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Hello! We are a team of scientists and science enthusiasts who want to show the world that science is for everyone, by building a network of people sharing, listening to, and asking questions about scientific stories. Welcome to The Interactome! For more content, including blog posts and our biographies, visit interactomemedia.org
Episodes
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Monday Jan 29, 2024
You've probably heard of AI powered neural networks, but are you familiar with biological neural networks? Join Sam, Natalie, and returning guest Youngmin as they compare, contrast, and generally discuss both types of networks. Can a single neuron "think"? And how do neural networks "learn"? We cover these questions and more on this episode of the interactome.
Links:
Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Youngmin's channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ADHDMathematician
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Transcript: Margaret Downs
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:25 Meet Youngmin (again!)
2:50 What is a Biological Neural Network?
7:15 Can One Neuron Think?
10:01 Suppressed Ommatidium
16:30 Is the Adaptation to White Noise A Result of a Neural Network?
26:23 Modeling Neurons
29:33 How Does a Neural Network "Learn"?
40:27 Comparing Biological and Artificial Neural Networks
1:00:52 Outro
Monday Jan 01, 2024
Monday Jan 01, 2024
We all know that protein is something in our food, but what else do proteins do? For our final episode of our 3-part series on the Central Dogma, we discuss (one of) the final products of DNA and RNA: proteins! We cover everything from where proteins come from to some of their roles as molecular machines. Along the way, we touch on topics such as how eating protein helps you make muscles to "the protein fold that kills." Correction: X-ray crystallography shoots high-energy photons (x-rays), not electrons, at crystals to obtain their structure. Sam was probably too excited thinking about electron microscopy to catch his mistake.
Links:
Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Transcript: Margaret Downs
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:44 What are Proteins?
14:41 How are Proteins Made?
22:42 Protein Folding
30:05 Side Topic on Microscopes
38:19 Protein Regulation
41:49 Protein DB
44:36 When Protein Folding Goes Wrong
54:03 Favorite Proteins
1:0024 Outro
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Welcome to our part 2 of the central dogma of biology series! In this episode, Maia, Joe and Natalie talk all things RNA. Tune in to learn about the molecular structure differences between RNA and DNA, mRNA vaccines, and to hear some polarizing biological theories!
Links:
Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Transcript: Margaret Downs
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
5:00 What is RNA?
17:02 RNA Structure
19:53 The RNA World Hypothesis
26:11 Catalysis
28:40 The RNA World Hypothesis Part 2
36:08 Maia's Research on RNA
42:17 Joe's RNA Story
49:19 RNA Current Events
1:00:34 Outro
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Monday Oct 23, 2023
What’s spookier than identity theft, scams and fraud? In the digital age, cybersecurity is more important than ever. Yet, there are many misconceptions about the field and what it entails. October is cybersecurity month, and to celebrate Sam, Joe and Natalie spoke with SecOp analyst Virginia Gresham. The crew talked about about her role, the importance of protecting your information, and more. Give it a listen, guarantee you’ll learn something new!
Links:
Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Transcript: Margaret Downs
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:15 Meet Virginia!
6:40 Defining cyber security
12:11 Day-to-day incidents
15:00 Phishing
19:00 Incident reports and security policies
24:34 What to do during an incident
30:08 What can happen if you are a victim of a cyber attack?
32:20 Discussion of online privacy
41:00 Ransomware
44:38 Best practices for staying safe online
51:39 Outro
Monday Sep 18, 2023
Monday Sep 18, 2023
Content Warning: this episode discusses dead bodies, violent crime, and international conflict
On this show, we talk a lot about modeling the scientific mindset, but scientists aren’t the only professionals asking tough questions. This week, we’re joined by a retired FBI agent who tells us all about how to ask the right questions and solve problems at hand. Oh, and there’s a surprise connection between our guest and a host, so make sure to tune in!
Links:
Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Scott's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ExFedHomestead
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Transcript: Margaret Downs
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
5:30 Keeping an Open Mind
16:16 Persistence with a Purpose
25:00 Keeping Calm Under Pressure
31:36 It's Ok to Not be an Expert in Everything
42:33 Peer Review vs Judge's Review
46:58 Peer Reviewer #2
49:33 Closing Thoughts
54:06 Outro
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
Thursday Aug 24, 2023
In this episode, Joe, Maia, and Natalie talk about genetics. They start with the basics, and then delve into how we get our DNA and how it can change over many many years. You're bound to learn something new with this episode of the interactome!
Links:
Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Transcript: Margaret Downs
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:27 What is DNA?
11:59 What is a genome?
12:59 What is a gene?
15:53 Introns and Exons
19:18 Promoters and Terminator Sequences
21:54 How you get your DNA
23:51 Genomes Across Species: Plants
29:05 Story time: Where did you first hear about DNA?
30:45 Genomes Across Species 2: Bacteria
34:00 Can genes change?
37:50 How gene mutations play into evolution
46:34 Outro
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
When we think of science, we often think of data being collected in test tubes and laboratories, but lots of data actually exists in the context of mountains, roads, neighborhoods and countries. Join Joe, Sarah and Natalie and special guest Rylee Wrenner as they discuss Geographic Information Science (GIS), which allows researchers to understand the kinds of data that are best visualized on a map. Along the way, they discuss how to make useful models, the centuries-old origins of GIS in epidemiology, and somehow manage to relate GIS to cheese. Join us to learn about GIS and witness our continuing inexplicable obsession with dairy products. And no, we are not sponsored by the cheese section at Trader Joe's. Seriously, Natalie, I shouldn't have to add this to an episode about GIS.
Links:
Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:38 Meet Rylee
5:12 What is GIS?
12:28 Applications of GIS
13:45 Accessing and using GIS
17:17 Rylee's work
19:39 What disciplines are involved in GIS?
22:43 What do you need to get started with GIS?
25:03 Obtaining good data for GIS
28:29 Data privacy
34:57 The cheese party
36:34 What makes a good model?
38:52 Rylee's long-term GIS goals
40:58 Final thoughts
43:52 Outro
Monday Jun 19, 2023
Monday Jun 19, 2023
You might have heard the phrase "the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell" back in high school biology class, but what does that mean? Join Joe, Sam, and Maia as they explore everyone's favorite part of the cell. We had some fun with this, so join us as we explain what exactly the mitochondria is, how it works, and what happens if it breaks. Along the way, we'll talk about electron hot potato, grand theft organelle, at least one deadly poison, and, yes, find out that Joe has more than one brain cell.
Links:
Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:40 What's in a cell, anyway?
6:53 What does mitochondria do?
23:19 How did mitochondria become a part of cells?
33:08 Discussion of mitochondrial DNA
45:24 Mitochondrial related diseases and therapies
54:32 Going to space makes your mitochondria unhappy
59:10 Outro
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
This episode of the interactome is all about food science! Join Christina Allingham, A.K.A @biteofnewengland, as she talks about her experience in the food industry. Natalie, Sam, and Maia host as they ask Christina how she got into the industry, what food science is all about, and how her job has evolved over the course of covid.
Links:
Christina's Blog: https://www.instagram.com/biteofnewengland/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
4:15 How Christina got into food science
7:57 What is food science?
12:22 How food safety and preparation has changed since Covid
18:34 Most rewarding and most challenging parts of science communication
21:17 When can and can't you can and freeze food?
31:54 Christina's second project: norovirus
37:23 Food safety and observation (Food FBI)
45:24 How Christina chose her role
48:15 Christina's Food Blog @biteofnewengland
51:22 Outro
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Monday Apr 17, 2023
It's time for more science stories! This time Sam has too many snails, Natalie is impacted by woodpeckers, and Joe discusses mentorship.
Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/
Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com
Credits:
Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
3:38 Sam's story: Too Many Snails
14:42 Joe's nuclear hermit crab
22:14 Natalie's story: 1000 G-Force Woodpeckers
34:48 Joe's Story: The Importance of Mentorships
51:53 Outro