What Can You Do With Just 493 Genes?

How did we get here?

That's today's big question, and today my guests are Roy Moger-Reischer, and our first three-time guest, Brandon Ogbunu.

Roy Moger-Reischer is a scientist trained in microbiology, evolution and data analysis for his PhD. He's currently a fermentation specialist Arzeda, working to develop new proteins and biochemistry for the production of valuable molecules.

Brandon Ogbunu, described as a radical collaborator, is an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale. His research takes place at the intersection of evolutionary biology, genetics, and epidemiology.

When I first read about the work of Roy and his lab compatriots to take this idea of a cell stripped down to only what is most essential -- a minimal cell -- and then to see if it would or could evolve to survive even basic mutations, my first thought was, "What?"

The answer, it turns out, is profound as hell.

And because I'm a self-aware moron, I also begged past guest, Brandon Ogbunu, to come back on the show to help me understand what the hell is happening here and what it means for our history, for society today, and for future breakthroughs to help answer the question:

What can you do with just 493 genes? And if the answer is not only survive, but thrive, what can we do once we know that about the building blocks of life?

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INI Book Club:

• The Ghost in the Shell by Shirow Masamune
• The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow
• Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

• Read Roy's paper on the minimal cell
• Keep up with Roy's work
• Keep up with Brandon's work

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• Edited by Anthony Luciani
• Produced by Willow Beck
• Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

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