
PNAS Science Sessions
Welcome to Science Sessions, the PNAS podcast program. Listen to brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in PNAS, plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us.
Latest episodes

Jun 11, 2019 • 6min
Global collaboration against HIV
Ambassador Deborah Birx discusses international efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Jun 11, 2019 • 6min
Molecular profiling of cancer
Elaine Mardis discusses how next generation sequencing technology is helping the Pan-Cancer Initiative gain a molecular understanding of cancer.

Jun 10, 2019 • 6min
Growing stem cells in 3D
David Schaffer describes how to culture human stem cells in a fully-defined, scalable 3D medium.

Jun 10, 2019 • 6min
Astrocytes and ALS
Brian Kaspar discusses the role of astrocyte cells in the motor neuron disease ALS.

Jun 10, 2019 • 4min
Taming an unwieldy cancer target
Frank McCormick discusses a National Cancer Institute-led effort to turn a well-known cancer-causing protein into a viable drug target.

Jun 10, 2019 • 4min
Genetic switchboards
James Collins explains how researchers can rewire bacterial cells and control multiple genes simultaneously within a single cell.

Jun 10, 2019 • 6min
Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Francesco Pennacchio
Francesco Pennacchio explains how neonicotinoid insecticides can influence the immune response of honey bees.

Jun 10, 2019 • 6min
Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Caroline Roullier
Caroline Roullier and colleagues won the 2013 Cozzarelli Prize in Behavioral and Social Sciences for their work on the distribution of sweet potatoes in Oceania.

Jun 10, 2019 • 6min
Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Yoel Sadovsky and Carolyn Coyne
Yoel Sadovsky and Carolyn Coyne describe the placenta's role in protecting the fetus from infection by viruses.

Jun 10, 2019 • 6min
Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Tad Patzek
Tad Patzek explains how natural gas production declines over time in hydrofractured wells.