Assigned Scientist at Bachelor‘s

On this episode we're joined by Emarose Ahmed, a synthetic organic chemist at UNLV. We learn about orbital hybridization, phosphorus, synthetic chemistry, chirality, lab protocol, and Charles takes a long detour to defend cockroaches.  Links, readings, and a transcript can be found at our website here: https://asabpodcast.com/2020/12/29/episode-16 Emarose can be found on Twitter and Instagram @ten...

In this episode Tessa and Charles talk to each other about the first four episodes of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3. After a soft reboot, the Discovery crew ends up over 900 years into their future to find a universe without the Federation. Plus, trans people!  Show notes and a transcript for this episode are available at our website: https://asabpodcast.com/2020/12/15/episode-15 Charles is on Twi...

In this episode, Australian entomologist Faelan Mourmourakis comes on to tell us about his research in the limitations of bee cognition. Tangents include the hell of academic funding, how people don't adequately appreciate insects' cuteness, and the emu war (which is real, and which humans lost).  To see more about Faelan's research, you can check out his website: https://faemourmourakis.wordpress...

On this episode, we had on chemist Elizabeth Feinberg to talk about her research experiences with lasers, plastics, and sewage, and tells us what the heck plastic even is. Since recording this episode a few months ago, she got a new job! But we don't mention it because it was more recent than our recording.  For each episode, we have a transcript on our website: https://asabpodcast.com/2020/11/10/...

On this supersized super spooky Halloween special, we bring on returning guest Erin Barbeau to discuss the Locked Tomb Trilogy by Tamsyn Muir, which isn't especially trans but is very gay, and very spooky.  A transcript of this episode is available on our website, https://asabpodcast.com/2020/10/31/episode-12/ Erin can be found online @insectoidreview and @bug_wrangler on Twitter, at zir SFF revie...

On this episode we're joined by science educator and aspiring astronaut Sam Long. Sam is a high school science teacher in Colorado who is one of the main minds behind the Gender Inclusive Biology project, a project to develop more inclusive biology curriculum for K-12 students. He was also a finalist for the Out Astronaut contest in 2019, and a fantastic guest!  Sam's other podcast appearances and...

On today's episode we have immuno-oncology student Vic Zamloot on his research using Salmonella on cancerous tumors, as well as ethics in science and having never read Animorphs. Enough time has passed that when we recorded Vic was a mere PhD student and is now a full-fledged PhD candidate, which you won't be surprised to learn after you hear their command of relevant information.  A full transcri...

In this episode, we brought on three different space scientists to discuss the recent announcement of phosphine found in Venus's atmosphere. We talk about why it's exciting, what it means, whether there are aliens, and which ones we'd date.  A transcript is available on our website here: https://asabpodcast.com/2020/09/25/episode-9/ You can find all of us on Twitter @DrAshleyNova, @powerzzs, @then...

In this episode, Bryan K Lynn joins us to talk about his research using bacteria to study the evolution of cooperation, as well as being trans in science, fear of apocalypse, and the baffling decision to present Kelsey Grammer as a blue beefcake in X-Men: The Last Stand.  A transcript is available for this (and all our other) episode on our website here: https://asabpodcast.com/2020/09/14/episode-...

On this week's episode we spoke to chemical engineer and self-described battery nerd Sophie Lee. They told us about their background in research and current research interests, indulged Charles in his request to have chemistry explained to him as if he were a precocious 10-year-old, and joined us in a meditation on how the world feels like it's on fire (and in some places, is literally on fire). ...

For this episode, we watched Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 4x06, "Rejoined," in which Jadzia Dax meets and contemplates rekindling a relationship with the new (female) host of one of her symbiont's previous host's wife's symbiont. We start talking about the gayest Star Trek episode before the new millennium and veer hard off course into a consideration of immortality, consciousness, and the metaphysi...

Our guest this week is entomologist (specializing on caterpillars), illustrator, and science fiction reviewer Erin Barbeau. We talk about science fiction, museum collections, insect research, cool caterpillars, and the significance of genitalia.    Transcript and show notes on our website: https://asabpodcast.com/2020/08/18/episode-5/   Erin can be found a variety of places online.  insectoidrevie...

Our first guest is comic writer Melody Dickens, who has a background in applied biomedical sciences and science education. We talk about her experiences with research, with teaching science, and, inevitably, a lot of Star Trek.   Transcript and notes for this episode are available on our website: https://asabpodcast.com/2020/08/04/episode-4/   Melody can be found on Twitter @MelodyDickens. Her com...

In this episode we use the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Chase" (Season 6, Episode 20) to talk about evolution, philosophy of science, whether life is governed by laws, and how extraterrestrial life might develop. 

Charles talks about biological taxonomy, systematics, and nomenclature. If that sounds boring to you, it probably will be, there's no hidden twist it's just about taxonomy.    A transcript is available on our website here: https://asabpodcast.com/2020/07/21/episode-2/

In this ep Tessa describes some of the background of astrobiology as a field, and talks about her own research. 

A basic introduction to the podcast and to its two hosts, Tessa (astrobiology) and Charles (entomology). Transcript available on our main website.