Genetics Unzipped

We’re taking a closer look at the red stuff, finding out what a few millilitres of blood can reveal about the development, progression and treatment of cancer within the body. Rather than painful surgical biopsies, expensive scans or complicated screening tests, what if we could simply take a small tube of blood and discover a wealth of information, such as whether or not you have cancer in your b...

Our next episode has been held up, so we're taking the opportunity to look back at our series exploring 100 ideas in genetics. This episode was one of Kat's favourites, where she explores the discovery of chromosomes - the strands of genetic material within every living cell. Take a look at Lyonisation, and solve the case of the missing chromosomes. Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Ka...

In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, presenter Dr Sally Le Page explores the gruesome side of family life in the natural world, getting stuck into a spot of cannibalism and asking: “When exactly should you eat your relatives?” Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com   Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip This episode of Genetics Unzipped was wr...

We're exploring the genetic secrets of squid. Dr Sally Le Page chats with Dr Sarah McAnulty to find out what has made squid so difficult to genetically manipulate and how they do unusual things with their RNA. We then sit down with Professor Jamie Foster who has been sending glow-in-the-dark squid into space to find out more about our microbiome. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and refe...

Presenter Dr Kat Arney explores the importance of randomness in genetics. How can we explain differences between individuals with identical nature and nurture? We look at how Ben Lehner’s worm-breaking research has changed our understanding of epigenetics. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com   Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip This episod...

In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, Dr Sally Le Page is delving into the seemingly science fiction world of xenotransplantation, that is, taking organs from animals and using them as organ transplants for humans. We chat with cardiologist Rohin Francis about the groundbreaking operation this year transplanting a genetically modified pig heart into a human, and we chat with Professor Angelika Sch...

In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, Dr Kat Arney is looking at the monkey in the mirror, investigating how flipped genetic switches and long-dead viruses make all the difference between our human faces and those of our closest primate relatives. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com   Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip This episode of Gene...

We’re unpacking the science behind exosomes: one of the hottest new areas of research for both diagnosing and treating diseases. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com   Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip This episode of Genetics Unzipped was written, presented and produced by Sally Le Page with Kat Arney. This podcast is created by First Cre...

In this week’s episode of the Genetics Unzipped podcast, we’re exploring groundbreaking discoveries about the secret sex lives of cancer cells, and what it means for our understanding of tumour growth, evolution and treatment. Dr Kat Arney tells the story of how we discovered cancer cells were having sex, plus we look into why female tumours and male tumours act so differently. Full show notes, tr...

In this week’s episode of the Genetics Unzipped podcast, we’re looking at a genetic history of the Americas. Professor Jennifer Raff discusses her new book, Origins: A Genetic History of the Americas, telling the story of how humans first populated the American continents. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com   Follow us on Twitter @Genetics...

We’re exploring the life and work of D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson - one of the first scientists to bring together the worlds of mathematics and biology in the quest to understand how living things are built. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio pro...

We sit down with geneticist and author Adam Rutherford for a chat about his new book, Control, which explores the horrific legacy of eugenics and its present-day manifestations. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at Genetics Unzipped Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. Thi...

We find out how one of the world’s greatest minds, Alan Turing, revealed the maths behind the stripes on a zebra to the spots on a leopard, and even the pattern of bones in your own body. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah...

In this reposted episode from August 2019, we’re telling tales of the genetics of sex and death, from the evolutionary origins of sex to Francis Galton's dark eugenic fantasies. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall....

We’re bringing you our favourite bits from 2021, from the history of mRNA to canine superheroes, brilliant bats to the world’s most adventurous palaeontologist. Enjoy! Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. This podca...

We’re chatting with Professor Paige Harden from the University of Texas about her new book, The Genetic Lottery, how genetic variations might affect our chances in life, and what - if anything - we should do with this information. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented b...

We’re taking a trip to the zoo, to find out how studying tumours across the animal kingdom in species like elephants and naked mole rats can reveal insights into cancer in our own species. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hanna...

Introducing the second series of Hormones: The Inside Story - the podcast from the Society for Endocrinology, produced by the team behind Genetics Unzipped. Find it on Podbean , Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Ever had a moment at a crowded gig or in a cramped airplane seat when you wished you could change your height? Georgia Mills investigates how hormones affect our...

If you like science podcasts, check out the latest series of Hormones: The Inside Story, from the team behind Genetics Unzipped. We’re busting myths and misconceptions about the complex world of hormones, and exploring everything from how hormones impact our height to whether they hold the key to defying aging. Find Hormones: The Inside Story on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Podbean or wherever you g...

We’re squelching through Californian mud, swimming with platypuses, bearing witness to daylight robbery and even finding time to catch an episode of Star Trek as we look back on the strangest genetics stories of 2021. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney w...

We’re exploring the science behind one of the most remarkable but often overlooked organs in the mammalian body - the placenta - and its role in maternal mental health. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com . Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. This po...

We’re taking a look at how we learned to read the book of life, from the earliest days of DNA sequencing to the very latest futuristic technologies. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall with additional research and s...

Dianne Newbury discusses the story of the Robinson Crusoe islanders and what their genes can teach us about speech and language development. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. This podcast is produced by First Cre...

We discover the origins of DNA, find out where genes come from, and explore what’s next for the genetic code with Hachimoji XNA. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall with additional research and scripting by Emily No...

We delve back into the past discover the stories of Denisovans and direwolves that researchers are now able to read in ancient DNA left in bones and cave dirt. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. This podcast is pr...