Genetics Unzipped

Genetics Unzipped

From Mendel's peas to personal genome sequencing, Genetics Unzipped brings you stories from the world of genes, genomes and DNA. In association with The Genetics Society.

Episodes

January 25, 2024 37 mins

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This episode is all about the next generation, as we meet three up-and-coming scientists who have been supported by the Genetics Society, and learn all about Bermuda skinks, the Black Death an...

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In this episode, we talk to Greg Radick from the University of Leeds to explore the impact that Gregor Mendel and his populariser William Bat...

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December 21, 2023 35 mins

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As 2023 draws to a close, we’re bringing you a smorgasbord of previously unaired clips from some of our favourite interviews this year.

Full show notes, transcript and refer...

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We discover how 500,000 whole genome from UK Biobank will help medical research, plumb the depths of the ‘dark genome’ with Nucleome, and Larry Moran tells us how much of our DNA is just junk.

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With 2023 marking 40 years since the discovery of HIV, we're looking back over four decades of AIDS, from the earliest whispers of a mysterious new disease to fighting back against this deadly virus.

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Author and science journalist Rebecca Coffey chats with us about some amazing adaptations and Darwinian delights from her book, Beyond Primates. She tells us about wasp facial recognition genes, how yeast epigenetics explain the Dutch Hunger Winter and a dinner party tale of spider cannibalism.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at Gen...

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In this episode we’re clocking in to chat about the genetics of circadian rhythms. How can molecules tell the time, why don’t we have drugs for jet lag yet and could a midnight snack stop malaria in its tracks?

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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We explore the weird and wonderful world of extrachromosomal DNA - what it is, what it does, and why it breaks the normal rules of inheritance.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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We’re finding out how plants adapt to a changing environment, and how we might be able to give them a helping hand so that we can keep feeding the world sustainably in the future.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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In this bonus episode, we’re bringing you the third instalment of Hormones: The Inside Story, Season 3. This podcast is produced for the Society for Endocrinology by the same team behind Genetics Unzipped.

Find it on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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We’re exploring the epic life of Alfred Russel Wallace; adventurer, naturalist and co-discoverer of natural selection. Biologist and author, Jim Costa, recounts the life of this often forgotten founding father of evolution.

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We look at the science behind DNA and RNA vaccines - How do they work? What can they do? And how can they be made at scale so that more people around the world can benefit from them? With John Tregoning from Imperial College London, Christian Ottensmeier from the University of Liverpool, and Lisa Caproni from Touchlight.

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Kat Arney chats with Professor Matthew Cobb about what really happened between James Watson, Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin during the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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We’re going behind the scenes at the Sanger Institute with Cordelia Langford, Director of Scientific Operations, to find out what it takes to make Big Science happen, and hear the stories behind the sequencing.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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We’re chatting with two of this year’s Genetics Society award winners - Cecilia Lindgren, who’s an expert on the genetics of obesity and metabolic disorders, and Lucy van Dorp, who has spent the past three years tracing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 around the world.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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We’re venturing into ancient territory and archaeological digs, excavating the complex ethics of extracting and sequencing DNA from human remains. We chat to Prof. Turi King about her role uncovering the body King Richard III and who decides which research gets done.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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We’re taking a journey into the world of art and artefacts, unearthing the genetic secrets of long-dead legends like Da Vinci, Van Gogh and Beethoven.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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We’re chasing down the perpetrator of a scientific Whodunnit, joining the DNA detectives on the hunt for the causes of cancer.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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In this episode we’re going microscopic, exploring what tiny tardigrades can teach us about desiccation, vaccine delivery … and even space travel!

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com 

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In this episode we’re becoming chromosomal criminals and learning about how researchers are stealing genes from the animal kingdom and using them to improve human health. From 13-lined ground squirrels teaching us how to recover from heart attacks, to bowhead whales showing us how to avoid cancer, there’s a lot geneticists can learn from Mother Nature.

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