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Crop improvement: getting inspiration from algaeDecember 2021 What does algae photosynthesis have to do with solving food insecurity? In this episode on crop improvement, Apple Chew interviews Liat Adler to hear how algae can help us improve the photosynthesis efficiency of “land plants”! Crop photosynthesis is not exactly perfect. One key enzyme in the mechanism called RuBisCo is slow and gets confused between carbon and oxygen: not what you want from your energy storage mechanism! Algae, however, have developed a system to improve both the speed and the accuracy of this process. The McCormick Lab is trying to integrate this system into land plants. That way, crops could use sunlight more efficiently, grow faster, and thus produce more food! |
When DNA met Sall4 with Raphael Pantier and Kashyap ChhatbarNovember 2021 Have you ever wondered what neglected regions of the genome do? In this episode we hear about the search for AT rich region binding proteins. Jack Suitor talks to Raphael Pantier and Kashyap Chhatbar from the Bird lab at the University of Edinburgh about their work on the DNA binding protein Sall4. They discover that Sall4 binds to AT rich regions which affects large scale gene expressions and enables differentiation. Sall4 could help time cellular differentiation as part of embryonic development and is therefore implicated in developmental disease. By getting more insight into proteins that bind AT rich regions we could learn more about the cause of some diseases. |
Scotland's BioTech Stories: Engineered Proteins in ActionSeptember 23rd, 2021 This is the second episode of the BioPOD series: Scotland's Biotech Stories. In this instalment, BioPodder Liz Gaberdiel interviews Professor Lynne Regan on how to design biologically useful proteins. Proteins with unusual properties can enable super-resolution imaging, spontaneously self-assemble into structures, or coat a surface with a particular protein layer! |
Scotland's BioTech Stories: CryoEM - the cutting edge of structural biology with Dr. Marcus WilsonAugust 13th, 2021 Welcome to a new BioPOD series: Scotland's Biotech Stories. In this installment, BioPodder Liz Gaberdiel interviews Dr. Marcus Wilson on Cryogenic electron microscopy (CryoEM), a technique that has undergone some serious upgrades since its initial development in the 1960s. |
Water 'bout cyanobacteria?: Producing high value products using sunlight ft. Anton PuzorjovJuly 20th, 2021 Today we walk you through to potential of cyanobacteria: turning tasty sunlight into a high-product value delight! Apple Chew interviews Anton Puzorjov from The McCormick Lab at The University of Edinburgh on his project supported by ScotBio. |
Evergreen: How to block viral transmission ft. Prof. Neil MabbottJune 15th, 2021 In the fourth and final installment of BioPOD's #Vaccine15 miniseries, we have Liz Gaberdiel interviewing Professor Neil Mabbott on how vaccines can block viral transmission. |
COVID19: How to mass produce a vaccine ft. Dr Prerna VohraJune 8th, 2021 Ever wondered how vaccines are made in smaller batch scales, then upscaled to a world market? Hint: it's not the same as cooking a larger lasagne when family comes to visit. Tune into our third installment of #Vaccine15 to learn about the large scale production of vaccines. In this episode, BioPodder Liz Gaberdiel interviews Dr Prerna Vohra. |
Viral Variants: How to track and tackle COVID variants ft. Dr Thomas WilliamsJune 1st, 2021 For this episode as part of our vaccine 15-minute miniseries, biopodder Chris Donohoe interviews Dr. Thomas Williams on how to track and tackle the different COVID variants. |
Eureka! How To Design A Vaccine ft. Dr Christine Tait-BurkardMay 25th, 2021 Our #Vaccine15 four-part 15-minute miniseries begins today! This week is all about how COVID vaccines were developed and designed with Dr Christine Tait-Burkard from the Roslin Institute. |
Darwin Tree of Life: Sequencing the Biome of the Great Britain Ft. Prof. Mark Blaxter, Dr. Alex TwyfordMay 19th, 2021 In this episode, we talk about the Darwin Tree of Life: Sequencing the Biome of the Great Britain with Professor Mark Blaxter & Dr Alex Twyford The Darwin Tree of Life project aims to sequence the genomes of all 70,000 species of eukaryotic organisms in Britain and Ireland. It is a collaboration between biodiversity, genomics and analysis partners that hopes to transform the way we do biology, conservation and biotechnology. The Darwin Tree of Life Project is one of several initiatives across the globe working towards the ultimate goal of sequencing all complex life on Earth, in a venture known as theEarth BioGenome Project. Prof. Mark Blaxter and his group use modern sequencing and bioinformatics technologies to investigate the genomes of many different species of animals. Professor Mark Blaxter is the Founder and Director of Genome Science of Edinburgh Genomics the University's advanced genomics facility. Dr Alex Twyford is an evolutionary geneticist interested in the ecology and evolution of plants. |
How Synthetic Microorganisms can Biofacture High Value Products with Dr. Tessa MosesApril 2021 This episode is about the use of synthetic organisms to produce pharmaceuticals and other high-value products. To help us understand this topic a bit better and the potential advantages and challenges of this technology, Joan Cortada-Carcia is interviewed Dr Tessa Moses, a former postdoc in the Rosser lab group at the University of Edinburgh and current head of metabolomics at the university’s mass spectrometry facility called Edinomics. |
Detecting Parasitic Infections in Cows by Small RNA (Trypanosomiasis) with Dr Maria Contreras-GarciaMarch 2021 The parasite Trypanosoma brucei is transmitted via tsetse flies. It causes a disease known as trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness in humans, but in cows, it's known as nagana or animal African trypanosomiasis. In this episode, Joan Cortada García interviews Maria Contreras-Garcia from The Roslin Institute on her work to validate and characterize the use of a small RNA as a diagnostic test for trypanosomiasis. In this episode Ruby White mentions a Workshop Series on sustainable food production. UoE-USyd Workshop Series on sustainable food production, antimicrobial resistance and One Health |
How Bacteria Produce Eco Nylon (BIOFACTURING). Featuring PhD Student Jack SuitorFebruary 2021 How can we produce useful materials from Bacteria? Today we have PhD Student Jack Suitor to tell us how we can modify bacteria against their own nature to act as mini-factories to convert guaiacol, a paper industry byproduct, to adipic acid, a key component of Nylon production that is otherwise produced from oil! Our CODA is a special dive into microbiology with our resident microbiologist Hanna Peach. |
Carbon Dynamics and Climate Change in the Dry Tropics with Associate Professor Kyle DexterJanuary 2021 Join us for this interesting installment of BioPod featuring Associate Professor Kyle Dexter. from the department of Geosciences here at the University of Edinburgh. The episode is about monitoring the carbon dynamics of the dry tropics and climate change. A lot of people know about vegetation, biodiversity, and the abundance of wet tropics such as the Amazonian Rainforest, but let us take you on a journey through the dry tropics and the way climate change will affect habitats for vegetation, animals, and humans over time. This research is important, to understand the dynamics between carbon cycling, vegetation, and the interplay of factors that are both driving and affected by climate change. |
All Hands on Deck: Three Epidemiology PhD Students Who Contributed to COVID-19 Research in Edinburgh
December 2020
Three PhD students, a genomic epidemiologist studying Ebola virus, a molecular epidemiologist studying Polio virus, and an infectious disease modeller studying anti-microbial resistance dynamics between humans and livestock.
So, what do these three researchers have in common, you might wonder? Well, they all lent their expertise to study the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this episode, we will be learning about how COVID-19 shaped their year in research and learn some interesting facts about epidemiology related to our current pandemic.
Women in Science: Featuring Edinburgh academics Prof. Lynne Regan and Prof. Meriem El Karoui
November 2020
A special hour-long feature episode with two inspiring and highly successful academics from the University of Edinburgh: Prof Lynne J. Regan, the Head of the Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology. Lynne is also the Chair in Interdisciplinary Science at the Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology and Prof Meriem el Karoui the Director of SynthSys, and Systems Biology Chair for Equality and Diversity.
Black in Botany: A Discussion with Botany PhD Student Jade Bleau
October 2020
Enter PhD student Jade Bleau's fascinating world of research and advocacy for half an hour.
Crops, Robots and Rolling Pins ft. PhD student Tara Wight
August 2020
Episode 7 of BioPOD on the resilience of plants.
Gene expression in Yeast with Professor Jean Beggs
April 2020
Professor Jean Beggs is a trailblazer, who became an independent researcher, PI and was awarded professorship.
In this episode, she talks about her long and successful career in science, alongside important issues such as imposter syndrome. As a researcher, she is interested in understanding how genes are expressed, in the mechanisms that determines how they are expressed, and how the expression is regulated. Professor Beggs was the first researcher to develop two eukaryotic (yeast, specifically) cloning vectors.
Lamin-A Proteins
February 2020
In this episode, Chris sits down with Dr Alex Makarov who recently completed a PhD in Eric Schirmer's lab in the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology at the University of Edinburgh. His research focused on Lamin A proteins, an important structural protein which give cells their flexibility and shape. Listen until the end to hear our end segment on Veganuary and the future of food.
Begonia BiodiversityDecember 2019 Have you ever wondered how plant scientists discover new species in a genus? In this interview, we sit down with Dr Mark Hughes, a begonia researcher from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, who tells us some fantastic stories about wild begonia. Later, we also discuss the milestone of the century: 100 years of genetics research here at the University of Edinburgh. |
The 500-Year Astrobiology ExperimentAugust 2019 Have you ever wondered how many years microorganisms can survive desiccation, in a closed environment? Listen to Verity from BioPOD interview Dr Toby Samuels from the UK Centre for Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh on the fascinating persistence of microorganisms in this ambitious 500-year experiment. |
Smartphone BiosensorsJuly 2019 We interview Dr Baojun Wang and Dr Xinyi Wan from the Synthetic Biological Circuit Engineering Lab at the University of Edinburgh who specialise in engineering bacteria to act as biosensors. This episode focuses on a fluorescent bacterial biosensor that quantifies levels of toxic arsenic in the environment and connects to a smartphone. |
Chicken BioreactorApril 2019 We interview Dr Lissa Herron from the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh on her research. Chickens can be genetically modified to produce human proteins in their eggs. Research suggests these proteins offer a cost-effective method of producing certain types of high-value drugs currently used in research studies, and potentially, one day in patients. |
BioPOD March 2016
In this episode of BioPOD we talk to Professor Keith Matthews about his Sanofi - Institut Pasteur award for studying Trypanosomes.
We also talk to the Edinburgh iGEM team who developed a paper-based biosensor for screening illicit drugs as well as to Professor Catherine Kidner about her work on how a novel sequencing approach can help to understand why the genus of Inga plants is so diverse. The winner of our logo competition is also announced.
BioPOD October 2015 - Ada Lovelace Day specialAda Lovelace Day is held each year to celebrate the achievements of women in science. This was a perfect opportunity to highlight some of the high quality research output from female researchers in Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences. You’ll get to hear about how mathematical modelling can help to better understand fertility in women, a discussion about issues surrounding women in science and how combining different environmental variables affects the evolution of a green alga. |
BioPOD September 2015In this edition of BioPOD, we’ll be learning about how studying fundamental enzymes can help to tackle parasitic disease from Professor Malcolm Walkinshaw. We’ll also be hearing a bit more about the Excellence with Impact winners before finding out how a group within the school are coming up with new strategies to reduce the spread MRSA. We also announce our logo competition. "Life of Riley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 |
BioPOD April 2015In this episode we present a new BioPOD team and a slightly shorter format. We talk to Gytis Dudas about his work on the Ebola genome and how this might help combat the biggest outbreak of the disease ever seen. We also meet the team from CIIE and ASCUS Art & Science behind a micro-residency featuring in the 2015 Edinburgh International Science Festival, and get to learn about some fascinating behaviour reported in vultures by Dr Luke McNally. |
BioPOD Autumn / November 2013In this episode, BioPOD finds out about begging in beetles and altruism in guppies as well as rams on St. Kilda and the famous Edinburgh alumni Dr. James Young Simpson. We also take a visit to the school of physics to find out about astrobiology and microbes on Mars. These stories and others. |
BioPOD May 2013In May, BioPOD visited the Edinburgh International Science Festival, found out about inbreeding in beetles and a fly that's threatening fruit crops, spoke to an Honorary Professor about his 30 year long career in science as well as taking one last trip to Millport's research station. These stories and others. |
BioPOD February 2013In this episode, BioPOD finds out about an infertility gene in fruit flies, learns how algae will be affected by climate change, investigates how we can save our urban pollinators, and hears about the work done by the famous Edinburgh scientists that our new library is named after. Listen now to these and other stories. |
BioPOD December 2012In this episode, BioPOD discusses phenology, climate change and citizen scientists with Dr Ally Phillimore, talks to Dr Andrew MacDonald about the immune system and some media mishaps, and find out about two new discoveries that could help fight black fever disease (Prof Malcom Walkinshaw) and muscular dystrophies (Dr Eric Schirmer). All those stories and more. |
BioPOD October 2012We hear from Dr. Alex Rowe (IIIR) about the cellular processes involved in severe malaria and Prof Mark Blaxter and Dr John Davey (IEB) about how butterflies avoid being eaten by predators. And we head to the sub-Antarctic to find out about doing field work on Albatrosses in 'BioPOD on the road', and in 'BioBITE' we learn how our bodies control cholesterol levels and how climate change could affect Colombian Ground Squirrel populations. |
BioPOD April 2012In April's episode, Biopod goes on the road to speak to Dr Eric Fèvre in Kenya about his research on locally transmitted zoonotic diseases. We also speak to Mar Carmena about new targets for cancer therapy and find out about novel software for better understanding genetic data. |
BioPOD February 2012In February's episode Keith Matthews describes a new cattle vaccination and Kelly Jobling explains how she found ubiquitin in bacteria. We hear how stem cells could lead to new treatments for Parkinson's disease, and find out how the university has been engaging with the public. |
BioPOD November 2011Dr Katie Stopher tells us about infidelity in red deer and Dr Ben Longdon explains how viruses jump between hosts. We hear about the work of the University Press Office with Catriona Kelly and get some laughs with Bright Club Edinburgh. |
BioPOD August 2011Paul sharp sheds new light on the origins of the Malaria parasite, Patrick Walsh explains what we can learn from observing nest building in weaver birds, and we talk to the producer of the Nature Medicine podcast, who some listeners might just recognise. |
BioPOD June 2011Judy Allen sheds new light on Inflammation, BioPOD visits the Edinburgh International Science Festival, and Dan Nussey tells of his research trip to St Kilda in Science on the Road. Plus Biology World News Round Up, and PHD in the pub. |