Sit'n Listen!

Science is part of our daily lives, it's even in our kitchens! Here, we discuss the science of fermentation - from sour dough to sauerkraut. Listen in! Featuring: A. Delphine Tripp and Sharon Spivak. Produced by: A. Delphine Tripp

The 2020 Nobel Chemistry Prize goes to Doudna and Charpentier for CRISPR! We discuss the technology, its history, and the patent war over it. Featuring: Melis Tekant, Chad Stein, Wei Li, A. Delphine Tripp, Edward Chen, and Jordan Jensen Useful Links: Podcast episodes https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/update-crispr Nobel prize statement and press coverage https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel-prize-lessons-chemistry-2020 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02765-9 Articles https://www.nature.com/news/genome-editing-revolution-my-whirlwind-year-with-crispr-1.19063 https://www.nature.com/news/the-unsung-heroes-of-crispr-1.20272 https://www.nature.com/news/why-the-crispr-patent-verdict-isn-t-the-end-of-the-story-1.21510 https://www.nature.com/news/broad-institute-wins-bitter-battle-over-crispr-patents-1.21502 https://www.nature.com/news/crispr-heavyweights-battle-in-us-patent-court-1.21101 https://www.nature.com/news/titanic-clash-over-crispr-patents-turns-ugly-1.20631 https://www.natur

Pint-Sized Science S1 E5 Interviewee: Dr. Jessica Ray, Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Washington Interviewer: Emily Kerr, PhD Candidate in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University What happens when the rain dissolves potentially dangerous metals, organic chemicals, and other contaminants after a storm? In this episode of the Pint-Sized Science Podcast, we sat down with Dr. Jessica Ray, a professor at the University of Washington whose research is focused on developing materials and technologies to remove dangerous contaminants from stormwater before it reaches our waterways. To learn more about Dr. Ray and her work, check out her website at ray-aimslab.com/.

Pint-Sized Science S1 E3 Interviewee: Dr. Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Davis Interviewer: Valentina Lagomarsino, PhD Candidate in the Biological Sciences, Harvard University In this episode of the Pint-Sized Science Podcast, we sat down with Dr. Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño, a professor at UC Davis whose research is focused on improving our basic understanding of how the brain functions and how it changes in the setting of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. In addition to talking about her scientific work, we also spoke with her about her work outside of the lab, including how she established the first brain bank in Latin America and started a non-profit to help teach young children about the benefits of learning about the brain. To learn more about Dr. Martínez-Cerdeño and her work, check out her website at www.ventricular.org. After listening to this episode, please check out sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/ for upco

Pint-Sized Science S1 E4 Interviewee: Hernan Garcia, Assistant Professor of Physics and Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley Interviewer: Jonathan Jackson, PhD student in Biophysics, Harvard University How does a single cell give rise to a complicated organism? What controls how a DNA blueprint can give rise to so many different cell behaviors in so regulated a manner? How can statistical mechanics (we promise it's not too scary!) help scientists to address long-standing questions of developmental biology? Join us as we talk with Dr. Hernan Garcia, a professor of physics and molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley, about how he and his lab investigate these questions by predicting developmental decisions in fruit flies.

Pint-Sized Science S1 E2 The Mysterious Mitochondria: More Than Just A Power Source? Interviewee: Dr. Katja Hansen, PhD (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Laboratory of Dr. Stirling Churchman, Harvard Medical School) Interviewer: Chris Rota (PhD Candidate in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Harvard Medical School) You might remember the mitochondria from biology class as the engine that produces the energy that cells (the smallest known units of life) need to function. Is that all mitochondria do though? What happens when mitochondria don’t function correctly? How do these tiny powerhouses actually know what to do (and when to do it) in the first place? And, lastly, how do we study the minutiae of these processes when we can’t even see mitochondria with the naked eye? Join us to find out the answers to these questions, and others, in today’s episode of Pint-Sized Science! For more episodes, series updates, and to find out more about our group, please check out the rest of our Soundcloud page as well as o

Pint-Sized Science S1 E1 Interviewee: Dr. Marc Schmidt, Professor of Biology, University of Pennsylvania Interviewer: Hope Merens, PhD Student in the Biological Sciences, Harvard University Have you ever wondered how a songbird knows the song that it sings? How successful are different songs at attracting female songbirds, and how do females decide what songs they like? What are the neurological underpinnings of these amazing behaviors, and how are scientists studying them? Join our Pint-Sized Science episode today as we attempt to answer these questions with Dr. Marc Schmidt, a professor of biology at the University of Pennsylvania, who specializes in the study of songbird behavior and neurobiology. After listening to this episode, please check out sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/ for upcoming episodes and series updates.

Amidst talk about the Paris climate accord and other multinational efforts to combat climate change, it's easy to lose sight of the extensive efforts occurring at the city and state levels to plan for and preempt the effects of environmental changes. To celebrate Earth Day 2018, we're taking a look at some of the strategies local communities are adopting to address the challenges climate change is creating for urban infrastructure. Special thanks to our guests on this episode, John Bolduc, Environmental Planner for the City of Cambridge, and Kerry Emanuel, Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT. Cheers, The SIT'N Listen Team Executive Producer: Amy Gilson Assistant producer: Yang Tian Correspondents: Sisi Hu, Illika Sahu, Tia Scarpelli, and Sam Wattrus Editors: Amy Gilson, Teshika Jayewickreme, Stanely Gill, Yang Tian Graphics by Rebecca Clements.

The oceans cover 70% of our planet, but did you know that less than 5% of the ocean floor has been explored? In the face of rapid climate change, ocean scientists are racing to understand what makes a healthy ocean and how rapid changes in ocean temperature, currents and chemistry will affect biodiversity, fishing, tourism, land erosion and myriad of other aspects that will affect us on land. Thanks to our wonderful collaborators at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments for sponsoring our live audience recording. Many thanks to our wonderful podcast guest scientists Christina Hernandez, Gabriela Farfan, and Hanny Rivera for sharing their insights. Cheers, The SIT'N Listen Team Edited by Executive Producer Vinidhra Mani with valuable feedback from Executive Producers Elizabeth Jaensch and Amy Gilson Image Credit: Gabriela Farfan, Hanny Rivera

We’re back with a new episode of Sit’N Listen! This time we're delving into the world of sex, gender, and sports. Men and women have been competing in separate athletic events since at least the time of the ancient Greeks. But why? What biological differences affect the way men and women play sports? And what impact does all of this have on athletics, and on our broader culture? Tune in to find out! Correspondents: Dana Boebinger, Rachel Hanebutt, Brittany Mayweather, and Michael Ruiz Produced by Michelle Frank Sound editing by Dana Boebinger Special thanks to Kristen Osborne and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, which co-sponsored this podcast as part of their upcoming conference on sports, gender, and society. We're also grateful to Jean-Francois Gauvin and Harvard's Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments for hosting the live recording of this podcast. We will post show notes with references and script on our website: sitn.hms.harvard.edu. Feel free to send us any comments, questio

Many important scientific discoveries have been may by doing experiments on animals. However these experiments raise deep scientific and ethical questions. This is Part Two of a two-parter examining how animals are used to learn about human health and disease. Correspondents: Michelle Frank, Alexandra Schnell, Mashaal Sohail, and Amy Gilson Episode Graphic by Pierre Baduel Producer and Audio Editor: Amy Gilson

Many important scientific discoveries have been may by doing experiments on animals. However these experiments raise deep scientific and ethical questions. This is Part One of a two-parter examining how animals are used to learn about human health and disease. Correspondents: Michelle Frank, Alexandra Schnell, Mashaal Sohail, and Amy Gilson Episode Graphic by Pierre Baduel Producer and Audio Editor: Amy Gilson

Sit'N Listen is back with another edition of Science and Society, a collaboration across disciplines. Here, we discuss many issues surrounding how certain concepts of sex and gender have become norms in our society and how these are shaped by (in, in turn, shape) our scientific understanding of this subject. Correspondents: Rachel Hanebutt, Michelle Frank, Jessica Cussins, Kellie Owens Advised by: Amy Gilson, Prof. Sheila Jasanoff Special thank you to Jean Francois Gauvin and the Center for Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard for making this wonderful live recording happen. If you happen to be in the Boston area, please do check out the exhibit! Sit'N Listen (S&S) Producers: Amy Gilson and Vinidhra Mani

We’re back with a new episode of Sit’N Listen!, this time all about the world’s most deadly animal: MOSQUITOES. Tune in to learn about the history (and future!) of some of the infamous diseases mosquitoes spread, as well as new tools scientists are using in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases. Featuring: Fernanda Ferreira, Elizabeth Jaensch, and Tianli Xiao Special thanks to Amy Gilson for audio production help. We will post show notes with references and script on our website: sitn.hms.harvard.edu. Feel free to send us any comments, questions, or topic suggestions at sitnpodcast@gmail.com. All the best, The Sit’N Listen team: Amy Gilson, Elizabeth Jaensch, Vini Mani, and Angela She

SIT'N Listen! Presents its first episode in a recurring series of podcasts on Science and Society, where graduate students and other experts across various disciplines- science, public policy, design, history, you name it- discuss a wide range of topics- from gender to climate change. After all, these are topics scholars in many disciplines are contributing to. This series is largely a collaboration between Science in the News and the program in Science, Technology and Society at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Today's episode is a bit of navel gazing, analyzing our motivations in communicating science. We will post show notes with references and script on our website: sitn.hms.harvard.edu. Please email sitnpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments or feedback! Cheers, Vini Mani, Matthew Sample, Warren Hagist, Amy Gilson, and Elizabeth Jaensch Special thanks to Prof. Sheila Jasanoff of Harvard University for her insights and feedback through our process of creating this podcast. Cheers, Vi

Following up on our GMO episode we sat down with Dr. Larry Gilbertson who's been a scientist at Monsanto for about 20 years, and Vance Crowe, Monsanto's Director of Millennial Engagement. Can you drink genetically modified beer in England? Do Amish farmers grow GM crops? Find out right here! Stay tuned for our first episode of Sit'N Society, our new series made in collaboration with Harvard's Science, Technology, and Society program, which will explore the complex relationship between science, technology and society. Thanks to Larry and Vance for joining us. Watch Larry at Boston Skeptics in the Pub: https://vimeo.com/132447651 Read NPR's interview with Vance here: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/10/29/359836350/monsanto-hired-this-guy-to-help-it-win-over-millennials Listen to Talking Biotech. Here's a link to the episode on citrus. greening.: http://www.talkingbiotechpodcast.com/?p=137 Cheers, Vini Mani, Elizabeth Jaensch, Amy Gilson, Angela She

Allergies: the bane of people who can’t snack on peanut butter and banana sandwiches, who can’t cuddle up to our favorite furry companions on a bad day, and who want to love spring or autumn but are assaulted on all sides by annoying, invisible particles. Allergies plague people seemingly indiscriminately, and symptoms can vary from an itchy nose and watery eyes to hives or difficulty breathing. So what are allergies and why do we get them? What are they doing to our bodies, and how do we treat that? Can we, maybe, prevent them? Happy Listening and Happy 2016! Vinidhra Mani, Amy Gilson, Angela She, Elizabeth Jaensch SIT'N Listen Producers We'd like to acknowledge Amy Gilson for her heroic editing efforts and Marie Siwicki for her contributions to research and script writing. Voices on this podcast: Angela She, Vinidhra Mani, Amy Gilson, Andrew Marantan

Science in the News at Harvard University has just launched our first podcast, titled "Sit'N Listen!" Each episode of Sit'N Listen, we'll bring you scientists' perspectives on intriguing and newsworthy science. In this episode we discuss CRISPR, its origins and roles in genetic editing for therapeutics and research. For a healthy yet tasty snack for the brain, we hope you'll join us here at the Sit'N Listen podcast! Sincerely yours, The Sit'N Listen team: Amy Gilson, Elizabeth Jaensch, Vinidhra Mani, Angela She

Science in the News at Harvard University has just launched our first podcast, titled "Sit'N Listen!" Each episode of Sit'N Listen, we'll bring you scientists' perspectives on intriguing and newsworthy science. In this episode we discuss how Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are developed in the lab and a new law that would change how GMOs are regulated. For a healthy yet tasty snack for the brain, we hope you'll join us here at the Sit'N Listen podcast! Sincerely yours, The Sit'N Listen team: Amy Gilson, Elizabeth Jaensch, Vinidhra Mani, Angela She Special thank you to the following individuals: Angela She (editing) Kelsey Sakimoto (theme music) Mary Gearing Heather Landry SITN Signal to Noise Editorial Staff Eric Hamilton