Epistimones

Paco Chow and Megan Lee
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Conversations with experts about their work in neuroscience, synthetic biology, mathematics, and various other academic fields to make science accessible to everyone. Follow us on Twitter @EpistimonesPod

  1. 28/01/2023

    #30 – Armin Lak: Dopaminergic circuits in decision making

    Armin Lak is a neuroscientist and is a Sir Henry Dale Fellow at the University of Oxford, studying the neuronal circuits that govern learning and decision making. In particular, his research focuses on the role of dopaminergic neurons in different types of decision making through a combination of state-of-the-art neuronal circuit tools with novel behavioural methods and computational models. TIMESTAMPS (00:35) – Most beautiful aspect about biology (09:32) – Dopamine (11:34) – Reward prediction error hypothesis (22:41) – Decision making (33:41) – Incentive salience theory (39:04) – Computing value in the brain (44:10) – Experimental and computational techniques (50:42) – What is the right level of explanation (53:18) – Favourite part about doing science (55:04) – Wolfram Schultz (57:49) – Advice for young scientists

    1 hr

  2. 22/09/2022

    #29 – Chaitanya Gokhale: Theoretical eco-evolutionary dynamics

    Chaitanya Gokhale is a research group leader in theoretical eco-evolutionary dynamics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. His lab uses theoretical biology to elucidate the associations and interactions that power emergent complexity at multiple scales. TIMESTAMPS (00:35) – Natural and synthetic gene drives  (08:54) – Population dynamics of gene drives  (14:50) – Mating complexity on gene drive dynamics  (28:00) Evolutionary game theory  (41:38) Single games vs multiple games  (56:44) – Mutualism  (1:07:00) – Origin of his interest in theoretical biology  (1:16:13) – Advice for aspiring scientists

    1h 18m

  3. 14/09/2022

    #28 – Oriel FeldmanHall: Studying morality in the brain

    Oriel FeldmanHall is the Alfred Manning Associate Professor of Cognitive, Linguistics and Psychological Sciences at Brown University. Her research focuses on studying the neural basis of moral decision making, altruism, and socio-emotional decision making. Specifically, she uses techniques from different fields like behavioural economics, social psychology, imaging and psychophysiology to disentangle the cognitive and neural processes behind the complex choices that shape human social behaviour. TIMESTAMPS (00:45) – What is morality (03:21) – Why do humans have morality (08:40) – Neurobiology of moral decision making (19:53) – Studying moral decision making (32:36) – What is the right level of explanation (33:58) – Engineering morality (35:54) – Oriel’s journey in science (41:08) – Advice for young scientists

    43 min

  4. 04/09/2022

    #27 – Adam Packer: Simultaneous manipulation and recording of neural activity with light

    Adam Packer is a neuroscientist and a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellow at the University of Oxford. He has helped pioneered all-optical interrogation techniques that allow simultaneous manipulation and recording of neural circuit activity with cellular resolution in vivo, and his research focuses on using these techniques to investigate how complex spatiotemporal activity patterns in neural circuits drive behaviour. TIMESTAMPS (00:40) – Most beautiful aspect of biology (02:26) – What is the right level of explanation (06:45) – Measuring neural activity (17:38) – Manipulating neural activity (21:35) – Optogenetics (27:10) – Determining causality (37:44) – Using light to measure and manipulate neural activity (49:32) – Voltage imaging (53:24) – New insights (55:06) – Adam’s journey in science (1:03:28) – Consciousness (1:05:18) – Theory in neuroscience (1:07:19) – Progress in neuroscience (1:08:14) – Advice for young scientists

    1h 11m

  5. 18/08/2022

    #26 – Christopher McFarland: Cancer evolution

    Christopher McFarland is an Assistant Professor in Genetics and Genome Science at Case Western Reserve University. His lab integrates evolutionary theory with quantitative experimentation to better understand tumour biology. TIMESTAMPS (00:28) – Relevance of evolution to cancer  (03:00) – Genome instability in cancer development  (05:14) – Accumulation of deleterious mutations in cancer  (15:50) – Comparison with older ideas in cancer biology  (22:17) – Experimental study of tumour evolution  (35:33) – Cancer therapeutics and treatment  (47:41) – Main challenges for the cancer biology field  (54:49) – His career journey and advice for young scientists

    59 min

  6. 04/08/2022

    #25 – Will Ratcliff: Multicellularity and social evolution

    Will Ratcliff is an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech. His lab combines mathematical modelling, synthetic biology and experimental evolution, in particular long term evolution experiments (LTEEs), to study the evolution of multicellularity and the spatial dynamics of microbial social interactions. TIMESTAMPS (00:31) – Categorisation of multicellularity (12:04) – Selection pressure for multicellularity in aggregative organisms (19:40) – Darwinian definition of individuality (23:22) – Experimental study of selection for multicellularity and LTEE (44:50) – Entanglement in biology (48:57) – Is it easy to evolve multicellular life? (58:47) – Using phylogenetic trees (1:07:37) – Microbial social interactions and their spatial dynamics (1:17:25) – Discussion of the article 'Bacterial species rarely work together' (1:28:33) – Advice for young scientists NOTES Free version of the book on evolution of multicellularity: https://t.co/CDQdyW1lXZ MuLTEE thread: https://twitter.com/wc_ratcliff/status/1423359901766602755?s=20&t=UrBEBZZMZQCjeHaw-0vCyg New paper examining clonal development and aggregation directly: https://twitter.com/wc_ratcliff/status/1550585020376649729?s=20&t=UrBEBZZMZQCjeHaw-0vCyg Guide to public speaking: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j4U4VjoTOK5tQLoLxr4W7qfwa35Yy2Dv/view?usp=sharing The article we discussed on bacterial social interactions: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn5093

    1h 40m

  7. 10/07/2022

    #24 – Tristram Wyatt: Our unique odour world

    Tristram Wyatt is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford and an emeritus fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. His research focuses on the evolution of pheromones, these chemical signals transmitted between animals of the same species, influencing social behaviour. Tristram is also an award-winning author, with his Cambridge University Press book on Pheromones and Animal Behaviour winning the Best Postgraduate Textbook Award of the Royal Society of Biology in 2014. TIMESTAMPS (00:45) – Odor detection (13:59) – Pheromones (37:33) – Human pheromones (54:47) – Storytelling in science (1:05:07) – Advice for young scientists

    1h 8m

  8. 23/06/2022

    #23 – Greg Pask: Decoding the chemical language of ants

    Greg Pask is an insect neurobiologist at Middlebury College studying how insects use smell to communicate with each other. In particular, his research focuses on using a range of techniques in molecular biology, genetics, electrophysiology and animal behaviour to understand the mechanisms by which ants detect social cues and how this is necessary for maintaining successful ant colonies. TIMESTAMPS (00:35) – Superorganisms (17:25) – Division of labour in ant colonies (22:14) – How ants communicate (31:47) – Studying ants in the lab (50:42) – How much we know about ant neurobiology (53:26) – Automated recording of ant behaviour (1:02:51) – Other insects (1:04:53) – Greg’s scientific journey (1:10:23) – Favourite part about doing science (1:15:34) – Beauty of evolution (1:17:47) Advice for young scientists

    1h 19m
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About

Conversations with experts about their work in neuroscience, synthetic biology, mathematics, and various other academic fields to make science accessible to everyone. Follow us on Twitter @EpistimonesPod

Information

  • Creator
    Paco Chow and Megan Lee
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2023
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Paco Chow and Megan Lee
  • Show Website
    Epistimones