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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

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 at the Academy. She gave us all the behind the scenes scoop about the academy of sciences, as well as her own fascinating path into science. This is Radiobio!

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 world of mathematical biology. This is RadioBio.

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 thriving in what are some of the most unforgiving conditions on our planet. This week, we talk to Dr. Ruben Michael Ceballos about these fascinating organisms. This is Radiobio!

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!

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 gene expression! We delve into some of these factors with our fabulous guest this week, Dr. Monica Dus, a professor of neuroepigenetics at the University of Michigan. This is Radiobio!