Genetics Unzipped

Genetics Shambles 4: The sequence of everything

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 08:00:00 +0000

Over the first four episodes of this series we’ve looked at COVID-19, historic epidemics, human evolution and the human genome and in each episode we’ve invariably talked about ‘sequencing’. Sequencing genomes and DNA of living things. So we thought it time to discuss the very act of sequencing itself. What is it, how do we do it, why do we do it and how can we get better at as technology improves.

Robin Ince is joined by three experts in the field. Professor Jay Shendure is a human geneticist at the University of Washington School of Medicine and is one of the world’s pioneers in exome sequencing. Dr Lucy Van Dorp is a Senior Research Fellow at the University College London Genomic Institute working on infectious diseases and ancient DNA. And Professor Mark Blaxter is an evolutionary biologist at the Sanger Institute where he’s the Leader of the Tree of Life Project.

To view previous episodes in the Genetics Shambles series head to Cosmicshambles.com

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S3.17 Rebel Cell: Cancer, evolution and the science of life

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 08:00:00 +0000

We bring you exclusive excerpts from my new book, Rebel Cell: Cancer, evolution and the science of life, exploring where cancer came from, where it’s going, and how we might beat it.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com.

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall.

This podcast is produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics.

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Genetics Shambles 3: Humans - Evolved and evolving

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 08:00:00 +0000

Over millions of years Humans have evolved into becoming quite the dominant species on the planet. So, how did we get to now? What have we come from and how are we still evolving as a species? And what changes can we expect in the future in terms of diet, life span and population?

Robin Ince is joined by three experts in the field. Professor Chris Stringer is an anthropologist and Research Leader in Human Evolution at the Natural History Museum in London. Dr Becky Wragg Sykes is an archaeologist, writer and expert in Neanderthals. And Dr Aida Andres Moran is an Associate Professor in Genetics, Evolution & Environment at University College London.

To view previous episodes in the Genetics Shambles series head to Cosmicshambles.com

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S3.16 Sickness and susceptibility: The ancient war between genes and disease

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 08:00:00 +0000

We look at the ancient war between our genes and the pathogens that infect us, going back thousands of years to the Black Death and before, through to our very latest foe.

With Claire Steves (King’s College London), Christiana Scheib (University of Tartu) and Lucy van Dorp (UCL).

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. [ADJUST CREDITS AS REQUIRED eg With additional research and scripting by Emily Nordvang, reporting by Georgia Mills]

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Genetics Shambles 2: A guide to the human genome

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 08:00:00 +0000

The Human Genome Project has been referred to as one of the great feats of scientific exploration and discovery in human history. But what was it, and, more to the point, what is the human genome and why was sequencing it such a big deal? And in 2020, some 17 years after it was deemed completed, what has it helped us with in the fields of biology and medicine, and what is there still to discover?

Robin Ince is joined by three experts in the field. Geneticist, broadcast and author of a number of best selling books on the subject, Dr Adam Rutherford, one of the founders of the Human Cell Atlas Group and the Head of Cellular Genetics at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Dr Sarah Teichmann and co-chair of the 1000 Genomes Project and founder of Genomics plc, Professor Gil McVean.

To view previous episodes in the Genetics Shambles series head to Cosmicshambles.com

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S3.15 Pimp My Genome: the wonderful world of epigenetics

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 08:00:00 +0000

We take a look at the world of epigenetics - finding out if more than DNA passes on to the next generation, whether Darwin was wrong and Lamarck was right, and how to pimp your genome. Plus - meet the Mickey Mouse Mice.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. This podcast is produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics.

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Genetics Shambles 1: COVID-19 and Learning from the Past

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 08:00:00 +0000

What can research into past viruses and epidemics tell us about this new pandemic of COVID-19? What has changed in the world of genetics research since the time of HIV for example? Robin Ince chats to Dr Emma Hodcroft, a phylogenetics researcher from the University of Bath and Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, pharmacologist, geneticist and the NHS Chair of Pharmacogenetics at the University of Liverpool.

To view previous episodes in the Genetics Shambles series head to Cosmicshambles.com

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S3.14 The eyes have it: From genetics to gene therapy

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode, supported by the Medical Research Council, we discover how researchers are letting the light shine in, literally, by bringing discoveries about the underlying genetic faults that cause eye diseases all the way through to game-changing clinical trials of gene therapy designed to save sight.

With RP patient advocate and fundraiser Ken Reid, Robin Ali from Kings College London, and Roly Megaw and Chloe Stanton from the MRC Human Genetics Unit, in the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with reporting by Georgia Mills, and audio production by Hannah Varrall and transcription by Viv Andrews. This podcast is produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics.

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S3.13 The Cancer Ladies: Maud Slye and Pauline Gross

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we tell the stories of two women - one a scientist fascinated by dancing mice, the other a seamstress with a deadly family legacy - who made significant contributions to our understanding of cancer as a disease driven by genetic changes, paving the way for lifesaving screening programmes for families.

Over the past year or so I’ve been writing a new book, Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution and the Science of Life, exploring what we’ve learned so far about where cancer comes from, where it’s going, and how we might finally beat it. It’s coming out in the UK on the 6th of August and in the US on the 29th September - and is available now to pre-order from rebelcellbook.com - and we’ll have some excerpts coming up in a future episode of the podcast.

UK Amazon link (affiliate) https://amzn.to/2BdT5zu

While I was researching the book, I came across the stories of two remarkable women - Maud Slye and Pauline Gross - who both made significant contributions to our fundamental understanding of cancer, but who have tended to be overlooked in many tellings of the history of cancer research. Here are their stories.

Thanks to Jenny Rohn for the voice of Maud Slye. If you want to read more about Pauline and Family G, and the impact that their genetic legacy has had on the family down the generations, check out Daughter of Family G, a memoir by Ami McKay, which we’ve drawn on heavily for this episode. Ami weaves together the strands of family history and science together with her own personal story to create a really compelling and emotional story.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with additional scripting and research by Emily Nordvang and audio production by Hannah Varrall. This podcast is produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics.

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S3.12 Out Standing in the Field: the highs and lows of genetics fieldwork

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 08:00:00 +0000

We’re off on our virtual travels, finding out about the highs and lows of genetics fieldwork. From chasing butterflies up mountains to artificially inseminating kakapos with the help of drones and putting angry birds in paper bags until they poo, we talk to the researchers studying genetics and evolution in action.

Every year The Genetics Society runs the Heredity Fieldwork Grant scheme, awarding up to £1,500 to cover the travel and accommodation costs for researchers wanting to carry out a fieldwork project in genetics.

Our stay-at-home roving reporter Georgia Mills caught up with four intrepid explorers who’ve been off on their travels in locations as exotic as New Zealand, Lanzarote and the Lake District to hear more about their research and what they learned out in the field.

If you’re a genetics researcher and you’d like to apply for a Heredity fieldwork grant, head over to The Genetics Society website, genetics.org.uk and take a look at the grants section.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with reporting by Georgia Mills and audio production by Hannah Varrall.

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S3.11 From one generation to the next: the life and work of Anne McLaren

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 21 May 2020 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we’re taking a look at the life of Dame Anne McLaren - one of the leading embryologists of the 20th century, whose work underpinned the development of the in vitro fertilisation techniques responsible for bringing millions of bundles of joy into the world, and much more besides.

This story was first published in the book A Passion for Science: Stories of discovery and invention, which is packed with 20 stories about amazing women in science and is available to download as an ebook for just £1.99.

With thanks to Suw Charman-Anderson, founder of Ada Lovelace Day, and Professor Azim Surani.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.10 Out of Africa: uncovering history and diversity in the human genome

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 07 May 2020 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we’re taking a virtual trip to Africa to explore the genetic diversity in the birthplace of humanity, discover how researchers can read the cultural and historical stories written in the genome, and discuss the implications for the lack of diversity in our current genetic databases for global health. With Sarah Tishkoff from the University of Pennsylvania and Garrett Hellenthal and Lucy van Dorp from UCL.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.09 Twisted history: the true story of the double helix

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 08:00:00 +0000

The names of James Watson and Francis Crick are inextricably linked with the discovery of the DNA double helix. And if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that credit is also due to Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins and Ray Gosling too.

But what about Elwyn Beighton, Fred Griffith or Rudolf Signer? In this episode we’re unwinding history to uncover some of the less well-known stories behind the discovery of the structure and function of DNA.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.08 Nothing about me without me: involving patients in genomic research

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 08:00:00 +0000

Research into genetic conditions relies on information from patients and their families, whether that’s detailed health records or genomic data. As the tools and techniques for DNA and data analysis become cheaper and more organisations get in on this fast-growing field, it’s vital to make sure that the most valuable research resource - human lives - doesn’t get overlooked in the rush. In this episode, recorded at the recent Festival of Genomics in London, we find out why it’s so important to make sure that both academic and commercial research studies are done with rather than on participants.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.07 An accidental invention: the story of genetic fingerprinting

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 09:00:00 +0000

35 years ago this month, a small team of scientists at the University of Leicester published a paper that changed the world. We take a look at the story of genetic fingerprinting, and some of the very first ways that this game-changing technique was put to work.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.06 Can you have a 'perfect genome'? Myths and misconceptions in genomics

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 09:00:00 +0000

To get involved in the Genomics Education Programme’s week of action you can follow them on Twitter, @genomicsedu, and get on the hashtag #GenomicsConversation or head over to genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk

In this episode in partnership with the Genomics Education Programme, we’re taking a look at some of the common myths and misconceptions surrounding genomics and genetics tests. Are mutations always bad? If you’re more like your mum, does that mean you’ve inherited more of her genes? And is there such a thing as a perfect genome?

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.05 - Poop, pus and the Manhattan Project: How we learned to spell the genetic alphabet

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 09:00:00 +0000

If you know a bit of biology, you might know that the genetic code of DNA is written in just four ‘letters’ - A, C, T and G. You may even know that these letters are the initials come from the names of the molecules that make up the double helix, known as nucleotide bases: adenine, cytosine, thymine and guanine. But where did those strange-sounding names come from? In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, we go from poop to pus to atomic bonds on our journey to learn about the discovery of these vital chemicals and how they got their names.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.04 Race to the Bottom

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode, we’re hunting for the ghosts in our genomes, recreating the story of the discovery of the double helix in Lego, and science writer and broadcaster Adam Rutherford tells us how to argue with a racist.

Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.

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S3.03 - Fish, facts and fiction, from Haeckel’s embryos to Tiktaalik

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode exploring great ideas in genetics, we’re discovering our inner fish - finding out whether we really do go through a fishy phase in the womb, and looking at the legacy of Tiktaalik, the first fish to walk on land.

Born in 1834, Ernst Haeckel was a German zoologist with a flair for illustration - and a knack for creating incredibly detailed and widely shared scientific images. But do his infamous embryo drawings really show the true picture of early development?

Haeckel thought that we went through a 'fish' stage in the womb because our embryos appear to have gills during early development. Although his theory that 'ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny' has subsequently been shown to be incorrect, we now know there is a close connection between development and evolution, or 'evo-devo' as it's sometimes known.

In short, our evolutionary history is written in our developmental genes, and it’s a history that we can trace right the way back to the very first vertebrates. The best example of this is Tiktaalik - our oldest 'fishapod' ancestor that forms the missing link between fish and land-dwelling tetrapods.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.02 - Hidden family secrets revealed by genetic testing

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 09:00:00 +0000

It’s become cheaper and easier than ever to access genetic testing, and more and more people are having their genomes ‘done’ for reasons of personal interest, health or ancestry. But what happens when an innocent genetic investigation reveals dark family secrets? And how do we properly engage and inform people about genetic testing and research, so that they really know what they’re getting into?

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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S3.01 - Investigating the icons of evolution, from Darwin's Finches to the March of Progress

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re exploring a couple of iconic images in evolution - the much-parodied March of Progress, portraying the inexorable journey from monkey to man, and the famous finches of the Galapagos islands, which are supposedly the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Where did these infamous images come from, and do they really show what everyone seems to think they do?

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is presented by Kat Arney, with scripting and research by Emily Nordvang, and is produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Audio production by Hannah Varrall.

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S2.07 New Light on Old Britons - Professor Turi King

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 10:15:54 +0000

Professor Turi King from the University of Leicester reveals the secrets of the Y chromosome and how the remains of Richard III were identified.

Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons.

Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media.

More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute

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S2.06 New Light on Old Britons - Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 10:11:31 +0000

The Celts are one of the most famous - and misunderstood - people who lived in ancient Britain. Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe CBE, FBA from the University of Oxford explores the myths and the reality.

Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons.

Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media.

More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute

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S2.05 New Light on Old Britons - Dr Lara Cassidy

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 10:06:48 +0000

Dr Lara Cassidy from Trinity College Dublin talks about her work exploring the genomic history of Ireland.

Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons.

Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media.

More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute

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S2.04 New Light on Old Britons - Professor Sir Walter Bodmer

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 10:01:49 +0000

Professor Sir Walter Bodmer FRS from the Weatherall Institute, Oxford, explains what we know so far about genetic structure and origins of populations of the British Isles.

Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons.

Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media.

More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute

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S2.03 New Light on Old Britons - Dr Silvia Bello

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 09:57:09 +0000

Dr Silvia Bello from the Natural History Museum in London is investigating how patterns of human behaviour have changed over the last million years.

Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons.

Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media.

More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute

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S2.02 New Light on Old Britons - Professor Ian Barnes and Dr Selina Brace

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 09:50:41 +0000

Professor Ian Barnes and Dr Selina Brace, ancient DNA researchers at the Natural History Museum in Lopndon, discuss how their work on ancient DNA is shedding light on the British population from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age.

Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons.

Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media.

More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work. and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute

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S2.01 New Light on Old Britons - Galton Institute Symposium 2019 - Nick Ashton

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 09:00:00 +0000

Professor Nick Ashton, an archaeologist at the British Museum, is studying the earliest humans in Europe.

Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons.

Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media.

More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work. and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute

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028 - Sperm wars, sneaky sheep, substandard stallions and more

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode we’re bringing you highlights from the Society’s Centenary Conference, held up in Edinburgh last month. We’ve got stories of sneaky sheep, substandard racing stallions, the Vikings of the Scottish Isles and a ceilidh with a scientific spin. Plus, news from the front lines of the sperm wars.

Full transcript online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for The Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.

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027 - Uprooting the tree of life: Darwin, DNA and de-extinction

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re uprooting the tree of life - asking whether we should believe our eyes or our sequencing machines when it comes to deciding what makes a species. Plus, the greatest comebacks of all time - we look at the science of de-extinction and find out whether Jurassic Park could ever become a reality.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with additional research by Emily Nordvang, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.

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026 - The future is now: Curing HIV, advancing CRISPR therapies, predatory phages for superbug infections and advice for a healthy life

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 09:00:00 +0000

We’re reporting back from the Manova Global Health Summit, exploring the latest advances in health technology such as CRISPR-based gene therapies, infection-fighting viruses and a potential cure for HIV.

Plus veteran health columnist Jane Brody’s advice for a healthy life, and reflections on progress in cancer from US journalist and advocate Katie Couric.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Genetics Unzipped is presented by Kat Arney and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.

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025 - When 'Becky' met Bateson: Edith Rebecca Saunders, the mother of British plant genetics

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 08:00:00 +0000

We explore the story of Edith Rebecca Saunders - co-founder of The Genetics Society and the ‘mother of British plant genetics’.

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com
Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip

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024 - Exploring the Poop-ome, from the microbiome to metagenomics

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we’re getting our hands dirty by delving into the poop-ome - the trillions of bacteria that live inside our guts and make up what’s known as the microbiome. Rather than simply being a bunch of bugs, the microbiome is now believed to play a role in virtually every aspect of health and disease. But what are they up to? How do we even know what species are in there? And can you blame your stinky farts on your bacteria?

With:

-Tim Spector, King's College London

-Rob Finn, European Bioinformatics Institute

-Hilary Browne, Wellcome Sanger Institute

Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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023 Mergers and Acquisitions

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re looking at mergers and acquisitions - but in a biological rather than a financial sense. We find out what happens when two cells decide to move in together, unpack the history of genetic engineering and bleat on about the story of Dolly the Sheep.

Full shows notes including transcript and music credits at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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022 - Big Questions about the Big C

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 08:00:00 +0000

Why are tumours more likely to develop in some tissues than others? Why are bowel and breast cancers so common when heart cancer is so rare? And will low doses of radiation from medical scans create the conditions for unruly cells to grow, even without damaging DNA? In the latest episode of Genetics Unzipped we’re tackling the Big Questions about the Big C as we dig into some of the mysteries surrounding what’s often seen as the ultimate genetic disease: cancer.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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021 In case you missed it...

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we’re bringing you a selection of our favourite bits from the year so far that you might have missed.

We’re taking a short summer break and will be back again with new episodes from the 12th of September. In the meantime, I’ve picked a few highlights from our earlier episodes that you may have missed. I hope you enjoy listening to them, whether again or for the first time, as much as producer Hannah and I enjoyed making them.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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020 Sex and Death

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:00:00 +0000

Please fill in our short listener survey so we can make the podcasts even better, and you’ll be entered into a draw to win a signed copy of Kat’s book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats.

In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re telling tales of sex, death and extinction, and exploring the very darkest side of genetics.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at geneticsunzipped.com

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019 - The Genetic Time Machine

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we’re taking a trip in a genetic time machine - back into the past to discover the origins of ancient human populations, and into the future to explore the realities of personal genome sequencing.

Please fill in our short listener survey so we can make the podcasts even better, and you’ll be entered into a draw to win a signed copy of Kat’s book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/8/1/019-the-genetic-time-machine

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018 Cut. Paste. Pair. Repeat.

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 08:00:00 +0000

Please take a moment to do our brief listener survey - https://geneticsunzipped.com/survey - thanks very much.

In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re exploring the dark heart of the genome, untying nature’s shoelaces, and looking back at the discovery of RNA splicing.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/7/18/018-cut-paste-pair-repeat

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017 Happy 100th Birthday To Us

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 08:00:00 +0000

We’re celebrating the actual birthday of the society - founded on the 25th June, 100 years ago - with past president, Nobel laureate and winner of the Genetics Society’s first centenary medal, Sir Paul Nurse (and some very fruity DNA-based cocktails...)

Full show notes, music credits and references online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/7/4/017-happy-100th-birthday-to-us

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016 Genetics By Numbers

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re unravelling the story of the double helix, cracking the triplet code, and sketching out a Punnet square.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/6/20/016-genetics-by-numbers

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015 Up the Garden Path

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, reporter Graihagh Jackson loses herself in the Valley of Hybridisation at the Genetics Society's medal-winning garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, and discover the importance of playing with your genes.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/6/6/015-up-the-garden-path

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014 The Seeds of a Great Idea

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 23 May 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode from our series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re taking the train to London with William Bateson as he brings Mendel's ideas to Britain, seeking the secrets of snapdragons, and discovering how to build an army of MinIONs.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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013 The Zero Dollar Genome

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 09 May 2019 08:00:00 +0000

The first draft of the human genome came with a price tag running into billions of dollars. In less than twenty years, the cost of whole genome sequencing had plummeted, making the thousand dollar genome a reality by 2014, and opening up a consumer market for personal genome sequencing - although as geneticist Elaine Mardis quipped, it’s a $1000 genome, and a £100,000 analysis. The price for sequencing continues to fall, and several companies are vying to be the first to break the hundred dollar barrier.

But, according to George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and one of the world’s leading authorities on genes and genomes, we’re about to see the dawn of the zero dollar genome, making personal whole genome sequencing effectively free in exchange for the data.

We also chat with genomics researcher Manuel Corpas about how his experience of personal genome sequencing became very personal once he got his whole family involved, particularly when everyone started competing to see who had the 'best' genes.

Full show notes and links available at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/5/9/the-zero-dollar-genome

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012 - Strands of Life

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode from our series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we explore the discovery of chromosomes - the strands of genetic material within every living cell - take a look at Lyonisation, and solve the case of the missing chromosomes.

Full show notes, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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011 - Darwin vs Mendel

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we ask, what would have happened if Darwin had read Mendel? And what if they’d been on Twitter? Plus, something else that Darwin would have loved: an ambitious project to sequence the DNA of everything across the tree of life.

Presented by Kat Arney, with Greg Radick (University of Leeds) and Dan Mead (Wellcome Sanger Institute).

Full transcript, notes and references available from GeneticsUnzipped.com

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010 - Not just 'the wife' - the overlooked stories of women in genetics

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:00:00 +0000

Kat Arney tells the stories of four women from the history of 20th century genetics, and explores how sexism in scientific culture led to their achievements being overlooked.

There's Esther Lederberg, whose work on phage Lambda paved the way for her husband Joshua's 1958 Nobel Prize. She was also the inventor of replica plating - a technique still used in microbiology labs all over the world today - yet struggled to get tenure and recognition for her work.

Harriet Creighton, the first graduate student of groundbreaking plant geneticist Barbara McClintock, discovered how chromosomes cross over and switch sections of DNA when germ cells are made. But after seeing how difficult it was for her mentor to get funding, Harriet left research in favour of a career as a university lecturer.

Tsuneko Okazaki discovered the eponymous 'Okazaki fragments' - short fragments produced when DNA is copied - together with her husband Reiji. While many said that it was a Nobel-worthy discovery, Reiji died in his 40s, and Tsuneko was never awarded the prize in her own right.

And finally, there's the story Martha Chase, whose famous 'blender experiment' with Alfred Hershey helped to prove that DNA carries the genetic information inside cells.

Full show notes, including scripts and music credits at GeneticsUnzipped.com

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009 - Chimps, cancer genes and missing kids

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode we bring you a very special interview with Mary-Claire King - one of the world’s leading geneticists, whose work has spanned everything from comparing chimps and humans to finding the first breast cancer gene to reuniting families that have been torn apart.

Get the full transcript, links and references from https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/3/14/009-chimps-cancer-genes-and-missing-kids

Produced by First Create the Media for The Genetics Society. Written and presented by Kat Arney, audio production by Hannah Varrall. Follow us on Twitter @geneticsunzip

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008 - Getting ready for genomic medicine

Genetics Unzipped — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 09:00:00 +0000

This is a special edition of Genetics Unzipped, in association with the Genomics Education programme - part of Health Education England. We’ll be finding out how genomic medicine is coming into the NHS, and what it means for everyone working in the health service.

Since the publication of the draft sequence of the human genome back in the early noughties, researchers and doctors have been working hard to harness the secrets within our DNA in order to benefit human health. Progress was slow for several years, due to the high cost and slow pace of sequencing technology. Everything changed with the advent of Next Generation Sequencing in around 2009, making it possible to read the entire sequence of anyone’s genome at low cost and high speed.

To realise the potential of this technology in healthcare, the 100,000 Genomes Project was launched in 2012 aiming to sequence - as you might have guessed - 100,000 genomes from people affected by cancer and rare diseases within the NHS.

The next chapter began in October 2018, when NHS England launched a brand new Genomic Medicine Service, using insights and information from the new era of large-scale DNA sequencing, known as genomics, to improve the nation’s health. The service is aiming to sequence 500,000 whole genomes over the next five years, as part of the UK government’s broader aims to reach five million genomic tests by 2024.

More information and show notes online at Geneticsunzipped.com

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007 - Supermodels of science

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode from our series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re entering the glamorous world of modelling, taking a look at the eclectic collection of model organisms that have been put to work in the lab to reveal the secrets of biology.

Full transcript and notes online: https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/2/28/007-supermodels-of-science

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006 - Big fat failure

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 09:00:00 +0000

We’re looking at the genetics of failure - why we fail to lose weight thanks to our genes, and why billions of dollars are wasted developing drugs that don’t work. Full show notes and transcript available at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/2/14/006-big-fat-failure

005 - Vegetable soup

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 09:00:00 +0000

Genetics Unzipped is the Genetics Society podcast. Written and presented by Dr Kat Arney, produced by Hannah Varrall for First Create the Media. Full show notes available online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/]]>

004 - Witness the fitness

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 09:16:25 +0000

In this episode we’re taking a dive into the world of evolutionary genetics to witness the fitness - we ask whether street smart city-dwelling birds are genetically different from their country bumpkin relatives, how butterflies got their brightly patterned wings, and if today’s genetic research would have blown Darwin’s mind.

Full show notes and references online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/

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003 - Hunting Huntington's, Nobel viruses and spidergoats

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 09:22:10 +0000

In this episode from our series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re hunting down Huntington’s disease, discovering why viruses are so important for geneticists, and chasing the science behind spidergoats. ]]>

002 - Behind the scenes at the Christmas Lectures

Genetics Unzipped — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 14:38:22 +0000

We go behind the scenes at the iconic Royal Institution Christmas Lectures with Professors Alice Roberts and Aoife McLysaght - plus the fire-obsessed demonstration expert Fran Scott - to find the answer to the question “Who am I?”

001 - Get unzipped!

Genetics Unzipped — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 14:18:08 +0000

Big news! Genetics Unzipped is a new podcast from the Genetics Society, taking a look at the world of genes, genomes and DNA. Here's a quick teaser from our first episode, featuring Alice Roberts, Aoife McLysaght and Fran Scott, taking a sneak peek behind the scenes at the 2018 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.

More info online at geneticsunzipped.com

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Coming soon... Genetics Unzipped - a new science podcast exploring the world of DNA, genes and genomes

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 11:18:03 +0000

The new podcast from the Genetics Society, Genetics Unzipped, will be launching in December, ahead of the society’s centenary celebrations in 2019.

Presented by award-winning science writer and former Naked Genetics podcast host Dr Kat Arney and produced by First Create The Media, Genetics Unzipped will bring you a wide range of stories from the world of genetics, genomics and DNA. You can expect to hear interviews with experts from around the world, all the latest science news, and a special centenary series celebrating 100 ideas in genetics.

Our series starts with a behind-the-scenes peek at the 2018 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, presented by Professors Alice Roberts and Aoife McLysaght in partnership with the Genetics Society. Stay tuned for more details and a special teaser coming soon.

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