate is changing.
Perry explains the reasoning behind the placements of the weather stations, the challenges encountered as they gained elevation, what types of equipment and instrumentation were used, and so much more.
Learn more and access real-time data links to these weather stations by visiting https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/perpetual-planet/. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Author, screenwriter, and storyteller Edward Savio joins the show to discuss his works and the perspectives that inspired them. In this episode, you'll discover:
"You have to have a kind of determination and a belief that is almost beyond reality," says Savio, commenting on how he dealt with everyone in his life who, at one point in time, told him he needed a "real" job and shouldn't pursue a career as a writer.
He shares with listeners the sources of motivation that have led him to become the great writer he is today, and provides insight into some of his main characters. He also discusses some practical differences between the considerations that must be made while writing a novel versus a screenplay, how he's been able to write a series about time travel without there actually being any time travel involved, human adaptation and evolution, how and why the future will "reveal us to be ignorant," and so much more. Tune in for a compelling and unique conversation with a brilliant mind and some new ideas for good reading.
For more, visit http://edwardsavio.com/ and http://battleforforever.com/. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK Edward Savio BFF Volume 3: The first two installments in Savio's Battle For Forever action adventure sci-fi series were just #1 and #9 Best Sellers with Wil Wheaton narrating the audiobooks. Those two titles are ALEXANDER X and ANCIENT AMONG US. Edward is working on Volume 3 of BFF now, LEAGUE OF AULD, and the goal is to have another Wil Wheaton narration dropped before the end of this year. Get yourself ready for Volume 3, and get access to a free novella in the BFF universe when signing up at www.battleforforever.com
In her research, Dr. Caroline Ng addresses how to effectively treat malaria as scientists face possible drug resistance. She explains for listeners
Caroline L. Ng, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She specializes in the pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum and the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying drug resistance. She begins by explaining the life cycle of the parasites that cause malaria. Plasmodium spp. have evolved to require two hosts in their life cycle, mosquito and animal, and she specializes in the species that use human hosts in addition to the mosquito. She explains how the parasites move from mosquito saliva and make their way to the human liver. She describes their entry into red blood cells, how they divide asexually at an exponential rate, when they evolve into different sexes, and how a debris release causes the common malaria symptoms of fever and chills.
She then builds on this explanation to describe the issues facing researches in how to treat malaria as symptoms of drug resistance seem to be showing up. In particular, the parasite Plasmodium falciparum is of concern as it is the most virulent and causes the most deaths. Artemisinin is a potent drug that's short-lived that must be partnered with another drug to make sure parasites are being cleared. But scientist in Southeast Asia have seen a decrease in the ability of this drug family to clear parasites. They worry this indicates artemisinin resistance. If they can understand this, they can designs drugs that synergize or identify a pathway to build up the efficacy of this drug. Along the way, she explains mechanisms of how these drugs work and how these poorer countries that face malaria need inexpensive treatments.
To learn more, see her information on her institution's web site: www.unmc.edu/pathology/faculty/bios/Ng.html Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Professor Vythilingam started working with parasitic diseases in the early 1980s and now studies the recent upsurge in Plasmodium knowlesi in humans, which is a malaria originating in monkey hosts. In this podcast, she discusses
Indra Vythilingam is a professor of parasitology at the University of Malaya. Malaria is not a virus; rather, it's a disease caused by a parasite of the Plasmodium species that follows a host and vector life cycle. She started working on malaria the early 80s. In the early 1990s, she worked on a study with insecticide-treated mosquito nets, proving their efficacy. However, in the years since, malaria-infected mosquitoes have adapted their behaviors and evolved in Malaysia to bite earlier in the evening and outdoors.
Furthermore, she explains that malaria is traveling from monkeys to mosquitos to people in Malaysia, a discovery made in 2004. Previously it was thought that humans could only catch malaria from a few specific species thought of as the human malaria parasites. However, a 2004 paper showed the simian parasite, Plasmodium knowlesi, had been transmitted to humans. Professor Vythilingam explains that the human malaria has been almost eradicated from the area, but they now have this difficult development to face. She discusses what measures she and her colleagues are hoping to take after the COVID-19 virus pandemic slows enough to allow them to return to the field.
For more information, search for Indra Vythilingam in Google Scholar and other such research-accruing sites. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Andrew Thompson is a Professor of Parasitology at Murdoch University who joins the show to discuss the ins and outs of his research on parasites. In this episode, you will learn:
Thompson's work on parasitic diseases began many years ago, when taking a class on invertebrate zoology. One project in particular struck his interest: the role of the dwarf tapeworm in mice. Since then, his research has gone far beyond tapeworms.
In recent years, the focus has been on parasites of wildlife—particularly those that may have conservation effects. In other words, parasites that normally don't cause much of a problem without the impact of human involvement and man-made domestic cycles. He gives a number of fascinating examples, and discusses the studies which led to these findings. He discusses the progression of hydatid disease in humans and domestic animals, surgical removal as an intervention, what can be done to prevent it, and much more.
http://www.murdoch.edu.au/Research-capabilities/Research-stories/Andrew-Thompson/ Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Cheri Ackerman and Cameron Myhrvold explain their innovative new system to test for multiple viruses in one test. They explain
Dr. Cheri Ackerman is the cofounder and CEO of Concerto Biosciences and Dr. Cameron Myhrvold is a post doc fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. In this podcast they discuss their project to develop a new virus diagnostic method that involves cripr. While there are several standout attributes to this new diagnostic, an integral element is that it tests for multiple viruses at once. They explain that they wanted to answer what is making a person sick by testing for different viruses at the same time.
The technology can by summarized as using crispr cas-13 diagnostics in a microwell array. This allows different detection reactions for multiple viruses and multiple patients at the same time. As with common COVID virus PCR tests, it starts with a nasal swab. After taking the swab and performing sample preparation as with a PCR test, the process starts to differ, specifically in two ways: the detection is conducted with a small volume, which allows them to do many tests on the same sample; second, the test allows for all of these reactions to set themselves up on their own. Detection regents and samples self-organize in a way that gets a robust result that crispr cas-13, as an RNA target, allows. They explain the method in more detail as well as goals for improvement, including reducing the turnaround time from 7 to 3 hours. Listen for more details about this exciting technology.
To keep tabs on this and related work, visit www.broadinstitute.org. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Most listeners are familiar with circadian rhythms, but Professor Zhu is working on less-studied 12-hour cycles and how they affect our well-being. He talks about his research, explaining
Bokai Zhu is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and the Aging Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. He's working on biological rhythms, also known as oscillations, and specifically narrowed his study to research ultradian rhythms, which signifies 12-hour cycles, rather than the more commonly-studied circadian rhythms.
Thus far he's found evidence that 12-hour rhythms originated to adapt to the 12-hour tidal rhythms, which we see in crustaceans. Furthermore, Zhu believes as we've evolved from the sea, humans and other animals have kept this 12-hour rhythm. In other words, this same tidal pattern followed by our evolutionary ancient ancestors is ingrained in our body clock. He discusses how he is conducting studies in mice to better understand this cycle and how it might regulate our systems. He makes an interesting analogy to morning and evening rush hour, how these 12-hour switches of increased activity present more risk for bodily damage like misfolded proteins. He's also found potential connections to memory issues because the hippocampus is especially engaged in the 12-hour cycle. Listen to learn about these issues and more.
For more information, see his web site at the university and search for recent news articles covering his research: www.isb.pitt.edu/people/faculty/bokai-zhu-phd Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Professor Girguis studies microorganism in the ocean and their contributions that make our planet habitable. In this conversation, he explores
Peter R. Girguis is a professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He works in a field of molecular biology that studies microbes and animals that live in the ocean, especially microbial organisms that interact with metals like iron and magnesium, which he describes as akin to the multivitamins of the ocean. His microbiology study focuses especially on bacteria and archaea.
These microbes inhabit environments, like hydrothermal vents and methane seeps, to feed off the released metals, which are toxic to most animals. Professor Girguis utilizes molecular biology to understand how these microbes play a role in moving energy from the abiotic world, or nonliving structures like rocks, to the biotic world. Significantly, this microbiology study connects to the food chain. He mentions one study that shows how plankton feed on these microbes which in turn feed small fish that are eaten by the larger fish off the coast of Chile, which are integral to the fishing industry there.
He describes other elements to this underwater architecture, from methane ice to giant sulfide structures, and how some fish use these extreme environments to rid themselves of parasites. He also posits a new view of ocean science that is much more outward looking and should engage people from all over the world.
To find our more, see his lab's website: girguislab.oeb.harvard.edu. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Karl Hassan researches antimicrobial resistance specific to hospital-associated pathogens. He talks about his work towards developing compounds that can overcome this resistance. He explains
Karl Hassan is an ARC Future Fellow at the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle in Australia. He studies antimicrobial resistance of pathogens common to hospital settings. He explains that these pathogens adapted to the hospital niche and have become superbugs. Because big pharmaceutical companies experience low profits from antibiotic development, the research has been taken up by university scholars like Hassan.
He talks more about the inner workings of the bacteria, especially the gram-negative bacteria, which present more of a challenge because they have two membranes and are intrinsically resistant. He explains more about the mechanics and cell architecture and then shares an exciting find: they were able to identify a gene that was unknown and verified that when expressed, it offered resistance to the bacteria. They believe, based on tests, it may code for the efflux pump protein. Understanding how different families of efflux pumps work will help develop compounds that can infiltrate the bacteria cells. He finishes by explaining the process for how something like this find can lead to eventual compound production.
For more, see his page at the University of Newcastle: www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/karl-hassan#career Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
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