The Interactome

Outer space is one of the most hostile environments humans live and work in. Harsh radiation, hard vacuum and temperatures that fluctuate between boiling hot and freezing cold are only some of the challenges that engineers have to overcome before astronauts ever set foot in a spacecraft. Join Sam, Sarah, and special guest Maddie Haas as we discuss how environmental control and life support systems...

What plays in your head when you hear “DNA?” Amir Bitran, postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley AND classical musician, joins Maia, Sam, and Joe to discuss how he composes science-inspired music! Tune in for our joint analysis and play-by-play of excerpts from his piece “When DNA Makes Loops,” and a lively discussion about inspiration, accessibility, the parallels between science and classical mu...

Note: This episode was recorded on September 17, 2025. When you think of meteorology, you probably think of someone giving a weather forecast on TV. But predicting the weather requires a whole team of scientists, from those who run simulations in labs to researchers on boats, and even a few who fly planes into storms to get measurements up close. In this episode, we invite Colorado State Universit...

Have you ever wondered how new medications go from being a research project to being safely used in hospitals and clinics around the world? In this episode of the Interactome, host Sam talks about their work on technical challenges in the field of process development. From the different types of therapeutic molecules to how horseshoe crabs keep patients safe, this episode covers many of the steps...

The age old nature vs. nurture question is complicated, especially when genetics are involved. On this episode, we dive into the concept of “epigenetics,” which translates to “above the genome.” Joe, Sam and Natalie cover how your environment can play a role in how your genes are expressed, how you can have different kinds of cells from the same DNA, and … jello? You’ll walk away with an understan...

The human brain is arguably the most complex organ in the body - and its hard to do experiments on it in a lab setting without invasive tools like electrodes and injections in the brain itself. But what if we had less invasive tools for understanding the brain in the lab? Join Sarah and Joe as they talk with Schuyler, an MD-PhD candidate, about the wild world of non-invasive neuroengineering... an...

When you think of health care, space probably doesn’t come to mind! But the emerging field of space robotics can provide groundbreaking insights to the world of medicine! This episode, Texas A&M robotics engineer Emily Wilkinson  sits down with Natalie and Sarah to discuss her career journey, current research, and her NASA internship (where she met Sarah!). Links: Our Website: https://interact...

Whether it's the city, the suburbs, or somewhere else, have you ever stopped to think about why place where you live is designed the way that it is? That's thanks to urban planners, of which our guest this episode - Angela Lei - is! Join Angela, Sam, and Sarah as they discuss what urban planners and engineers do in terms of zoning, considerations made for pedestrians, and a little bit of history a...

What do doctors and astronauts have in common? Turns out, it’s more than you might think! On this episode, Sarah and Maia are joined by Shawna Pandya, MD. Shawna is a physician, astronaut and scientist. Tune in to hear her talk about navigating health care in the most extreme environments, and how she helps patients survive and thrive!   Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/web...

AI doesn’t typically make people think of parenting, but when you listen to this episode you’ll be shocked by the similarities! Cole Smith walks us through how to train AI, how it differs from machine learning, and why building an AI system can feel a lot like raising a child. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: h...

Effectively communicating scientific concepts and discoveries is one of the hardest, and most important, ways of bridging gaps between scientists and the general public. But as all things in science, this is easier said than done.  On this episode, Joe, Sam and Natalie chat with New York Times science journalist and bestselling author Jim Robbins. He discusses his approach to writing about untold...

On this episode of the Interactome, special guest Rasa Valiauga joins Natalie and Sarah to discuss the link that our diet has with our brains. Topics include what foods are considered highly glycemic and what that can mean for our bodies, how diabetes links to our diet, and discussing how to trim the fat from sensationalized diet advice and find the facts. Links: Our Website: https://interactomeme...

You’ve probably heard of the microbiome, but there’s much more to it than just gut health. Tune in to hear from Bridget O’Connor, career microbiologist, for a discussion on the microbiome, how microbiologists study organisms they can’t see, and more! Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/in...

This week, the Interactome team is joined by Dr. Alex Champagne, Associate Professor of Biology at  University of Southern Indiana! The team talks all things bird physiology — the age old question of flight evolution, interesting anatomical structures, and Dr. Champagne’s current work (which just got published, by the way)! After listening to the episode, read about how skin lipids in desert bats...

You've probably heard of AI powered neural networks, but are you familiar with biological neural networks? Join Sam, Natalie, and returning guest Youngmin as they compare, contrast, and generally discuss both types of networks. Can a single neuron "think"? And how do neural networks "learn"? We cover these questions and more on this episode of the interactome. Links: Our Website: https://interacto...

We all know that protein is something in our food, but what else do proteins do? For our final episode of our 3-part series on the Central Dogma, we discuss (one of) the final products of DNA and RNA: proteins! We cover everything from where proteins come from to some of their roles as molecular machines. Along the way, we touch on topics such as how eating protein helps you make muscles to "the p...

Welcome to our part 2 of the central dogma of biology series! In this episode, Maia, Joe and Natalie talk all things RNA. Tune in to learn about the molecular structure differences between RNA and DNA, mRNA vaccines, and to hear some polarizing biological theories! Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.i...

What’s spookier than identity theft, scams and fraud? In the digital age, cybersecurity is more important than ever. Yet, there are many misconceptions about the field and what it entails. October is cybersecurity month, and to celebrate Sam, Joe and Natalie spoke with SecOp analyst Virginia Gresham. The crew talked about about her role, the importance of protecting your information, and more. Giv...

Content Warning: this episode discusses dead bodies, violent crime, and international conflict On this show, we talk a lot about modeling the scientific mindset, but scientists aren’t the only professionals asking tough questions. This week, we’re joined by a retired FBI agent who tells us all about how to ask the right questions and solve problems at hand. Oh, and there’s a surprise connection be...

In this episode, Joe, Maia, and Natalie talk about genetics. They start with the basics, and then delve into how we get our DNA and how it can change over many many years. You're bound to learn something new with this episode of the interactome! Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interac...

When we think of science, we often think of data being collected in test tubes and laboratories, but lots of data actually exists in the context of mountains, roads, neighborhoods and countries. Join Joe, Sarah and Natalie and special guest Rylee Wrenner as they discuss Geographic Information Science (GIS), which allows researchers to understand the kinds of data that are best visualized on a map....

You might have heard the phrase "the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell" back in high school biology class, but what does that mean? Join Joe, Sam, and Maia as they explore everyone's favorite part of the cell. We had some fun with this, so join us as we explain what exactly the mitochondria is, how it works, and what happens if it breaks. Along the way, we'll talk about electron hot potat...

This episode of the interactome is all about food science! Join Christina Allingham, A.K.A @biteofnewengland, as she talks about her experience in the food industry. Natalie, Sam, and Maia host as they ask Christina how she got into the industry, what food science is all about, and how her job has evolved over the course of covid. Links: Christina's Blog: https://www.instagram.com/biteofnewengland...

It's time for more science stories! This time Sam has too many snails, Natalie is impacted by woodpeckers, and Joe discusses mentorship.  Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Fu...

On this episode of the Interactome, join Joe, Natalie, Sarah, and special guest Margaret as they discover what the heck mass spectrometry actually is. From generating ideas for experiments to protein identification and avenues for treatment in diseases like cancer, mass spec is truly a powerful tool. And with cutting-edge technologies to further its versatility across many science disciplines, thi...