Shows
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessTiny flies, but big discoveries! How the fruitfly changed humanity's courseSend us a textFruit flies, scientifically known as Drosophila melanogaster, may appear as common pests, but they have been indispensable to biological research for over a century. These small insects have significantly advanced our understanding of genetics, development, and disease. This discussion explores why Drosophila is a key model organism, highlights its contributions to science, and examines the creative gene names that reflect the ingenuity of researchers. First, let’s clarify: what is a model organism, and why was a fruit fly chosen for study instead of a larger animal? Give a listen to find out....
2025-08-1017 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessProf. Dr. Mario Capecchi or how to go from being a homeless child to Nobel Prize winnerSend us a textMario Capecchi was one of the 3 scientists who were awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007 “for their discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells”. However, him winning the most prestigious prize in science was not the most impressive thing he did in his life. For reference in terms of level of difficulty, it is somewhere above winning a Nobel prize and below surviving academic politics. He overcame abject poverty and homelessness as a child, with his earliest memory of his moth...
2025-07-2720 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessMice as discovery driver or how to be small, but help achieve great thingsSend us a textMice (17th century- current)Some find them cute, some find them repulsive, and science finds them useful. Mice have been a model organism for a bit over a century and is by far the most used nowadays. Let’s find out what these little creatures did for scientific discoveries and learn cool facts about them at the same time. Resources:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-021-00849-xhttps://www.labome.com/method/Laboratory-Mice-and-Rats.htmlhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B97...
2024-04-2819 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessProf. Rita Levi-Montalcini or how to create a completely new science field in one's bedroomSend us a textProfessor Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909-2012)A developmental biologist who left an indelible mark on the field of neuroscience through her groundbreaking discoveries and unwavering dedication to scientific inquiry, despite being forced at one point to conduct her research from the confinements of her bedroom in Turin. From her pioneering research on nerve growth factor (NGF) (which was found to also be involved memory and learning, physical and mental illnesses, and led to antibody based therapies decades after its discovery), to her advocacy for gender equality in academia, Rtia’s contributions continue to ins...
2024-04-2032 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessWilliamina Paton Fleming or how to go from being a maid to changing astronomy foreverSend us a textFleming, Williamina Paton (1857–1911) A single mum, deserted by her husband in a time when women were second class citizens and weren’t allowed to get a higher education, Williamina Paton Fleming rose from the humble position of maid to one of the most famous astronomers in history. She supervised the cataloging of hundreds of thousands of stars, refined the star hunting method and changed the face of astronomy forever. This is the story of an immigrant woman that beat her circumstances and the system by choosing science.Email: choosingscience@gmail...
2023-07-0228 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessProf. Dr. Frits Zernike or how the Nazis did something good by mistakeSend us a textFrits Zernike Although he spent his whole life from birth to retirement in the cities of Amsterdam and then Groningen, his life was far from ordinary. Incredibly intelligent and gifted, having the rare combination of simultaneously being a fine theoretician and skilled experimentalist, Frits Zernike started his scientific journey in astronomy and then applied his findings in microscopy. Before his discovery was recognised and awarded a Nobel prize, the Nazis were the first to see the potential in Zernike’s achievement and popularized it, altough it was made public for more tha...
2023-03-1230 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessProf. Dr. Lynn Margulis or how to be so good you get to use swearwords in your scientific titlesSend us a textAlthough now Lynn Margulis is as the historian Jan Sapp has said "as synonymous with symbiosis as Charles Darwin's is with evolution", she faced intense criticism in her lifetime. At the beginning her ideas elicited responses such as, "Your research is crap. Don't ever bother to apply again" and has been intitally rejected by 15 journals, in the end her passion and stubbornness prevailed. Strong in her opinions and unbothered by other people's vitriolic attitudes, she was also soft at heart and left a lasting mark on many lives. Lynn lived on one speed...
2022-12-1946 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessDr. Walle Nauta or how to stick it to the Nazis while revolutionising neuroscienceSend us a textDr. Walle Nauta was not only a brilliant neuroanatomist and scientist of the 20th century, but also a selfless, brave soul. He revolutionised research tools in neuroscience, making it possible to better understand one of the biggest mysteries of humankind, our brain. Exigent, but kind, intuitive, but rigorous, and most of all, humble, he lived a life to remember. List of interesting people: John Boren, JosephBrady, Boyd Campbell, Sven Ebbesson, Ford Ebner,Michael Fuortes, Robert Galambos, William Hodos, DavidHubel, Harvey Karten, JacSue Kehoe, John Ma...
2022-06-2020 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessDr. Hilde Mangold or how to live your life on fast forwardSend us a textThe short but fruitful life of Hilde Mangold produced one of the few doctoral dissertation that has ever been directly linked to a Nobel prize. Hilde performed transplantations of cells from one darker newt embryo (type of amphibian) into a receiver lighter embryo in order to see if the transplanted cells will trigger the formation of parallel body axis that can be distinguished between them by colour. After hundreds of such delicate and complex transplantations, she managed to obtain such animals, proving the fact that thise specific cells were behind the rearrangement a...
2022-04-0227 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessDr. George Washington Carver or how to have God as your lab assistantSend us a textBorn just as slavery was abolished, Dr. George Washington Carver has managed to change the agricultural landscape of America through pure empiricism and perseverance and was one of the first African-American pioneers and inventors who rose all by himself to popularity and international recognition. Take a listen to te biography of a man that has touched many lives only by being his humble but eccentric self and through his geniune admiration of all God's creation. A man who was driven by pure curiosity and gratitude, who approched research as a way of bei...
2022-01-3031 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessDr. Eng. Eliza Leonida-Zamfirescu (or how to crush your oposition with an ungodly amount of patience and work)Send us a textHave you ever asked yourself who were the first women that had the courage to go against society's expectations and pursue "unfeminine" careers such as engineering? (the only answer accepted here is "yes", sorry).Then you might be interested in finding out more about one of the first womn engineer, Eliza Leonida-Zamfirescu, a courageous woman who chose science in a time when following such interests were unheard of and frowned upon. She wasn't only gifted with a sharp mind and curiosity, but also with a kind and tender heart that determined h...
2021-11-1417 min
Choosing Science: Stories of Perseverance, Humanity, and SuccessSir John Bertrand Gurdon (or how to succeed at proving people wrong)Send us a textFor the pilot episode of Choosing Science, we are going to learn about a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine who by all accounts of his school teachers shouldn't have even be able to pass a science test. He is a great example of inspiring rebellion and wholesome self acceptance, combined with pure curiosity and scientific passion.I recommend watching the full interview given by Sir Gurdon at the Nobel Prize ceremony: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2012/gurdon/interview/ Support the show Email: choosingscience@gmail.com
2021-10-0336 min