The Interactome

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

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

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

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

On this episode of the Interactome, join Joe, Natalie, Sarah, and special guest Margaret as they discover what the heck mass spectrometry actually is. From generating ideas for experiments to protein identification and avenues for treatment in diseases like cancer, mass spec is truly a powerful tool. And with cutting-edge technologies to further its versatility across many science disciplines, this is an episode you don't want to miss! 

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
3:35 Margaret's background
4:52 What the heck is mass spec(trometry)?
9:56 Challenges of working at such a small scale
17:26 What is the next step after idenifying proteins?
21:14 Removing bias in scientific experiments
25:49 The unconventional hypothesis
29:01 Coolest use of Margaret's mass spec
31:10 Discussion of working with collaborators
35:35 Why does Margaret like mass spec?
46:10 How expensive is a mass spec equipment?
49:20 Closing thoughts

In our inaugural minisode, Sam, Natalie, and Pickle have a conversation with mathematician Youngmin Park to celebrate Pi day! Youngmin and the team cover everything from what Pi actually is, to being drowned because of math, to the math behind biological rhythms, and even 4th dimensional spaghetti!

Links:
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

Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
3:00 What is pi?
11:46 How pi ties in to Youngmin's work
17:25 The most challenging aspect of Youngmin's work
24:00 Outro

On this edition of Interactome Science Stories, it's Lauren, Joe and Pickle's turns to talk about what in the world of science has impacted them! From islands in the sky, to the story of Emily Whitehead, to the importance of learning from your mistakes, we hope to inspire and entertain with these short stories. So gather 'round and settle in as we take you through some of our favorite science stories.

 

Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future

 

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:21 Lauren's Story: Guyanese Tepui, the islands in the sky
11:03 Examples of science outside of the lab
17:02 Joe's Story: Emily Whitehead
34:43 Pickle's Story: Overcoming failure, hard drive edition
47:54 Conclusion

On this episode of the Interactome, we speak with astrophysicist Kenneth Lin about space, physics, astronomy, and more! How does one study space from a lab? And how does the James Webb telescope produce such beautiful pictures of space? Join Joe, Natalie, Sarah, and Kenneth as they talk all about astrophysics.

Note: Kenneth informed us that a teaspoon of neutron star material does not in fact have the same mass as the earth. A more accurate statement is that a teaspoon of material from a neutron star weighs as much as Mount Everest, or that a sphere about 300 meters in diameter made of neutron star material would weigh as much as the earth. The main point is that neutron starts are UNIMAGINABLY dense. 

Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell
Artwork: Maia Reyes
Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:36 Meet special guest Kenneth
6:12 How do physicists see the world?
12:20 Discussion on precision vs accuracy
19:00 Kenneth's class Order of Magnitude Physics
23:30 Astrophysics vs Astronomy
26:17 How to think like a physicist
31:45 Joe and Kenneth ask the real questions
36:20 What Kenneth's field is like
47:11 Particle physics
49:55 Discussion on dark matter
56:57 Kenneth's day to day
1:01:07 Where in the world is Kenneth Lin?
1:04:53 Discussion on the James Webb telescope
1:12:30 Conclusion

Have you ever wondered about the yearly flu vaccine? What goes into it, how it changes year to year, how the vaccine has evolved alongside the flu itself? Join special guest Erin Deans, along with Natalie, Sam, and Maia as they discuss the flu and the flu vaccine. This episode is bound to teach you something new that you may not have already known about the flu!

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:13 Introducing Erin
2:57 Erin's background
6:38 How viruses get into cells
9:49 What is the flu?
14:39 Where the flu comes from
16:40 Why there is a yearly flu shot
20:30 How has the flu evolved?
24:21 How vaccines are made
26:03 The role each hemisphere plays for the other's flu season
26:37 Does weather affect susceptibility to the flu?
28:28 Why does flu vaccine effectiveness vary each year?
32:32 Discussion on how flu strains can come and go
37:12 General discussion on vaccines
39:09 Herd immunity
44:44 The future of vaccines
52:53 Final thoughts on the flu for the 2022-23 flu season

Architect Ewan Ellis joins Joe, Maia and Sam to discuss how research labs are built. We cover everything from the planning process to the plumbing, and along the way talk about the challenges and triumphs of building all kinds of research facilities. If you work in a lab, or have only just driven past one, this is an episode that you won't want to miss!

Content warning: Contains mentions of animal research and accidental research animal death.

 

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
4:54 Introducing Ewan
10:50 What does Ewan do
13:24 What would you need to know when contracting for a lab
19:53 What happens after you agree to a design
24:00 Stories from the job
32:40 General build process
40:13 What a normal timeframe looks like
42:42 How utilities fit in to the picture
51:19 What would Ewan want the science community to know about labs
59:18 Wrapping up