Petri Dish

It's part 2 of our collaboration with The Microbe Moment (a podcast from The Microbigals! https://www.microbigals.com/the-microbe-moment-science-podcast) ! We return to our discussion of some of the more ridiculous Medieval treatments for diseases that we could find in our research! Listen in for some of the odder things humans have done to other humans to try to treat a disease! Ad Sponsor: Hello...

In the first episode of our collaboration with The Microbe Moment (a podcast from The Microbigals! https://www.microbigals.com/the-microbe-moment-science-podcast), we discuss some of the more ridiculous Medieval treatments for diseases that we could find in our research! Listen in for some of the odder things humans have done to other humans to try to treat a disease! Ad Sponsor: Hello Fresh (Cana...

In this final episode of our series on Multiple Sclerosis, we discuss the current treatments available for the disease, mainly for the relapsing/remitting form. We then discuss what some of the future treatments look like, including those currently in clinical trials, that may be able to help treat the progressive form of MS! Ad Sponsor: Hello Fresh (Canada) Link: https://hellofresh-ca.o5kg.net/c/...

Last week we started our series on multiple sclerosis by discussing the history of the disease, the symptoms, and the various forms of the disease. This week we dive into the biological cause of the disease. What makes multiple sclerosis pop up? What sorts of genetic or environmental factors seem to play a role? We also recommend you check out Eps 63/64 on the blood brain barrier, Eps 56/57 on aut...

In this week's episode, Nathan and Sean start their discussion of multiple sclerosis, a progressive autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder with a ton of symptoms and freaky way of popping up and disappearing willy-nilly! Learn about Saint Ludwina, the patron saint of ice skaters! Find out what myelin is! Hear acronyms like RRMS! All on this week's episode of Petri Dish! Ad Sponsor: Hello Fresh (Can...

This week on Petri Dish, Sean, Nathan, and special guest Andrei wrap up their discussion on non-nutritive sweeteners by looking at what evidence is out there on potential harmful impacts of these sweeteners. Do sweeteners cause cancer? Do they help you lose weight, or actually make you gain weight!? What about your microbiome, or the environment? Find out this week! References: https://www.science...

Hey everyone! This week's episode continues our discussion on non-nutritive sweeteners! Last week we discussed synthetic sweeteners, the ones made in labs like Sweet N Low or Splenda. But there are sweeteners on the market that are 'natural', like stevia or monkfruit. What is up with those sweeteners? Are they just different kinds of sugars, or are they something else entirely? References: https:/...

This first episode in our three-parter on non-nutritive sweeteners is about the artificial stuff, the most-accidental discoveries that led to saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, all the big ones, all the hits! How do these synthetic sweeteners work? How do they differ from one another? Next week we'll cover 'natural' non-nutritive sweeteners and the week after that we'll cover whether there are any r...

In this final episode of our series on Alzheimer's Disease, we discuss some of the alternate hypotheses for what actually causes and drives progression of Alzheimer's Disease, if not amyloid beta. What other ideas are some scientists working through? Featuring a promo for Infectious Groove, a great podcast music podcast! Ad Link: https://omio.sjv.io/c/2544961/1078765/7385 References: https://pubme...

I don't know if y'all have heard or not, but a month ago the FDA approved a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, the first one in a couple of decades. This approval was met with the resignation of some members of the FDA's own scientific advisory group, which had recommended that the drug not be approved. What is going on here? Let's get into the science behind this drug, how the approva...

One of the top killers of people over the age of 65, Alzheimer's Disease is the target of cutting edge pharmaceutical research and basic science. What do we already know about the symptoms and their biological causes? As it turns out, there is still a good amount of controversy when it comes to the fundamental mechanism of this disease! Ad Link: https://omio.sjv.io/c/2544961/1078765/7385 Reference...

Ad Link: https://omio.sjv.io/c/2544961/1078765/7385 Last week we discussed how someone could go about cloning something, but this week we dive into the WHY. Maybe there is no particularly good reason to do reproductive cloning for humans, but what about individuals of endangered species? What about trying to bring back recently extinct species? What about cloning to try to create new species? Feat...

Ad Link: https://omio.sjv.io/c/2544961/1078765/7385 Jurassic Park! Dolly the Sheep! Mammoths! Cloning went from science fiction to science, but maybe had fallen a bit out of vogue for a while? But some other concepts that can include cloning technology, like certain kinds of stem cell work and maybe bringing extinct species back to life! This episode, find out how reproductive cloning works! Next...

Ad link: https://omio.sjv.io/c/2544961/1078765/7385 Back from the brief interruption of our allergies series to celebrate our 100th episode, we're wrapping things up by talking about treatments for allergies and what scientists have been cooking up to help people get back to snorting cat dander. Don't worry, only one of the treatments involves getting purposefully infected with worms. Feat. a prom...

The 100th episode! Woo, we did it everyone! Thank you for listening to the podcast! This episode, Sean released his grip on the reins and let Nathan and Stacey pick topics to discuss, and so this episode is about: The History of the Number Zero Buttholes (Thanks, Nathan) Ad Link: https://omio.sjv.io/c/2544961/1078765/7385 Featuring a promo for Curiosity Kill the Rat, another great science podcast!...

Ad URL: https://baxterblueglasses.pxf.io/c/2544961/1031264/11471 Okay, so you have allergies, your friends have allergies, your enemies have allergies -- why does everyone seem to be allergic to stuff nowadays? Are we more allergic to things than we used to be? And if so, why? PROMO: Plants and Pipettes Podcast! References: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00281-020-00785-1 https://www.n...

Ad URL: https://baxterblueglasses.pxf.io/c/2544961/1031264/11471 Asthma! Hives! Hay Fever! Such a wide variety of allergic responses -- what do they have in common? Surprisingly a huge amount! This episode we get into the biological details of the kinds of allergies we're all used to thinking about. PROMO: Thorndale Podcast! References: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-immunol...

Ad URL: https://baxterblueglasses.pxf.io/c/2544961/1031264/11471 Everyone knows about allergies! But, at the same time, hives seem very different from asthma, and both seem different from seasonal allergies. What is going on? On this first episode, we dive into one way of categorizing and describing allergies: the hypersensitivity type system! PROMO: Not Suitable for Adults Podcast! References: ht...

Ad URL: https://baxterblueglasses.pxf.io/c/2544961/1031264/11471 We’re back to discuss some more stuff about that spicy burny feeling! Our first spicy episode (Ep. 94) was focused on capsaicin, but that isn’t the only game in town! What are some of the other spicy molecules out there? Also, is there a scientifically approved method for cooling your mouth down after you’ve scarfed down too much Hot...

Ad Link: https://baxterblueglasses.pxf.io/c/2544961/1031264/11471 Happy May the Fourth! Would it be possible to build a real lightsaber, just like what they have in the movies? Probably not! But the things keeping us from getting to have our very own bzzt bzzt blades might not be what you think they are! Listen in to find out potential ways scientists have been trying to come up with to make light...

Advertising Link: https://baxterblueglasses.pxf.io/c/2544961/1031264/11471 If you're like me, you love that burning sensation from a nice dose of capsaicin, maybe in a salsa or a tasty Thai dish. But what exactly is capsaicin, where does it come from, and how does it make your tongue feel like it is on fire? Find out this week on Petri Dish! Featuring a promo for Lit Gaming Arena, a podcast for al...

https://baxterblueglasses.pxf.io/c/2544961/1031264/11471   The AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines have been in the news recently, suspected of causing a rare blood clotting issue in a small number of people who receive them. What is going on with these two vaccines, while the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines don't seem to have this problem? What are blot clots anyway and...

Why can newts grow back part of their spine and brain while we're walking around unable to even heal a broken heart!? Even amongst us tetrapods, the ability to regenerate varies wildly! Learn how amphibians regenerate their body parts, how lizards regrow their tails, and how little human kids can regrow the tips of their fingers, apparently! Feat. a promo for Twisted and Uncorked, a true crime/par...

Last week we talked about hydra and planarians, which you can slice and dice into little bits and all the bits will regrow into new little jabronis! But they're pretty distant from us on the evolutionary tree, so how about we get a little closer! This week, we talk about sea slugs and zebrafish, two aquatic critters with pretty impressive regenerative abilities! Feat. a promo for I Said God Damn!...

How come some animals can get their tails ripped off and just grow a whole new tail, and we can't even grow back a measly little finger? I mean, there are even animals out there you can slice and dice into 200 different pieces, and all the pieces will regenerate into copies of the original animal! This week we dive into two example animals that demonstrate extreme regeneration -- hydra and planari...