BioGenesis BioGenesis

Season 4 features stories about graduate students whose fundamental research in biology is poised to have an impact on society. In this episode, we’ll hear from Keene Abbott. He’s a cancer researcher, but the way he goes about it might feel counterintuitive at first glance. In order to find new ways to fight the disease, Keene studies what makes cancer cells feel more at home in the lab.

Produced by Eva Frederick and Raleigh McElvery. Music for this episode came from the Free Music Archive and Blue Dot Sessions at www.sessions.blue. In order of appearance:

“Something Elated” — Broke for Free
“Hardsider” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Vegimaine” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Talltell” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Borough” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Tapoco Critter” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Lamplist” — Blue Dot Sessions

Season 4 features stories of graduate students whose fundamental research in biology is poised to have an impact on society. In our third episode, we hear from Alex Chan, who is studying how Toxoplasma gondii — a parasite best known for its presence in cat poop — can infect cells in the human body in a condition called toxoplasmosis.

Produced by Raleigh McElvery and Eva Frederick. Music for this episode came from the Free Music Archive and Blue Dot Sessions at www.sessions.blue. In order of appearance:

“Something Elated” — Broke for Free
“Grimmail” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Caverna” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Begrudge” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Big River Run” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Dany PKL” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Campfire Interlude” — Blue Dot Sessions

Season 4 features stories of graduate students whose fundamental research in biology is poised to have an impact on society. In our second episode, we hear from Jade Varineau, who’s investigating what goes wrong when errors in genetic code confuse the cells that form facial structures. Down the line, her research could inform treatments for craniofacial disorders.

Produced by Raleigh McElvery and Eva Frederick. Music for this episode came from the Free Music Archive and Blue Dot Sessions at www.sessions.blue. In order of appearance:

“Something Elated” — Broke for Free
“Cran Ras” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Cornicob” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Lord Weasel” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Caprese” — Blue Dot Sessions
“November Mist” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Sals Place” — Blue Dot Sessions

Season 4 features stories about graduate students whose fundamental research in biology is poised to have an impact on society. In our first episode, we’ll meet Tina Lopez, a graduate student in the Knouse Lab. Tina grew up in the border town of McAllen, Texas. At MIT, she’s in search of the mysterious signal that cues the liver to rebuild itself post-injury.

Produced by Eva Frederick and Raleigh McElvery. Music for this episode came from the Free Music Archive and Blue Dot Sessions at www.sessions.blue. In order of appearance:

“Something Elated” — Broke for Free
“The Onyx” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Elainne Chapter” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Trek VX” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Gra Hovedvei” — Blue Dot Sessions
“These Times” — Blue Dot Sessions

Season 3 features stories of breaking the mold. In our third and final episode, we’ll meet Cesar Dominguez. His family emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. at a young age. Growing up in a relatively homogenous community led him to seek out more diverse perspectives as he honed his research skills in structural biology. He now studies how cells can withstand and transmit mechanical force.

Produced by Raleigh McElvery and Conor Gearin.
Music for this episode came from the Free Music Archive and Blue Dot Sessions at www.sessions.blue. In order of appearance:

“Something Elated” — Broke for Free
“Kilkerrin” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Valley VX” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Brad PKL” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Jog to the Water” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Cach PKL” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Chafftop” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Pacific Time” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Dimming Circuit” — Blue Dot Sessions

Season 3 features stories of breaking the mold. In our second episode, we’ll meet Thy Pham, a fifth-year graduate student in the Bartel lab. After moving to the U.S. from Vietnam at age 20, she learned English while delving into biophysics and computer science courses, opening a door to a career that she hadn’t realized was available to her. At Whitehead Institute, she’s applying artificial intelligence to predict how cells fine tune gene expression using short sequences of RNA called microRNAs.

Produced by Raleigh McElvery and Conor Gearin.
Music for this episode came from the Free Music Archive and Blue Dot Sessions at www.sessions.blue. In order of appearance:
“Something Elated” — Broke for Free
“Brek PKL” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Dowdy” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Eggs and Powder” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Net and Cradle” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Lissa” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Dance of Felt” — Blue Dot Sessions
“Lakeside Path” — Blue Dot Sessions
“New Crescente” — Blue Dot Sessions