Shows
Scientist the Human PodcastSTH - E30 Dr. Kliment Verba - Cryo-EM & COVID-19 virus receptor trapsDr. Kliment Verba is an Assistant Professor at the Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) and Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UCSF. Dr. Verba uses biophysical methods such as cryo-EM (cryogenic electron microscopy) to study structural biology and elucidate how proteins look in 3D, down to atomic details. His work spans topics ranging from cancer biology to virology, including recent work on the COVID-19 virus, which we discuss in this episode. For more information, visit Dr. Verba's profile and the QBI website.
2023-04-241h 00
Biologists Being BasicSARS-CoV-2 VaccinesThe B3 team is back for an episode discussing SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. B3 hosts Robyn and Kelsey are joined by their colleagues Drs. Lorena Zuliani-Alvarez and Ujjwal Rathore, and their guest Laura Gladson, to talk about what vaccines are, as well as our own experiences in getting vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. Then we take a look at the common misconceptions, and try to address frequently asked questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines.
For a full transcript, please visit our website’s transcript page where you can find both the online and downloadable versions. http://biosbeingbasic.podomatic.net/transcripts.
If you have any questions or...
2021-11-241h 27
Biologists Being BasicUpdates on SARS-CoV-2 Part 2In our second episode revisiting SARS-CoV-2 research we examine how SARS-CoV-2 infects cardiac cells and causes damage to the heart. We talk to co-authors Sarah Rockwood, Dr. Juan Perez-Bermejo, and Dr. Serah Kang about how they use induced pluripotent stem cells to study the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on heart tissue.
News coverage of this study, and the STAT article that is referenced during the episode can be found here:
https://abc7news.com/covid-heart-damage-palpitations-san-francisco-gladstone-institutes-attack/10433711/
https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/04/carnage-in-lab-dish-shows-how-coronavirus-may-damage-heart/
The primary peer-reviewed research article, published in Science Translational Medicine, titled “SARS-CoV-2 infection of human iPSC-derived cardiac cells reflects cytopathic features in...
2021-04-211h 02
Biologists Being BasicUpdates on SARS-CoV-2 Part 1In this episode we revisit SARS-CoV-2 research and take a look at new studies that have built on the work completed early in the pandemic. We focus on a story featuring Plitidepsin, a cancer drug that is being repurposed and tested in clinical trials to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection. This discussion features B3 hosts Gina, Mehdi and Robyn who are joined by scientists Dr. Lucy Thorne and Dr. Ann-Kathrin Reuschl.
You can find the first article that was published in Science, “Plitidepsin has potent preclinical efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 by targeting the host protein eEF1A” here: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6532/926
You...
2021-03-311h 04
Biologists Being BasicWomen in ScienceThe B3 team is back and in honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we produced an episode that focuses on women in science. Join B3 hosts Robyn, Paige, Gina, and Alexa as we have a candid discussion about our own experiences in science and the women scientists we have looked up to and learned about during our careers.
If you have any questions or comments you can email us at biologistsbeingbasic@gmail.com or find us on twitter or instagram (@biosbeingbasic).
Episode notes:
The Sago Show by Rachel Lucero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVE8...
2021-03-0847 min
Biologists Being BasicTeam Holiday PartyIn our last episode of 2020, come join our B3 holiday party and get to know teammates Robyn, Michael, Alexa, Gina, Paige, Joe, Mehdi and Kelsey! No science in this one, just some holiday cheer as we sit around the proverbial Zoom fireplace to ask and answer some comical questions.
Episode notes:
If Michael were a wrestler, this is the song he would walk out to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WN0T-Ee3q4
If Mehdi were a wrestler, this is the song he would walk out to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw
2020-12-2429 min
Biologists Being BasicToxoplasma Gondii Part 2: Pascale Guiton, The Scientist Leading the ResearchIn this episode, Biologists Being Basic (B3) hosts Paige, Gina and Robyn continue their conversation with special guest, Professor Pascale Guiton.
Join us for a candid discussion about her path to science, her career in academia, her advocacy of BIPOC voices in STEM, and the importance of diversity, representation, inclusion and equity in the sciences.
Further Resources:
We highly recommend visiting Professor Guiton’s website, where you can find her publications and keep up with her latest science and BIPOC advocacy highlights: https://guitonlab.com/
In addition, if you are interested in the teaching material that was discussed in the ep...
2020-12-1042 min
Biologists Being BasicToxoplasma Gondii Part 1: The Cat ParasiteIn this episode, Biologists Being Basic (B3) hosts Paige, Gina and Robyn talk to special guest, Professor Pascale Guiton, about her research on the fascinating life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii. In part one, we take a deeper look into the science behind the king of parasites.
Further Resources:
For further information on topics we talked about in Episode 7: Part 1, we highly recommend visiting Professor Guiton’s website and looking into her publications: https://guitonlab.com/
In addition, you can watch Dr. Guiton talk about Toxoplasma gondii and her research on QBI TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckixqEbxZfs
For an...
2020-11-1153 min
Biologists Being BasicBananapalooza! (Bonus)In this special bonus episode, Biologists Being Basic (B3) hosts taste a bunch of different varieties of bananas… and that’s it!
No science in this one, but if you want to listen in on our pre-COVID-19 pandemic culinary adventure, you can join B3 hosts Joe, Kelsey, Robyn and our friend Sean (with a special late appearance from Gina) as we taste different banana species.
The Banana Variety pack was purchased from Miami Fruit (https://miamifruit.org/), and if you are curious about what each banana looks like, check out our pictures on instagram (@biosbeingbasic).
2020-10-1927 min
Biologists Being BasicBananapocalypse!In this episode, Biologists Being Basic (B3) hosts Joe, Kelsey and Robyn are joined by our friend Sean to discuss Fusarium wilt, a fungus that threatens bananas as we know them. Listen as we explore the history of this pathogen and its relationship with the yellow tropical fruit that US residents love to eat.
Further Resources:
If you want to learn more about bananas and their history, check out Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World, by Dan Koeppel (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299017/banana-by-dan-koeppel/).
For more technical peer-reviewed articles on TR4 resistant Cavendish strains, we recommend...
2020-10-1442 min
Biologists Being BasicResearch behind the headline: A Cure for the Common Cold?Biologists Being Basic (B3) hosts Kelsey and Robyn are joined by our friends Megan and Gina as we take a look into the basic biology research behind the headline! This week, we look into a group of related viruses that cause the common cold called enteroviruses, and how these enteroviruses rely on a specific host factor inside human cells to replicate.
Further Resources:
Kate Shepherd’s article in The Washington Post, “A cure for the common cold? ‘It’s possible,’ scientists say, after new study finds key protein”, covering the Nature Microbiology paper: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/09/19/common-cold-cure-protein-stanford-research/
The peer-reviewe...
2020-09-3036 min
Biologists Being BasicDown the Reddit Hole - Chubby Bugs and Other ThingsJoin Biologists Being Basic (B3) hosts Paige, Joe, Gina and Robyn as we take a break from published research articles and ask each other science-based questions from Reddit! See how our scientists and non-scientist team members try to think through and answer questions outside their expertise. We talk, we goof, and we learn new things as we explore the realms of science reddit.
Further Resources:
Thanks AskScience Reddit and its users for the questions we answered: https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/
If you are curious about the topics we discussed and want more info, please see the following resources...
2020-09-1631 min
Biologists Being BasicBasic Biologists Take on SARS-CoV-2: Part 3In the final episode of our COVID-19 mini-series, B3 hosts Joe and Robyn discuss an exciting paper looking at SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing. They are joined by UCSF scientists Cody Mowery and Professor Jeff Wittman, and our fabulous non-scientist guests Jacqueline Fabius and Lauren Weiser.
This paper took a good look at the performance of some of the first antibody tests to come on the market, and in this episode we discuss what these findings are and what they mean for the public.
All of the findings we talk about today can be found on the COVID-19 Testing Project webpage here...
2020-09-0259 min
Biologists Being BasicBasic Biologists Take on SARS-CoV-2: Part 2In the second episode of our three-part COVID-19 mini-series, B3 hosts Mehdi and Robyn are joined by our guests Gina and Andrew for an exciting discussion about how the virus hijacks host signaling networks. We focus on a new paper from QBI scientists that uses a special systems biology technique to track changes in protein phosphorylation of infected cells, and to identify key regulatory proteins called kinases that manage these intracellular signalling events. You can find the original peer-reviewed journal article that was published in Cell here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867420308114
In this episode we talk...
2020-08-1948 min
Biologists Being BasicBasic Biologists Take on SARS-CoV-2: Part 1B3 hosts Michael and Robyn are joined by our guests, Megan and Alexa, to talk about recently published research that takes a look into the biology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. We talk about the experiments we use to decipher the molecular mechanisms of infection and then look at how this information can inform clinical researchers looking for new drug treatment options.
You can find the original peer-reviewed journal article that was published in Nature here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2286-9
If you have any questions or comments you can email us at biologistsbeingbasic...
2020-08-0542 min
Biologists Being BasicWhat is Basic Research?In our introductory episode, our Biologists Being Basic (B3) hosts Paige and Robyn sit down with guests Devin and Gina to answer the question, "what is basic research?". We talk about our roles as basic biology researchers and how we try to communicate our work to the world.
If you have any questions or comments you can email us at biologistsbeingbasic@gmail.com or find us on twitter (@biosbeingbasic) or instagram (@biosbeingbasic). See our website for more details (biologistsbeingbasic.com).
2020-07-2917 min
SOS with Molly & AlissaNo.22 A BerenSTAIN On Our MemoriesDo you remember the Berenstain Bears? How about the movie “Shazaam” featuring Sinbad as a genie? Did you know that it’s spelled and pronounced BerenS-T-A-I-N Bears and not BerenSTEIN? Did you know that a movie called “Shazaam” featuring Sinbad as a genie never existed?? This is called the Mandela Effect or collective false-memory phenomenons that we’ve all experienced at some point and we will discuss all of our favorites plus some other conspiracy theories we can’t get enough of. FURTHER RESOURCE INFO:https://qz.com/emails/quartz-obsession/1769667/Netflix docu series: Ha...
2020-06-011h 29