Science Magazine Podcast

What makes blueberries blue, and myth buster Adam Savage on science communication

Feb 15, 2024

Former MythBuster Adam Savage discusses science communication and his current projects. They also explore the science of blueberries and how wax causes their blue color. The podcast includes a discussion on organoid therapies for digestive diseases.

46:19

Creator website

Episode guests

Holden Thorp

Adam Savage

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Blueberries and other blue fruits owe their hue to a trick of the light caused by specialized wax on their surface.

Organoids, miniature versions of organs created from stem cells, are being used to study diseases more accurately and develop better treatments.

Deep dives

Organoid therapies for digestive diseases

Dr. Jim Wells, Chief Scientific Officer of the Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine at Cincinnati Children's, discusses how organoids can be used to study and treat gastrointestinal and metabolic organs. The research aims to replicate the normal and disease processes of these organs by incorporating immune cells into organoids. The collaboration between scientists and clinicians at Cincinnati Children's has led to the development of organoid diagnostics, which have helped identify complications in patients and informed their care plans. Additionally, efforts are underway to translate the use of intestinal organoids into therapeutic transplants for patients with intestinal injuries or inflammatory bowel disease.

Introduction

2min

Adam Savage's Impact on Science Careers

17min

Testing Native American hunting myth and coffee stirring

2min

Discussion on Science Communication and the Mystery of Blueberries

2min

The Mystery of Blueberries

11min

Applications of blue color and organoid therapies for digestive diseases

2min

Development of Organoids Using Human Stem Cells

9min

Research discussion, Sponsor collaboration announcement, and Webinar promotion

2min

Why squeezing a blueberry doesn’t get you blue juice, and a myth buster and a science editor walk into a bar

First up on the show this week, MythBusters’s Adam Savage chats with Science Editor-in-Chief Holden Thorp about the state of scholarly publishing, better ways to communicate science, plus a few myths Savage still wants to tackle.

Next on the show, making blueberries without blue pigments. Rox Middleton, a postdoctoral fellow at the Dresden University of Technology and honorary research associate at the University of Bristol, joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about how blueberries and other blue fruits owe their hue to a trick of the light caused by specialized wax on their surface.

In a sponsored segment from the Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office, Erika Berg, director and senior editor of custom publishing, interviews professor Jim Wells about organoid therapies. This segment is sponsored by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.

About the Science Podcast

Authors: Sarah Crespi; Holden Thorp

Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.z7ye2st

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