Shows
UC Merced presents RadioBioChapter 5: Mental Health w/ Dr. GonzalezThroughout this historic pandemic, there have been many changes to our social and work environments that have been far from our baseline. Work from home, has led to greater isolation and less ability to socialize with our coworkers and friends. This has undoubtedly affected the mental health of people all over the world, and this topic came up during chapter 4 of our COVID interview series, when Dr. Allen spoke about the mental health crisis emerging in Mariposa due to the stress of this pandemic. This inspired us to reach out to a mental health professional, specifically Dr. Tania Gonzalez, our...2021-09-0326 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioChapter 4: Public Health w/ Dr. AllenAll over the news, we hear about drug development and vaccines, masks wearing, and being in a red or purple tier, but have you considered how this is affecting communities, maybe your community? In this interview with Dr. Kristina Allen, Deputy Director of Public Health from Mariposa county, we discussed coordinated response to the COVID-19 outbreak as well as the mental state of communities that have been affected by COVID-19, and how local governments and rural areas are fighting to keep their community alive. This is chapter 4 of our COVID interview series, in which we interview a series of professionals o...2021-09-0226 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioChapter 3: Doctors in the Pandemic w/ Dr. ZweiflerCOVID 19 has changed so many things about the world we live in, but few things have changed as much as our perceptions of public health and its role in our modern society. How has the US reacted to COVID 19, and what things could we have done better? What if our social services and health services could be better integrated? How does testing and contact tracing actually happen to monitor the transmission of coronavirus? Today, we answer all of these questions and more by talking with Dr. Zweifler, a medical consultant from the Fresno County Health Department. This is chapter 3 of...2021-09-0123 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Ashkaan Fahimipour: Ecological networksLife is complicated. Breaking down the living world into understandable pieces requires good experiments AND good theories. Science thrives on the feedback between theory and data. Our guest today specializes in connecting theories and models to empirical data from experiments. Join us for a fascinating discussion of ecological models, ecological experiments, and everything in between!2021-05-2229 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Orion WeinerIt can be hard to make decisions, but do you know that your cells makes decisions too? What is even more amazing is that we can actually watch cells do this. This week we discuss cells and how they communicate and understand each other with Dr. Orion Weiner from the UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute.2021-05-1822 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Noah Whiteman: Coevolution and InsectsHave you ever wondered what's the difference between a bug and an insect? Are spiders even an insect? Wait are lobsters and crabs related to bugs? Why do we even care about these insects and parasites? Well, we all know that bees are important for our food because they pollinate many of our plants that produce food for us, but insects have lead to many other discoveries. Did you know that many human genes that have been shaped by Darwinian evolution are genes that are involved with dealing with viruses and large parasites? Crazy right? Well today, we dive into D...2021-04-2428 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Rima McLeodHave you ever wondered why pregnant women shouldn't change the litter box? How about why your meat should always be well cooked? Well, one of those reasons is Toxoplasma gondii. Over 2 billion people are infected with this brain parasite. However, our understanding of the effects of Toxoplasma on humans, especially on their brain are small. Almost as small as the parasite itself. This week on RadioBio, we discuss who gets this parasite, what we can do to prevent or treat it and an introduction into the research taking place to discover the role of this parasite in the body with...2021-03-3024 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Rachel BayHumans might be the worlds greatest evolutionary force. From pollution to deforestation, human induced changes have a huge impact on the environment around us. But how are animals adapting to the changes in their environment? This week on RadioBio, we talk with Dr. Rachel Bay from the University of California, Davis about her work investigating evolutionary genomics in an ever-changing world.2021-03-0924 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioRichard Locksley: Allergies and ImmunityAchoo! Ah, allergies, the first sign of spring or also a sign that the barista accidentally did make your coffee with whole milk instead of soy. But what is your body doing during an immune response? Particularly, an allergy immune response. And why are your cells causing you so much misery? Well, join us this week as we dive into the fascinating roles that our immune system plays during allergic responses with Dr. Richard Locksley.2021-02-1926 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Rachel MeyerDNA is all over the place. It sheds from everything, everywhere, throughout time. What if you could just scoop it up and figure out what it is... well, we can! Environmental DNA, or eDNA, is DNA that's left over in the environment and is an important tool we can use to understand life as we know it. This week on RadioBio, we talk with Dr. Rachel Meyer from UC Santa Cruz all about eDNA-- how you collect it and what you can do with it, and even how you can get involved. This is RadioBio.2021-02-0525 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Devavani ChatterjeaSpring and Fall are often accompanied by a chorus of sneezes-- allergies are the bane of this beautiful time! Allergies, our immune system’s response to foreign substances, can be more than uncomfortable-- long term exposure to allergens can be linked to chronic pain. This week on RadioBio We talk with Dr. Devavani Chatterjea from McAlaster College about her work investigating the link between allergies and chronic pain.2020-11-1325 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioFire and Fungi: Dr. Sydney GlassmanEver wonder what it takes for a forest to regenerate after a devastating wildfire? Turns out microscopic fungi in soils play a big role in that recovery. These fungi partner up with all kinds of plants, helping out in many environments and industries, from helping crops to flourish to restoring plant biodiversity. Join us as we discuss these topics and more with Dr. Sydney Glassman. This is RadioBio.2020-10-3021 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Roberto Andresen Eguiluz: Molecular Machines and MechanismsFrom gummy bears to cars we learn the importance of adhesion and lubricants for everyday life. Whether you're a muscle on a rock trying to hold on during high tide, or you're a runner and relying on the lubricants to keep your knees moving. The research that is conducted to understand these phenomenon can help us fix issues in health care that many of us suffer from, such as arthritis or joint damage from injuries. Today, we will explore the concepts of adhesion and lubricants that are all around us with this weeks guest Dr. R. A. Eguiluz. This is R...2020-10-1627 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioDr. Roberta PelandaThe immune system is complex, full of lairs of communication and strict regulation, all to keep us healthy and alive. But what happens when those checkpoints break down? In this weeks episode, we learn about how B-cells can turn against us and what that means. We talk to Dr. Roberta Polenda from University Colorado, Denver about her research on this subject.2020-10-0224 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioHomeostatic Regulation in the Brain: Dr. Dion DickmanHave you ever thought about brains? Our brains are seriously important, that's not news, but how do they actually work? There is a delicate balance between order and chaos. RadioBio this week is all about stability in the brain. Hopefully by the end you'll know a little bit more about how your brain works!2020-05-1525 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioThe Good, The Bad, and The Embryos: CRISPR with Dr. Joe Bondy-DenomyCRISPR. You may have heard about it in the news. It's arguably the biggest discovery of the 21st century, and could possibly be a cure for some of the genetic disorders that have plagued humans throughout our history. It was initially identified in the early 1990s and more recently it was discovered to be the immune system used by bacteria to fight off viral infections. Until recently there were no known mechanism for inhibiting the infections caused by these bacteria-infecting viruses. Dr. Joe Bondy-Denomy is a leader in the CRISPR field and discovered anti-CRISPRS, the system used by viruses to h...2020-05-0117 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioARC, A Gene to Remember: Dr Jason ShepherdHave you ever been curious about how our brains "learn" and why only somethings seem to "stick" and others seem to fade away as time goes on? I know I have. How are memories stored? Today we are going to explore the brain's amazing ability to learn and store information over a lifetime, as well as a recently discovered mechanism of neuronal communication that resembles the life-cycle of retroviruses.2020-04-1622 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioImmunity by Community: Dr. Kathryn Milligan-MyhreYou and I .... are completely different.... Not just because we like different music or have different parents, but because we are more than individuals. We contains multitudes of microbial communities and, believe it or not, my community is different than yours. Today, we are talking with Dr. Kathryn Milligan-Mhyre about her research into how microbes associate with hosts and how those microbes change over time2020-04-0120 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioTracking Foodborne Pathogens: Dr. Ruth TimmeDo you grow your own food or butcher your own meat? Many of us don't. We get our food from a lot of different places in our modern society and we have a global network of food import and export. But what happens when there is contamination in our food supply? How do we know where the contamination is coming from when our food is coming from all over the place? Join us as we find out how we can use genomic data to explore this issue in this episode of RadioBio.2020-03-1222 min
UC Merced presents RadioBioThe Genomic Saga Within: Dr. Nitin PhadnisHave you ever thought about how weird hybrids actually are? Some hybrids seem to be a contradiction: they can't reproduce! How could nature allow this? Today we discuss the evolutionary conflict of speciation, hybrids, and sterility.2020-02-1322 min