Lab Notes
11 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago -The 21st century is the century of biology. Discoveries made in the lab today will shape the cures of tomorrow. Hosted by award-winning science writer Rachel Tompa and creator Rob Piercy, Lab Notes pulls back the curtain on the human stories behind headline-grabbing scientific studies and breakthroughs. Lab Notes is a production of the Allen Institute.
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
The mystery of long COVID
August 16, 2023 22:00 - 21 minutes - 29.4 MBWhere are we with long COVID? Researchers at the Allen Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center are working to understand the science behind this new chronic disease. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the scientific advancements aiming to shape the cures of tomorrow with Lab Notes: A podcast from the Allen Institute. Streaming everywhere.
Cracking the code of addiction
October 12, 2022 23:00 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBReward is essential for life. Our brains flood with feel-good chemicals when we learn, eat, have sex. But these essential brain circuits are hijacked in drug addiction. Neuroscientists at the Allen Institute and the University of North Carolina are working to crack the biology of reward and addiction. Hear about their work and their hopes for the future of treating addiction in this episode of Lab Notes. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the scientific advanc...
Bees suffer from social isolation too
August 24, 2022 19:00 - 21 minutes - 29.8 MBIt is no secret that social isolation has major developmental consequences on humans, but what about other social creatures like bumblebees? Neuroscientist Z Yan Wang investigated how social isolation impacted young bumblebees, and it looks like they grow up to be a little ‘socially awkward.’ Dr. Wang joins Lab Notes to talk about one of her favorite social insects. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the scientific advancements aiming to shape the cures of tom...
Building a consciousness meter with Christof Koch
May 26, 2022 00:00 - 21 minutes - 28.9 MBCan we put a number on human consciousness? Neuroscientist Christof Koch is leading an effort to build a consciousness meter that could have real-world applications to determine whether coma patients are in a true vegetative state. Christof joined Lab Notes to talk about the science of consciousness, what psychedelic drugs have to do with consciousness, and how this new project could one day have applications in hospitals and clinics. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. H...
Why don't we understand the brain?
March 14, 2022 19:00 - 20 minutes - 28.2 MBScientists have known for centuries that the brain is the seat of human thought, but we’re still in the dark about how it works. For Brain Awareness Week 2022, Lab Notes asked four neuroscientists to get into the weeds with us about why the brain is so complicated and hard to understand. Do we have any hope of understanding our own brains? Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the scientific advancements aiming to shape the cures of tomorrow with Lab Notes: A pod...
Fire Inside: The quest to understand & prevent rheumatoid arthritis
May 17, 2021 18:00 - 19 minutes - 27.3 MBIn the early '80s, Linda Sloate was a 30-year old mom raising three little kids when she became one of an estimated 20 million people worldwide living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has been a 40-year struggle filled with dozens of treatments and surgeries. Today there is new hope for patients as researchers have come together for a collaborative project to uncover how RA begins – and how to stop it in its tracks. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the sci...
The novelist and the scientist
March 01, 2021 23:00 - 20 minutes - 28.2 MBWhen neuroscientist Christina Kim published an important research study, her close friend, novelist Yaa Gyasi, wanted to understand more about her friend’s work, so she asked to shadow her in the lab. That experience eventually formed the basis for Gyasi’s moving novel about addiction and mental illness, Transcendent Kingdom. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the scientific advancements aiming to shape the cures of tomorrow with Lab Notes: A podcast from the ...
Starved but unable to eat: Life with Crohn's
December 22, 2020 02:00 - 16 minutes - 22.6 MBAldan Beaubien was in high school when a smorgasbord of bagels, cream cheese and apple juice left him in agony. Months later, doctors diagnosed him with Crohn's disease. Now an IT engineer at a research institute studying the disease, Aldan has new hope for better treatments or even a cure. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the scientific advancements aiming to shape the cures of tomorrow with Lab Notes: A podcast from the Allen Institute. Streaming everywhere.
SCANning for coronavirus
September 22, 2020 20:00 - 19 minutes - 26.3 MBIn the winter of 2019, a series of storms dubbed “Snowpocalypse” dumped more than 20 inches of snow on the Seattle area, forcing the closure of schools and businesses. This weather-induced social-distancing caused flu cases to plummet. What researchers learned from these snowstorms helped prepare them for the coronavirus pandemic and find what, at the time, were the earliest known cases of community spread. Their work has gone on to provide invaluable data that social distancing works to slo...
Taming the Beast
August 04, 2020 23:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBWhen the first U.S. COVID-19 cases began arriving at the hospital, doctors nicknamed the illness "The Beast" because of the way it attacked the body. Dr. Ryan Padgett treated several patients before he himself became infected and nearly died. How can this beast be tamed? A team of researchers in Ohio believes they have identified a set of tools that could help save lives and speed recovery times for patients like Dr. Padgett. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about...
A face mask that detects coronavirus
April 27, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes - 10 MBWhat if there were a face mask that could tell you you're infected with coronavirus before you ever show symptoms? In this episode we chat with Allen Distinguished Investigator Jim Collins from MIT and the Wyss Institute, about a wearable diagnostic that could help in the fight to trace and contain COVID-19 infections. Behind every science headline, there is a human story. Hear about the scientific advancements aiming to shape the cures of tomorrow with Lab Notes: A podcast from the Allen ...