RadioBio

Mar 07 2024 85 ep. 27 mins 123

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RadioBio is a podcast where UC Merced biology graduate students talk with scientists about biological systems, from molecules to ecosystems.

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Dr. Catalina Cuellar-Gempeler: Leaves Like Islands

Mar 07 2024 29 mins

We interviewed Dr. Catalina Cuellar-Gempeler, a professor of microbial ecology at Cal Poly Humboldt about her work on microbial community ecology on pitcher plants

Dr. Shannon Bennett: From the Field to the Museum

Dec 14 2023 26 mins

The California academy of sciences is one of California’s oldest operating museums and research institutions. It is an invaluable repository of knowledge about the natural sciences, is home to 47 million specimens, and has hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. This week, on Radiobio, we had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Shannon Bennett, the chief and dean of sciences a

Dr. Folashade Agusto: The Math Behind Outbreaks

Nov 09 2023 18 mins

We’ve all heard of COVID-19, saw its impact on society, and probably even faced the respiratory illness itself. But is there… math behind this disease? And if so, can we use math to help fight COVID and other infectious diseases? It turns out that our collective behavior during outbreaks can mathematically fuel models of public health. Join us as we explore the fascinating worl

Dr. Ruben Michael Ceballos: The Shocking Truth about Heat Shock Proteins

Oct 19 2023 28 mins

Imagine you are at a hot springs. The water is boiling and bubbling, there’s the smell of sulfur and other acrid chemicals in the air, and it is unbelievably hot. Is it possible that life can exist in these unforgiving conditions? It turns out yes! There are microbes, called thermophiles, that not only just exist in these conditions, but have adapted very particular ways of thriv

Dr. Chrissy Hernandez: There are plenty of otoliths in the sea

Oct 05 2023 31 mins

There are plenty of fish in the sea… this week, we take that saying to a whole new level! Fish are incredibly diverse and their life cycle is complex; this week on Radiobio we talk with Dr. Chrissy Hernandez about her research on fish population dynamics. Dr. Hernandez applies math to complicated ecosystem level questions, with fascinating results. This is Radiobio!

Dr. Monica Dus: You are what you eat!

Sep 21 2023 23 mins

Nature versus nurture, the eternal question. We usually think of our genes as permanent, a part of our nature, something that is passed down to us and that’s it. But how much of our genes change as a results of our actions today? How much do our genes change because of what we have been eating for the past 10 years? Turns out, behaviors and the environment can actually change our

Dr. Virginia Weis: Panic! At The Coral Reef

Feb 23 2023 24 mins

We live in a microbial world. From our own gut to the corals in the ocean, microbes are key players in the existence of so many organisms. Did you know that corals are not just single organisms, but exist in symbiosis with millions of single celled algae? This symbiosis is currently threatened by global warming and climate change, resulting in a process you may be familiar with, ca

Dr. Diane Campbell: Diversity from Adversity

Nov 10 2022 28 mins

Life finds a way. Even in the face of incredible pressure from other organisms, climate change, and pollution, species still find ways of persisting. Sometimes this pressure is too much, and populations go extinct. Why are some species able to survive, and others able to persist? How much pressure is too much pressure? And can species find ways to survive through their interactions

Dr. Michele Nishiguchi: Ink-redible Squids

Oct 06 2022 25 mins

Imagine you're a squid, yeah okay its weird but just imagine it, you are a squid swimming at night. It's a dark night except for the light from the moon, and there is a predator roaming around looking for its dinner. Now imagine you are a squid who can camouflage yourself to match the light from the moon and the stars so your shadow disappears. You trick the predator while you go o

Dr. Kanaka Rajan: Computational Neuroscience

Jul 21 2022 15 mins

We are still discovering the mysteries of the brain and one way to do that is to use tools such as computers. On this episodes of RadioBio, we speak with Dr. Kanaka Rajan, a computational neuroscientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.