Petri Dish

In part 1 we talked about bat diseases and bat immune system stuff, but this episode is is all about how bats are cool! Bat pollination! Bat pooping! Bat bros! So much bat! Learn about these weirdos! Featuring a promo for the audio drama Oz-9! Check them out on twitter @Oz9podcast Email us at petridishpod -at- gmail.com . On twitter @dishpodcast and instagram @petridishpodcast. References: https:/...

Hey! New episode! Part 3 of our series on skin, we welcome back Scientist Matilde Miranda to discuss cellulite and skincare -- a topic she is very passionate about! Learn about all her fancy skincare tips, and don't forget you can tweet us (@dishpodcast) or her (@mirandamspock) to ask questions! Featuring a promo for podcast Grief Burrito -- check them out https://linktr.ee/Griefburrito and on twi...

Bats are awesome and do so many useful things for the environment -- BUT that is all for part 2! Part 1 is about bats as disease reservoirs -- something they seem to do very well. We talk about what diseases bats are typically reservoirs for and what particular bat immune system characteristics might enable them to be so good at harboring viruses. This episode has some COVID-19 talk, so if you're...

Hey! New episode (and coronavirus free!) on the adaptive immune system! These are the cells that pump out antibodies, coordinate immune responses, and have memory so you can fight off diseases faster the second time around. Also featured is a note on immune system complexity, complex networks, and emergent properties! Trigger warning -- we mention the word 'suicide' in the context of cells telling...

Hi everyone, this is a SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 update episode on a treatment's (remdesivir) early experimental results, why antibody tests might not be the magic bullet everyone wants them to be, and one final discussion on the conspiracy that SARS-CoV-2 might be a bio-engineered virus. If you don't want any COVID-19 stuff going into your ear holes, avoid this episode! Listen to some of our other stuf...

Hey! It is part 2 of our 4 part series on skin, this time on acne and wrinkles! In our first episode we had Matilde Miranda, skin researcher extraordinaire (@mirandamspock on twitter) tell us about Skin Biology. Well she is back! And she is telling us the secrets of what acne is (not always bacterial!) and where wrinkles come from! Skincare enthusiasts should check this one out! Email us at petrid...

Hi everyone! Hope you are keeping it safe out there! This week we give you part 1 of 2 on the immune system. We'll be beginning with innate immunity this time and will be talking about the adaptive immune system in the next episode! What cells are on the front line, fighting on the front line to defend your body? Osmosis Jones! Check out our patreon at patreon.com/petridish email us at petridishpo...

Hey folks! How about a corona- and disease-break? This special mid-week release of Petri Dish is about SKIN! This episode is part of a (non-sequential) series on skin-related bio stuff, in which we had a guest skin scientist, Matilde Miranda, sit in and chat with us about a bunch of different skin things. This episode is the primer, it is going to help you get nice and situated for the rest of the...

Hey! This is another in our series on pandemics... except there hasn't really been a pandemic of viral hemorrhagic fevers, just epidemics! But that doesn't make them less freaky-deaky, just think about how you feel about EBOLA. Ebola isn't the only virus in town though, so tune in to hear about all the different viruses that cause this class of illness. Content-warning! We discuss, at the end of t...

For the 16 people out there that aren't sick of COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 information already, here is another BONUS MINISODE on just that topic! This time around we're covering treatments that scientists and doctors around the world are trying to use to fight COVID-19. We discuss the WHO's new clinical trial to gather some data on these treatments, talk about 5 of the treatments more specifically, and...

The second episode in our pandemic series is about one of the OGs, plague! This sucker has killed hundreds of millions of people in the past couple millennia, but has been brought low by antibiotics (yay SCIENCE!). But is it gone forever? Nah. Also, bubonic plague as a bioweapon?! It isn't a new idea... Promo this week is for Controller Disconnected Podcast! Check them out at   https://www.co...

This new series of episodes we're doing is on different pandemic diseases throughout history, with our first disease being tuberculosis! The series won't be a bunch of episodes in a row, but as we do more and more diseases we will begin comparing different pandemics. This episode covers the modern tuberculosis situation (2 billion people infected!) and our long history with the disease. We'll talk...

This is the second half of our two-parter on mankind's best friend! Last week's episode covered domestication and breeds. This week is about dog behavior, dog jobs, and dog fritos feet. Featuring a promo for the podcast Snark Tank -- check them out on twitter @SnarkTankPod and at http://SnarkTankPod.com References: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635714000473 https://www.tan...

SARS-CoV-2, HCOV-19, nCoV-19... Whatever you want to call this coronavirus, it is making a splash in countries all over the globe: big outbreaks in Italy, South Korea, and Iran, along with growing numbers of infected people (largely untested) in the USA. In this episode, Sean and Nathan discuss the US CDC's response to the coronavirus and dive a little into a paper about there being two potential...

Humankind's best friend! Pupperinos! In this week's episode of Petri Dish Nathan and Sean talk about dogs! This is part 1, where we talk about the domestication of dogs and some biological information about dog breeds! In part 2 we'll go into of the science of dog behavior and biology.  Featuring a promo for the podcast Controller Disconnected! Follow them @condisconnected on Twitter! Follow...

Hi Folks! If you're just stopping by, consider listening to Vaccines Part 1 to get info on the types of vaccines and what ingredients go into making them -- we use some of those terms here! In this ep we talk about how vaccines work on a cell level, how long and how well different vaccines work, and wrap it up with next-generation vaccines! Featuring a promo for Dad and Daughter Movies Podcast --...

Hey! The novel coronavirus (now SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19) is still out and about, doing naughty stuff! But what do we know about this sucker now, a couple of months in to this not-quite-pandemic-yet? What are the latest stats on the number of cases, what countries should we be looking at, what do we know now about the biology of COVID-19, and also conspiracy theories are dumb. Get some in...

If you're a listener to this podcast, it is probably safe to assume that you have heard of vaccines and likely are pro-vaccine. But there is a lot of cool science going on under the hood of vaccines! This week on Petri Dish Sean, Nathan, and guest Andrei dig in to the stuff that make up vaccines, the different kinds of vaccines, and whether vaccines are dangerous or not (they aren't, really). This...

Heya folks, today's episode is about intermittent fasting, a new(ish) and increasingly popular way of trying to lose weight. Is it just a fad diet, or something more complicated? How does someone go about doing intermittent fasting and what does it do on a biological level (as far as we know)?As a note: Intermittent fasting involves changing how and when you eat, and therefore is a topic that can...

This topic was requested by co-host Nathan, who had read several news articles recently suggesting that cats are menaces, plagues upon the world and humankind. IS THIS TRUE?! In this episode, we begin with a brief history on the semi-domestication of cats, and then move into some of their cool and unique biology. Then we discuss cats as invasive species and cats as vectors for Toxoplasma gondii, a...

Hey everyone, I hope you checked out our bonus minisode on the new coronavirus! Here is our regularly scheduled full episode, the part 2 on Aging and Immortality! This time we turn our focus to humans, and what the current science says about how to live longer and healthier! Can being hungry all the time make you immortal? Does NAD+ supplements or metformin do anything? Find out! If you like what...

Hi Everyone, Happy Year of the Rat! This is a special mini-episode we are releasing on the novel coronavirus currently infecting people in China (and now elsewhere). This short episode covers what a coronavirus is in general, and what we know about this new one. It also has a little conspiracy theory stuff at the end, but that's just for light hearted purposes, because all in all new diseases can...

For folks in the USA, happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! This week on Petri Dish Nathan and Sean discuss the biology of aging. What does it actually mean to age, when some animals out there are biologically immortal and get to just hang out forever until they get eaten? What happens on a cellular level when we age? What can we learn from other species about the aging process? This is the first part...

Welcome to the first Petri Dish episode recorded in 2020! This one is about the science behind the effects of booze (ethanol), and our current best understanding of what hangovers are and what you can do about them! Would this episode have been more apropos if released closer to New Year's Day? Maybe, but we were all too hung over, so whatever. Tune in for a brief history of alcohol, a discussion...

In this week's episode, Sean and Nathan are joined by guest Liliana Escobedo to discuss epigenetics, which is either all of the stuff besides your genes that affects the functions of your cells OR non-genetic stuff that happens in your life that can affect your kids and grandkids, depending on what scientists you ask for a definition! Can eating too much food during your lifetime affect your grand...