Lab Notes

May 29 2024 12 ep. 19 mins 22
Lab Notes Podcast artwork

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.

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Cells in Space!

May 29 2024 12 mins  
Reaching new heights, stem cells from the Allen Institute for Cell Science were flown into space for the first time ever. In 2023, astronauts from Axiom Space studied genetically engineered cells, derived from human skin cells, in microgravity aboard the International Space Station. Axiom Space’s astronaut Peggy A. Whitson and Chief Scientist, Dr. Lucie Low; along with Professor

The mystery of long COVID

Aug 16 2023 21 mins  
Where 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

Oct 12 2022 23 mins  
Reward 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 thi

Bees suffer from social isolation too

Aug 24 2022 21 mins  
It 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 ever

Building a consciousness meter with Christof Koch

May 25 2022 21 mins  
Can 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 cou

Why don't we understand the brain?

Mar 14 2022 20 mins  
Scientists 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

Fire Inside: The quest to understand & prevent rheumatoid arthritis

May 17 2021 19 mins  
In 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 begin

The novelist and the scientist

Mar 01 2021 20 mins  
When 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 stor

Starved but unable to eat: Life with Crohn's

Dec 21 2020 16 mins  
Aldan 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 advancement

SCANning for coronavirus

Sep 22 2020 19 mins  
In 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 kn