The Formicary - Conversations in Science

Sciants Media

The Formicary - Conversations in Science is a conversational podcast where Dr. Bálint talks with individuals with STEM backgrounds, whether they are content creators, professors, or active researchers.

  1. Jul 20

    Prostate Cancer & Computational Biology: The Future of Cancer Diagnosis - Patrick McDeed

    Cancer is constantly evolving. The challenge for clinicians is keeping up with those changes quickly enough to make better treatment decisions. In this episode, Balint of SciAnts_Streams speaks with Patrick McDeed about liquid biopsies, circulating tumor DNA, and the emerging technologies that allow researchers to monitor cancer through a simple blood sample. McDeed explains how tumors shed DNA into the bloodstream and how computational methods can identify tumor-derived fragments among vast amounts of normal cell-free DNA. The discussion explores biomarker discovery, epigenetics, whole-genome sequencing, tumor evolution, and the use of cancer phylogenetics to reconstruct how tumors adapt under treatment pressure. A major theme is precision oncology. Rather than relying solely on a single tissue biopsy, liquid biopsy approaches allow researchers to repeatedly monitor disease progression, evaluate treatment response, detect residual disease after surgery, and potentially identify recurrence earlier than traditional methods. The episode also examines research into advanced prostate cancer, where McDeed's team uses genomic data to understand why some patients fail to respond to targeted therapies. Their findings reveal that resistance can emerge through mechanisms more complex than originally predicted, highlighting why continuous monitoring of tumor biology is critical for effective treatment planning. Along the way, listeners gain insight into how computational biology, statistics, artificial intelligence, and genomics are reshaping cancer research. The result is a thoughtful exploration of how data-driven medicine is moving oncology toward a future where treatment decisions are informed not by a single snapshot of a tumor, but by a continuous understanding of how that tumor changes over time.

  2. Jul 13

    You've Got Rhythm - Coffee, caffeine, And Your Body - Dr. Thomas Merritt

    Doctor Merritt Resources: Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/merritt_lab Biography: https://laurentian.ca/academics/facul... ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4795-7534 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...All Things SciAnts:https://linktr.ee/sciants

  3. Jul 6

    Greater Gliders & Why They Matter: Dr. Kita Ashman on Australia's Climate Crisis

    Recorded On 04/14/26Relevant Links: World Wildlife FundGive an Hour for EarthKita’s Google ScholarKita’s ORCIDAll Things SciAnts:https://linktr.ee/sciants

  4. Jun 29

    Saving Africa’s Wildlife - Bas Hulibregts

    Recorded On 04/09/26 Relevant Links: World Wildlife FundAbout Bas HulibregtsGive an Hour for EarthAll Things SciAnts:https://linktr.ee/sciants

  5. May 18

    Lupus: Diagnosis, Treatment & the Future of Immunotherapy | Dr. Joy Buie

    Lupus Foundation of America: https://www.lupus.org/All things SciAnts can be found on our Linktree

  6. May 4

    Med School, Resilience, Identity, and the Sunk Cost Fallacy - Tyy_Rex

    Tyy_Rex social media: Twitch: https://twitch.tv/tyy_rexYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tyy_RexYouTube (Tyy_Rex Plays): https://www.youtube.com/@tyyrexplaysAll things SciAnts can be found on our Linktree

  7. Apr 28

    Art, Education, and Birds - IPaintBirbs

    IPaintBirbs social media: Twitch:  https://www.twitch.tv/ipaintbirbsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ipaintbirbs/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ipaintbirbsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/ipaintbirbs.bsky.socialShop: https://lizclaytonfuller.com/——————————-All things SciAnts can be found on our Linktree

  8. Apr 20

    Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics and Scientific Thinking - RareGangster

    Raregangster's social media: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/raregangsterYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RareGangsterTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raregangster Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raregangster/X: https://x.com/rare_gangsterBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/raregangster.bsky.socialMerch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/rare-wear/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/raregangster——————————-All things SciAnts can be found on our Linktree

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The Formicary - Conversations in Science is a conversational podcast where Dr. Bálint talks with individuals with STEM backgrounds, whether they are content creators, professors, or active researchers.

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