Science is Fun!
59 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago -“Science is fun!” is a podcast about the trials and tribulations of famous scientists and rising stars. We dig deep into the backstories behind the science, explain how the big discoveries were made, and discuss how you too can participate in the next big step forward.
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Episodes
How genes get turned off
March 17, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBToday I'm joined by another floor-mate of mine at UCSF, Bassem Al-Sady. Bassem's lab does beautiful and elegant work on how genes are silenced in cells ranging from yeast to stem cells. He explains all the mysteries that remain about this fundamental process and that aspects of it date back to the earliest types of cells. We also talk about his innovative teaching efforts and how to improve graduate education.
What boxing teaches us about autoimmunity
March 03, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 89.1 MBThis week I'm so thrilled to interview Dr. Stephen Hauser, author of "The Face Laughs While the Brain Cries." He discusses a remarkable career as a physician-scientist, in which he uncovered a key role for B cells in the debilitating autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis. More remarkably, his perseverance led to the transformative drugs that are now available for this disease, emphasizing the importance of basic science for addressing long-standing healthcare challenges and the unique lens t...
Can we eat saturated fat again?
February 18, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 103 MBThis week I'm so thrilled to interview Dr. Ron Krauss. Ron has make seminal contributions to our understanding of heart disease, including early work on cholesterol and his ongoing studies of statins. He explains why human nutrition is so hard and what is needed to provide more predictive dietary guidelines.
Synbio meets immunotherapy
February 04, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 96.3 MBSynthetic biologist Kole Roybal joins us today. Kole is a leader in the emerging area of cell therapy, and has developed sophisticated ways of controlling immune cells for the treatment of cancer. He explains what led to these very recent breakthroughs and what he's excited about next.
Finding the AIDS virus
January 21, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBThis week I'm joined by Jay Levy, a world expert in HIV. Jay was one of the first people to isolate the virus and had made numerous contributions to our understanding of HIV and AIDS. He walks us through this fascinating history and the current challenges in this area.
Natural born killers
January 07, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 81.8 MBI'm thrilled to interview Lewis Lanier this week, who recently stepped down as my department chair. Lewis has had a remarkable career in science and industry, including the early days of flow cytometry and the discovery of a new type of immune cell dubbed the "natural killer cell". He explains how these NK cells were found and why they're so unique and fascinating.
Placentas are amazing
December 17, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBThis week my guest is Dr. Susan Fisher, a world renowned expert in the placenta. She explains how truly remarkable the placenta is and how it overturns a lot of what we normally assume about the body.
The bacterial cell whisperer
December 03, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 74.4 MBI'm am so excited to welcome Dr. Shaeri Mukherjee to the show. Shaeri is my next-door neighbor at UCSF and has been dubbed the "bacteria whisperer". Her lab uses bacteria as tools to uncover fundamental insights into cell biology.
Filming a movie using CRISPR technology
February 10, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 83.4 MBWe’re back this week with Seth Shipman from the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco. Seth has built molecular recording devices that can record data within living cells. He even used these methods to re-create one of the first movies put to film. This work has clear technological implications and is also providing insights into phage biology.
Who needs a biochemist when you have tiny beads?
January 27, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBWe’re back this week with Polly Fordyce. Polly is an Assistant Professor of Genetics and Bioengineering at Stanford. She has built remarkable tools for studying transcription factors and enzymes, really accelerating what is possible and opening up new areas of study. She explains why hydrogels are so cool and how you too can use them in your research program.
Fruit flies love the metaverse
January 13, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 100 MBScience is Fun is finally back after a long hiatus. Where have we been? I’ve been doing science now that the pandemic slow-down has lifted. So much science to do, so little time! I’ve got an exciting line-up for the next few weeks - a mini-season of shows. I hope you enjoy it and stay subscribed to the show for when our next full season launches. This week I welcome Dr. Yvette Fisher to the show. Yvette is a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley. She does wild experiments,...
Don't Panic! How to live with COVID-19
September 26, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 109 MBI'm am so excited to welcome Dr. Monica Gandhi to the show. Throughout the pandemic, Monica has been a source of reliable and clear headed insight, especially with regards to the importance of re-opening schools. This conversation remains timely given the increasing rate of infections and stalled vaccination effort.
How to design a drug in an afternoon
August 22, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 87.5 MBThis week I chat with another talented chemist: Bill DeGrado from UCSF. Bill is a pioneer in the de novo design of proteins. He talks about how he got into this area and how it has created opportunities to treat disease.
Enzyme spotting
August 15, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 109 MBThis week I'm joined by Charly Craik, a chemist at UCSF who develops sophisticated tools for studying biology. He talks about his quest to watch enzymes function in real-time in cells and even whole mice, and how his research is paving the way for new therapies for HIV, cancer, and COVID-19.
Should scientists be politicians?
May 23, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 101 MBKeith Yamamoto, the Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Strategy at UCSF, explains why he has been committed throughout his career to reform the funding, publication, and practice of science. He also discusses his vision for the future of precision medicine and how team-based projects could accelerate scientific progress.
Do we already know the cure for cancer?
May 09, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 94.1 MBDr. Alan Venook is a renowned expert on gastrointestinal malignancies at UCSF. He discusses the innovative ways doctors are treating cancer, the challenges of designing clinical trials, and the future of cancer therapy.
Should biologists spend less time doing experiments?
May 02, 2021 04:00 - 2 hours - 116 MBKC Huang, a physicist at Stanford with one of the most eclectic research histories I've seen, patiently explains photons, the biophysics of cell shape, and why biologists should embrace theory.
What is curiosity-driven science?
April 25, 2021 04:00 - 2 hours - 115 MBDr. Hiten Madhani is an expert in yeast biology, including the neglected human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. Hiten's lab has made major contributions to our understanding of gene splicing, gene silencing, and quorum sensing. These eclectic areas arise organically from his group's ability to follow the data and their own curiosity, coupled to his strategy of encouraging trainees to follow their passion.
What is a nuclear lamina and why should you care?
April 18, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBDr. Abby Buchwalter, my former classmate from Washington University in Saint Louis, tells us why everyone should care about the nuclear lamina. She also talks about the winding path of discovery and her efforts to found the SciChats outreach program at the Salk Institute.
Can ticks teach us how to make better hand sanitizer?
April 11, 2021 04:00 - 2 hours - 115 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Seemay Chou, my colleague at UCSF who uses ticks as a model system for host-microbial interactions. She talks about her remarkable discovery of bacteria genes that have transferred into ticks and how they serve to protect ticks from microbes found on human skin.
Can dieting help you live forever?
April 04, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Emily Goldberg, a brand new faculty member at UCSF. She talks about growing up with academic parents and how she got into the rapidly growing field of immunometabolism, as well as the complex role of ketogenic diets and caloric restriction is shaping aging and susceptibility to infection.
Do microbes control our immune system?
March 28, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 154 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Sarkis Mazmanian, a Professor at Cal Tech, and certified Genius by the MacArthur Foundation. Sarkis talks about how he got into microbiome research and his remarkable contributions to infectious disease, immunology, and neurology.
Why can't you understand what your Doctor is talking about?
March 21, 2021 04:00 - 2 hours - 134 MBMy first international guest, the renowned Irish microbiome researcher Fergus Shanahan, talks about his new book "The Language of Illness" and his eclectic research on the inflammatory bowel diseases (plural!), physical fitness (not exercise!), and Irish Travelers (popularized by the movie Snatch).
Can the cheese in your fridge get you a PhD?
February 21, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 93.6 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Rachel Dutton from UCSD who is recognized in both scientific and culinary circles for her ingenious use of cheese rinds as a model system to study microbial ecology. Learn more about what inspired her to take up this line of research and what they have learned so far.
Why COVID-19 isn’t the end of our fight against infectious disease
February 07, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Gerry Wright, a Professor at McMaster who is renowned for his efforts to understand and combat antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microbes. This interview is especially timely given the ongoing pandemic and the need to invest more heavily in infectious disease research.
How to start a lab during a pandemic
January 17, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Aspen Reese, a new faculty at the University of California, San Diego. Aspen talks about the unique challenges of starting a lab during a pandemic and shares how her background in ecology and evolution has provided a unique lens to understand the human microbiome.
How to make drugs safer and combat aging
January 10, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Garret Fitzgerald, the Director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania. We discuss his current work at Calico, a Google backed company that aims to combat aging, including Garret's fascination with circadian rhythms. He also explains his key role in revealing the dangerous side effects of selective inhibitors of COX-2, leading to removing Vioxx from the market in 2004 and a black box warning on its competitor C...
Why volcanos matter for tracing outbreaks
January 03, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 108 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Martin Blaser. I know Marty well due to his more recent work on antibiotics and their off-target impacts on the gut microbiome, described in his book "Missing Microbes". We discuss the origins of this work during his time tracking epidemics at the CDC, his love for the rare but fascinating Campylobacter fetus, and his seminal work on identifying a "symbiosis factor" for Helicobacter pylori.
Is the microbiome a viable drug target?
December 20, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Matt Redinbo from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Matt has had a remarkable career in both academia and industry. He discusses the challenges of translating basic research and the importance of doing the killer experiment as soon as possible. We talk about his evolution from focusing solely on human enzymes for drug metabolism to studying microbes, and the vast potential for the microbiome as a novel drug target.
Why is dieting so hard?
December 13, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 113 MBThis week I'm joined by my friend and collaborator Dr. Suneil Koliwad, the Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at UCSF. Suneil discusses how the pandemic has changed medicine, the perplexing differences between ethnic groups in metabolic disease, and his research on the complex links between diet, inflammation, and obesity.
Will studying snakes help stop the next pandemic?
December 06, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 95.1 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Joe DeRisi, a pioneer in functional genomics and leader of a collaborative effort to accelerate SARS-CoV-2 testing and discovery. Joe is the co-President of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub and has had a remarkable series of technological breakthroughs throughout his career, including the invention of DNA microarrays. He talks about applying these approaches to diagnose mysterious diseases in humans and pets as well as his current focus on COVID-19.
What epidemiology teaches us about salt, sugar, and COVID-19
November 22, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Kristin Bibbins-Domingo. Her pioneering studies have used computational simulations to predict the public health implications of changes to diet, including a focus on salt and sugar intake. We discuss how she got into nutrition and some of the controversies around what we should and should not eat. We also discuss her current efforts to address inequalities in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovery.
Can microbes save us from global warming?
November 15, 2020 05:00 - 2 hours - 111 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Adam Arkin, our first interview outside of UCSF! Adam works across the Bay at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs and is a leader in the emerging fields of systems and synthetic biology. He has published more than 300 papers on a wide range of subjects and tells us about some of the large-scale initiatives he is currently leading and his fascination with viruses and bacteria.
Episode 13: Alex Marson
November 08, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBMy guest this week is immunologist Dr. Alex Marson. Alex talks about his recent work on SARS-CoV-2, his efforts to translate CRISPR technology to treat patients, and his long-standing collaboration with the Dr. Jennifer Doudna, recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. We also discuss how he’s managed to accumulate so many titles at such an early stage in his career: Scientific Director for Biomedicine at the Innovative Genomics Institute and Founding Director of the Gladstone Institut...
Is CRISPR the cure for everything?
November 08, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBMy guest this week is immunologist Dr. Alex Marson. Alex talks about his recent work on SARS-CoV-2, his efforts to translate CRISPR technology to treat patients, and his long-standing collaboration with the Dr. Jennifer Doudna, recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. We also discuss how he’s managed to accumulate so many titles at such an early stage in his career: Scientific Director for Biomedicine at the Innovative Genomics Institute and Founding Director of the Gladstone Institut...
Can silver help your body heal after surgery?
November 01, 2020 04:00 - 2 hours - 126 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Hobart Harris, who was the Chief of General Surgery at UCSF for 18 years. Hobart talks about the challenges and innovations happening in the surgery field and his research on developing strategies to accelerate the healing process following a surgery. We also talk in-depth about the Black Lives Matter movement and challenges around race and equality in science and medicine.
Episode 12: Hobart Harris
November 01, 2020 04:00 - 2 hours - 126 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Hobart Harris, who was the Chief of General Surgery at UCSF for 18 years. Hobart talks about the challenges and innovations happening in the surgery field and his research on developing strategies to accelerate the healing process following a surgery. We also talk in-depth about the Black Lives Matter movement and challenges around race and equality in science and medicine.
Is diversity the key to precision medicine?
October 25, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBMy guest this week is Esteban Burchard an expert in pharmacogenetics and asthma. Esteban’s prolific scientific contributions have been featured on Science Friday and other shows. He also served on President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative. I was particularly excited to discuss issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with him, as he is a leader in emphasizing the importance of studying drug response across diverse individuals.
Episode 11: Esteban Burchard
October 25, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBMy guest this week is Esteban Burchard an expert in pharmacogenetics and asthma. Esteban’s prolific scientific contributions have been featured on Science Friday and other shows. He also served on President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative. I was particularly excited to discuss issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with him, as he is a leader in emphasizing the importance of studying drug response across diverse individuals.
Episode 10: Melanie Ott
October 18, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 89.4 MBLast July I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Melanie Ott, the Director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology in San Francisco. While I would have been thrilled to talk to her under any circumstance, the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has made one-on-one time with a virologist more valuable than ever. In addition to catching up on the latest news about COVID-19, we discussed her long-standing interest in HIV and the surprising similarities between unrelated viruses.
Are all viruses the same?
October 18, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 89.4 MBLast July I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Melanie Ott, the Director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology in San Francisco. While I would have been thrilled to talk to her under any circumstance, the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has made one-on-one time with a virologist more valuable than ever. In addition to catching up on the latest news about COVID-19, we discussed her long-standing interest in HIV and the surprising similarities between unrelated viruses.
Why the lysosome is the #1 organelle
October 11, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 74.4 MBLast March, as the pandemic was picking up steam, I had the pleasure to interview a friend and colleague Dr. Rushika Perera, a rising star and Assistant Professor at UCSF. Before our conversation, I had heard about the lysosome but just had some vague notion that it is similar to recycling, an essential service for sure but not one I want to think about everyday. By the end of our interview, I was almost ready to scrap the microbiome and devote my life to becoming a lysosome-ologist. She’s j...
Episode 9: Rushika Perera
October 11, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 74.4 MBLast March, as the pandemic was picking up steam, I had the pleasure to interview a friend and colleague Dr. Rushika Perera, a rising star and Assistant Professor at UCSF. Before our conversation, I had heard about the lysosome but just had some vague notion that it is similar to recycling, an essential service for sure but not one I want to think about everyday. By the end of our interview, I was almost ready to scrap the microbiome and devote my life to becoming a lysosome-ologist. She’s j...
Why microbes on your skin are good for you
October 04, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 88.4 MBMy guest this week is Tiffany Scharschmidt, a close colleague of mine in the UCSF Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine. I really admire how well-spoken she is and how carefully considered her research and other scholarly work is, a stark contrast to my own “fire, ready, aim” approach. Another remarkable fact about Tiffany is that she never got a Ph.D. Instead, she transitioned directly from an M.D. to a translational research program that spans deep molecular mechanism to clinical studies....
Episode 8: Tiffany Scharschmidt
October 04, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 88.4 MBMy guest this week is Tiffany Scharschmidt, a close colleague of mine in the UCSF Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine. I really admire how well-spoken she is and how carefully considered her research and other scholarly work is, a stark contrast to my own “fire, ready, aim” approach. Another remarkable fact about Tiffany is that she never got a Ph.D. Instead, she transitioned directly from an M.D. to a translational research program that spans deep molecular mechanism to clinical studies....
Episode 7: Max Krummel
September 13, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 92.2 MBMy guest this week is Max Krummel, whose career has been truly remarkable. As a graduate student, he generated antibodies to CTLA-4, which not only helped to identify an inhibitory pathway of T cell regulation but can also be used to block that pathway. This work, which led the way to cancer immunotherapy, was featured in the recent documentary "Jim Allison: Breakthrough." To Max, these breakthroughs emphasized to him the importance of technology in driving innovation, a theme that runs thro...
Immunology does everything, it even cures cancer!
September 13, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 92.2 MBMy guest this week is Max Krummel, whose career has been truly remarkable. As a graduate student, he generated antibodies to CTLA-4, which not only helped to identify an inhibitory pathway of T cell regulation but can also be used to block that pathway. This work, which led the way to cancer immunotherapy, was featured in the recent documentary "Jim Allison: Breakthrough." To Max, these breakthroughs emphasized to him the importance of technology in driving innovation, a theme that runs thro...
Episode 6: Lindsey Criswell
September 06, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 87.2 MBMy guest this week is Lindsey Criswell, who was recently named the director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Lindsey has deep experience in clinical rheumatology and human genetics. She talks about the intricacies of medical training and practice, then explains the history and importance of genome-wide association studies and how they set the stage for her current focus on epigenetics.
Why GWAS aren't so bad after all
September 06, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 87.2 MBMy guest this week is Lindsey Criswell, who was recently named the director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Lindsey has deep experience in clinical rheumatology and human genetics. She talks about the intricacies of medical training and practice, then explains the history and importance of genome-wide association studies and how they set the stage for her current focus on epigenetics.
Episode 5: Jeff Bluestone
August 23, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 108 MBWelcome back! After an easy start with Oren last July, I was able to catch a big fish - a world-renowned UCSF faculty member in our Diabetes Center, Jeff Bluestone. Jeff has made remarkable contributions to our understanding of T-cell activation, co-stimulation, and immune tolerance including >400 peer-reviewed publications. He shares his passion for collaborative science, including his leadership roles at UCSF, the Immune Tolerance Network, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and...