Shows
Microbial MondaysThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025 explained!Have you ever wondered how our immune system finds the balance in attacking invading viruses and bacteria that try to enter our bodies, but not attacking our own body cells? The groundbreaking discoveries concerning this topic, called 'peripheral immune tolerance', by Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025! It tells us a lot about how the immune system functions in health and disease!In this episode, we dive into:the discoveries that led to winning this year's Nobel Prize, Mary E...
2025-12-0125 minMicrobial MondaysMicrobial ghost towns: Life after death in the NecrobiomeWelcome to our Halloween special! Once your heart stops, what happens to all of the microbes that call your body home? Tonight, we explore the silent cities left behind when we die. Scientists call this the necrobiome: the community of microbes that thrive on and around decomposing bodies.In this episode we explore how microbes take over our bodies after death, the impact that decomposing bodies can have on the environment around them, and take a look at how microbial activity can even help forensic scientists estimate time of death.Let's...
2025-10-3122 minMicrobial MondaysOrigins Unresolved: Tracing SARS-CoV-2’s SourceWhere did SARS-CoV-2 come from?In this episode of Microbial Mondays, we unpack the findings from the WHO’s Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO)’s recent report. We revisit key theories, from a natural spillover event involving bats or intermediate hosts, to the lab leak hypothesis—and discuss why neither can be dismissed outright.Join us as we explore what’s known, what’s missing, and why uncovering the virus’s origins matters for preventing future pandemics.More reading We cove...
2025-10-0638 minMicrobial MondaysAre we what we eat? How diet impacts the immune systemHippocrates said, “let food be they medicine.” Was he right? In this episode, Alex and Merel dive into this question from an immunological point of view. Join is for a balanced take on the links between diet, health, and the immune system, in which we explore the evidence on if different diets can impact the functioning of our immune system — and if so, how. A hint? Our gut microbes may play a role 🦠 This episode was produced by Alex Cloherty, Merel Sijbranda...
2025-09-0123 minMicrobial MondaysSex meets immunologyHave you ever wondered how the immune system differs in men versus women? For instance, did you know that:Men get more viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections, for example HIV and tuberculosisWomen are more prone to develop autoimmune diseases. For example, for an autoimmune disease called lupus, 9 out of 10 patients are womenWomen have stronger antibody responses to vaccination, and antibody responses to seasonal influenza vaccines are consistently at least twice as strong in women than menMen show an almost twofold higher risk of death from malignant cancer than women.In this...
2025-07-0728 minMicrobial MondaysMycorrhizae & microplastics: Working with microbes for a changing planetHow can microbes help us to “survive the next century without a wrenching global catastrophe’? This episode is inspired by a book called The Wizard & The Prophet, by Charles C Mann. It’s all about two different ways that scientists tend to view the challenge that humanity must face in order to survive — and maybe even thrive — on earth in the future. In this episode, we take a microbial view. First, we focus in on one story about how microbes can help from the ‘prophet’ perspective – working with microbes to preserve ecosystems. Then, we dive into a story fro...
2025-06-0229 minMicrobial MondaysMicrobes in medicine: Yeast as a mobile, miniature medicine factoryMicrobes are living things, like us - they live on and in and around us. As well as learning more and more how we co-live with them, scientists have now also figured out how to use microbes as tools.In this episode, Alex and Merel explain one way in which microbes - in particular yeast, a type of fungus - can be used as a tool for medicine. We break down a scientific study in which scientists experimented with using yeast as a way to deliver cancer therapeutics to the right part of the b...
2025-05-0524 minMicrobial MondaysHiding in plain sight: How microbes mimic us and the unfortunate consequencesHave you ever come across a stick insect? They look exactly like tree branches, blending in perfectly with their surroundings as a strategy for survival. By hiding in plain sight, they avoid detection by predators. Just like stick insects survive by blending in with their surroundings, viruses and bacteria can do the same to avoid our immune systems and survive in our bodies. But when microbes mimic us, they may inadvertently mess with our immune systems. Researchers suspect that it could even trigger the development of autoimmune diseases. Listen...
2025-04-0723 minMicrobial MondaysViruses vs. vaccines: Why do we need to get some vaccinations more often than others?Have you ever wondered why you need some vaccinations more often than others? Listen in to Merel and Alex to find out how vaccines train the different specialized cells of your immune system to fight viruses... And how viruses are constantly fighting back.
2025-03-0325 minMicrobial MondaysMicrobial Mondays: Get to know your hostsWelcome to the Microbial Mondays podcast! In this first episode, your hosts Merel Sijbranda and Alex Cloherty introduce themselves, let you know what you can expect from this podcast, and then dive into the science by explaining the focuses of our own PhD projects. Listen in to find out about the work we did (Alex) or are doing (Merel) to better understand how your immune cells - which all have different jobs - band together to defend against threats ranging from HIV to SARS-CoV-2 and beyond.
2025-02-0335 min
MetaphoriginsS5E1 - Audacious Audio & Public Speaking with Alex Cloherty (PhD Student)Buzzsprout Affiliate Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=891796Connect with guest Alex Cloherty via Twitter: @alexgoesviralCheck out her blog "Microbial Mondays" via her websiteSee her winning FameLab International Heat Video on YouTubeFollow the TOPX network initiatives via Twitter @TOPXNetworkTimestamps00:00 - Introduction02:20 - Segment 1: Edison 2.0 (Short Story)12:28 - Segment 2: The Origin of "Mic Drop" (Metaphor History)23:47 - Segment 3: Public Speaking (Communication Topic)35:36 - Segment 4: Talk With Alex Cloherty (Guest Inte...
2023-05-291h 29
Language During MealtimeInterview with SLP and Author Lisa Cloherty, Author of Terrance The HotheadTerrance The Hothead written by Lisa Cloherty and illustrated by Alex Lopez is a story about big feelings and emotional regulation. Terrance the Hothead has big feelings and feels overwhelmed with big emotions each time a problem arises. He starts with a simmer, steam, and then explodes! How can he regulate his emotions better so he can begin to develop friendships with others? Terrance learns some key strategies from Coach Ice and Lady Grey throughout the book to help keep him more regulated. This picture book helps give children the language to talk about big feelings and how to...
2022-03-0729 min
The Struggling ScientistsEpisode 21: Invited Scientist international FameLab winner Alex ClohertyIn this first episode of the year, we talked with Alex Cloherty. She won the international Famelab competition for science communication in 2021! We talked with her about this competition and about science communication in general. She has a really nice blog Microbial Mondays and a Youtube channel Alexgoesviral. Check her out if you are interested in learning more about microbes, from bacteria to viruses to fungi.www.microbialmondays.comwww.youtube.com/user/alex1492cloIf you have any questions, comments suggestions, or papers we really need to read, you can reach out...
2022-01-0343 min
It's All Journalism5 more podcasts to check outIn this special podcast, It’s All Journalism producer Michael O’Connell talks to Erica Mandy of The Newsworthy; Chistiane Wisehart of Examining Ethics; Sonja and Alex Overhiser of A Couple Cooks: Small Bites Podcast; Jerod Morris, Andy Bottoms and Ryan Phillips of The Assembly Call; and Paul Gilmartin of the Mental Illness Happy Hour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2019-06-1810 minIt's All Journalism#329— Looking back at the subprime mortgage crisis, 10 years laterHard to believe it's been 10 years since the housing bubble burst, sending the stock market into a tailspin. Lisa Rowan, a senior writer and on-air analyst with The Penny Hoarder, and Alex Mahadevan, a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder, discuss their publication's major project The American Nightmare: 10 Years Later with producer Michael O'Connell, detailing how readers were willing to open up about a dark time in their lives and what they've found has changed in the years following. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...
2018-10-2532 min
The Comedians at Law PodcastEpisode 72 - NFL Tight End-Turned Law Student, Colin Cloherty, CVS Stops Selling Cigs, Woody Allen & Dylan Farrow, and a PR Fiasco from PSH's FuneralThis week, Alex and Ndidi are at the controls for a fascinating episode, including: an interview with NFL Tight End-turned law student, Colin Cloherty, a look at CVS's decision to stop selling cigarettes, the continuing coverage of the Woody Allend & Dylan Farrow controversy, and finally a sad and regrettable public relations fiasco at Philip Seymour Hoffman's funeral.
For more from the Comedians at Law please follow them on Twitter @comediansatlaw. And, for news about bookings, email them at info@comediansatlaw.com
2014-02-1048 min