Reason with Science

This episode is with Chris Stringer. Chris is a renowned paleoanthropologist and a leading expert in the study of human evolution. He is a researcher at the Natural History Museum in London. He is best known for his work on the origins and evolution of modern humans. In this discussion, we will delve into the topics of evolution of sapiens, the development of modern humans, the reasons for our unique existence, and making projections about the future of human evolution. Guest info: Website: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/departments-and-staff/staff-directory/chris-stringer.html Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisStringer65?s=20 Episode links: Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/human-evolution-with-chris-stringer Youtube: https://youtu.be/uFAQcL5wacM Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1wnn9ACTMToBBRV5i9IzVl?si=atBWYw4_ToqYTGhAHEYodA Apple podcast: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reason-with-science/407cd478-4271-4319-8318-fc378d4e7ccb/episode/how-modern-humans-evolved-|-chris-stringer-|-reason-with-science|-hominins/afc3479e-2ce2-4fd3-8359-4643956ad509 Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NjBhNjViZjEtYWYxNS00ODdjLWI0MTMtNjBjMTBhMjQwNDZm?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjo15SX_rL-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA Follow Reason with Science: Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/reasonwithscience Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894 Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:56 Where did the Homo Sapien first appear and when was it? 00:03:38 What is a species and when does a species become a species? 00:07:03 What are hominins and when did they appear? 00:12:33 Where did hominins diverge? 00:16:50 Homo Sapiens is not the only humans which moved out of Africa! 00:23:08 Tools to study the evolution 00:28:06 Why there are limited fossils from certain regions? 00:30:48 Importance of fossils 00:31:54 Origins of Homo Sapiens 00:38:05 Genomes of the various homo species 00:40:14 How to get the proteins from fossils to study evolution? 00:41:22 Why are we alone? 00:49:22 'Bigger brain' argument for the survival of sapiens 00:50:46 Language and fire use in other hominins 00:55:05 Major questions about the evolution of hominids and hominins 00:56:53 Presence of humans in America 00:58:18 Future of human evolution 01:00:30 Thank you! #reasonwithscience #evolution #sapiens

This episode is with Kate Adamala. She is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. Kate is a renowned synthetic biologist and biochemist who has made significant contributions to the field of artificial life. Her research focuses on building synthetic cells, designing artificial genetic circuits, and exploring the origins of life on Earth. In this discussion, we will cover topics related to the first artificial life created in the lab, the creation of synthetic cells, various techniques for constructing artificial life, the origins of life, and the significant applications of synthetic cells. Guest info: Website: http://www.protobiology.org/indexd.php Twitter: https://twitter.com/KateAdamala Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@build-a-cell2765 Episode links: Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/building-life-in-the-lab-with-kate-adamala Youtube: https://youtu.be/E6-6u1evt60 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1a5BrycZKA9yZhnqweggk6 Apple podcast: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reason-with-science/407cd478-4271-4319-8318-fc378d4e7ccb/episode/building-life-in-the-lab-|-kate-adamala-|-reason-with-science-|-artificial-life-|-origin-of-life/53206ca2-e51f-4753-9778-cc23eafb178c Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MWQwNDI1MGItZDI0Ny00ZjFlLTkwMmItODQ2NzI4OGFhNjFm?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwiY99uFzZn-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA Follow Reason with Science: Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894 Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:01 First synthetic life at Craig Venter institute 00:03:46 What is a synthetic cell? 00:05:27 Definition of life 00:07:54 Replication of synthetic cells 00:10:00 Meaning of building life in the lab 00:11:22 Properties of biochemistry 00:12:55 Top-down or bottom-up approaches to build synthetic cells 00:14:28 Major components to build a cell 00:15:53 Importance of compartmentalization for synthetic cells 00:17:23 Liquid-liquid phase separation compartments 00:18:36 Requirements for the assembly of synthetic cells 00:20:04 Life from scratch 00:22:05 Information system in the synthetic cells 00:26:25 Genes to replication of the synthetic cells 00:30:11 Life of the synthetic cells 00:30:31 Limiting factors for the growth of synthetic cells 00:31:57 How the compartments are maintained? 00:32:58 Can synthetic cells grow forever? 00:33:51 Size of synthetic cells 00:35:20 Shape of the cells 00:35:49 Transporters in the synthetic cells 00:37:55 Applications of synthetic cells 00:42:20 Synthetic cells to study origin of life 00:43:36 Evolution of protocells 00:46:45 What is missing in building life in the lab? 00:48:12 How the work on synthetic cells can help in astrobiology? 00:49:52 Understanding multicellularity 00:51:07 Work on snowflake yeasts 00:52:17 Studying eukaryogenesis 00:53:01 How can we study evolution (by natural selection) using synthetic cells? 00:54:20 Synthetic cells for the environment 00:56:27 Limits to the biochemistry of synthetic cells 00:58:42 Engineering prosthetic 01:01:07 Viruses and the synthetic cells 01:02:27 Replication competent viruses 01:03:40 Alternatives of metabolism and biochemistry of synthetic cells 01:07:13 Yields from synthetic cells 01:09:22 Build-a-cell initiative 01:12:55 Major questions in the build-a-cell community 01:15:21 Further reading 01:16:54 Thank you!

This episode is with Eugene Koonin. He is a highly respected computational biologist who has made significant contributions to the fields of evolutionary biology, genomics, and bioinformatics. Eugene is a distinguished investigator at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). His research interests include the evolution of viruses and the development of new computational methods for analyzing large-scale genomic data. Here we talk about origins and evolution of viruses, major transitions in evolution, diversity of viruses, and tools to study viruses. Guest info: Website: ⁠https://irp.nih.gov/pi/eugene-koonin Episode links:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/evolutionary-origins-of-viruses-cellular-life-with-eugene-koonin⁠ Youtube: https://youtu.be/lJ-fw4nszDU Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/0itkqCyuTwqIs83mHHrH07?si=7e8c71dd68984fa8&nd=1 Apple podcast:  https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reason-with-science/407cd478-4271-4319-8318-fc378d4e7ccb/episode/evolutionary-origins-of-viruses-and-cellular-life-with-eugene-koonin-%7C-reason-with-science-%7C-genomics/f81f10bb-82e5-4dcb-b96e-8687ca1b0e86 Google podcast:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ZWNhY2YyZTYtNjJjOC00OThiLWJhZGYtNWM4ODQ1ODI3ZGRk?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjouLLfiuf9AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA Follow Reason with Science:  Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh  Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894  Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:03 How do we define viruses? 00:04:12 Major transitions in evolution and viruses 00:10:15 Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) and its virome 00:15:50 Diversity of viruses 00:26:40 Multiple origins of viruses 00:28:56 Origin of viruses 00:35:21 Viruses and replicators 00:38:11 Selfish elements as information carriers 00:40:01 Nature of selfish elements 00:42:45 Why selfish elements emerge? 00:47:46 Membranes of viruses 00:53:00 Connection between information and compartments 00:56:10 Replication strategies of selfish elements 00:58:33 Strategies of viruses to organize and replicate their genomes 01:00:18 Genomes of giant viruses 01:02:56 Small or Giant viruses: which came first? 01:03:34 Tools to study phylogenetics of viruses 01:06:40 Can we identify the host of a virus from the genome and vice versa? 01:08:39 Minimum number of genes required for the survival 01:12:55 Understanding the complexity of alien life forms 01:14:31 Last Bacterial Common Ancestor (LBCA) and Last Archaeal Common Ancestor (LACA) 01:18:56 Evolution of Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor (LECA) from bacterial and archaea 01:23:02 Endosymbiosis in nature 01:26:15 Bacterial and Archaea emdosymbiosis effects on compartments 01:28:27 Size differences in bacteria and archaea 01:29:33 Future of phylogeny of viruses 01:31:20 Thank you!

This episode is with William (Bill) Martin.  He is the head of the institute of molecular evolution at the University of Düsseldorf.  With a career spanning over decades, he has made significant contributions to the field of molecular biology, particularly in the areas of evolution and symbiosis. Here we talk about the question of origin of life, importance of metabolism, prebiotic chemistry at hydrothermal vents, emergence of information, compartmentalization, and early evolution of cells. Guest info: Website: https://www.molevol.hhu.de/en/prof-dr-william-f-martin Google scholar: https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=ms16utkAAAAJ&hl=en Episode links:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/orgin-and-early-evolution-of-life-with-william-martin  Youtube: https://youtu.be/yHM7ajYoE00  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RUyROkiSeXqXq1lQVSdTW?si=QHleURybSiyncB04p5NAaw  Apple podcast:  https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reason-with-science/407cd478-4271-4319-8318-fc378d4e7ccb/episode/origin-and-early-evolution-of-life-with-william-martin-|-reason-with-science-|-hydrothermal-vents/eece8a5c-62fe-456a-99dd-4ccbe96f633f  Google podcast:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NWFlYzFiOTAtNTM3My00MGRlLThjZGEtMzNiZjA4N2JmODk5?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjox6bOhNT9AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA Follow Reason with Science:  Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh  Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894  Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:51 Charles Darwin's idea of warm little pond  00:04:19 Progress in the field of origin of life 00:13:46 Importance of energy for origin of life 00:20:40 Origin of life at the hydrothermal vents 00:30:45 Reaction of hydrogen and Carbon-DI-oxide at the hydrothermal vents  00:36:40 Crucial transitions for origin of cellular life  00:55:06 Emergence of information at hydrothermal vents 01:01:56 Importance of enzymes    01:06:25 Link between information and compartmentalization  01:08:24 Last Bacterial Common Ancestor (LBCA) and Last Archaeal Common Ancestor (LACA) 01:11:14 Importance of phase separation   01:16:10 Origin of life as an engineering problem  01:21:40 Life on exoplanets  01:23:57 Thank you!

This conversation is with Lee McIntyre. He is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of  Science at Boston University and an Instructor in Ethics at Harvard  Extension School. In this conversation we talk about what is science, importance of  scientific method, science deniers, flat earthers, Anti-Vaxx, GMO  deniers and climate change deniers.    Guest info:  Website: https://leemcintyrebooks.com/about-lee/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeeCMcIntyre  Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lee-McIntyre/author/B001IXPVPM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true   Episode links:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/art-of-science-communication-with-lee-mcintyre  Youtube: https://youtu.be/XgZM0vaNBu4  Spotify:   Apple podcast:   Google podcast: Follow Reason with Science:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh   Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894   Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Timestamps:  0:00 Introduction  01:10 Philosophy of science and science denial  03:19 Flat earther convention  06:00 What do science deniers lack?  07:54 What is scientific method?  10:51 Distinction between skeptics and science deniers?  16:00 Need to feel different for science deniers?  17:23 Attitude of scientific community?  20:35 'No one cares about climate change outside Maldives'  24:35 Vaccination denial  29:25 GMO deniers  34:02 Is there a correlation between science denial ideologies?  36:48 Can scientists be corrupt?  39:40 How science reaches to consensus?  41:47 How to maintain trust in changing science?  44:34 Backfire effect?  49:12 What science can give them as an identity?  51:36 Impact of using terms 'Science deniers'.  52:18 Correlation between countries with science deniers and how they handled pandemic?  53:34 Does it really matter to convert science deniers?  54:45 What more to read?  56:23 Find more information about Lee's work.  56:52 Thank you!

This episode is with Chris Fields. He is an independent scientist with a  PhD in Philosophy from the University of Colorado. Here we talk about  what is a self?, nature of consciousness, physical reality, quantum  field theory, panpsychism, boundaries of cognition, complex systems and a  theory of consciousness. Guest info:  Website: https://chrisfieldsresearch.com/ Episode links:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/physical-reality-and-mind-with-chris-fields  Youtube: https://youtu.be/Mu_kW11ap8M  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ULSen1QoFeFLE2bOVi29P  Apple podcast:  https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reason-with-science/407cd478-4271-4319-8318-fc378d4e7ccb/episode/physical-reality-and-mind-with-chris-fields-%7C-reason-with-science-%7C-quantum-theory-%7C-consciousness/d4828162-f8b0-4b97-8203-d7cb01c2e059  Google podcast:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MzBjMDI4ODUtNWUwZS00MzJhLTllZDEtMWRhNzgzODMyZDQ2?ep=14 Follow Reason with Science:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh   Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894   Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Timestamps:  00:00:00 Introduction  00:00:53 What is a self?   00:06:13 Difference between a self of a bacteria and human?  00:11:20 Self and a mind  00:14:22 Consciousness and a self  00:20:13 Panpsychism 00:22:25 Boundaries of cognition   00:26:40 Properties of LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor)  00:34:22 Memory and information in a system  00:39:24 How far we can stretch the understanding of boundaries?   00:45:14 Where is a self in the transitions of matter?  00:51:31 Language trap in exploring consciousness   00:56:20 Scale of consciousness 01:05:20 Attributing consciousness to chemistry  01:07:20 Consciousness during the development of a human  01:11:11 What would it mean to have a theory of consciousness? 01:16:17 Experience of larger and complex systems   01:20:03 Understanding complexity   01:27:48 Building complex systems like AI   01:32:32 What makes internet so complex?   01:35:34 Mike Levin's work to create Xenobots   01:41:00 Creating artificial bacteria     01:45:26 Origin of life 01:54:08 Thank you! Music by: Ahmed Hassan (https://www.youtube.com/@2ays577/featured)

This episode is with Nicholas Christakis. He is the Sterling Professor  of Social and Natural Science at Yale University, where he directs the  Human Nature Lab. He is also the Co-Director of the Yale Institute for  Network Science. His research focuses on social networks and the  socioeconomic, biosocial, and evolutionary determinants of behavior,  health, and longevity. Here we talk about nature nurture, The social  suite which includes seven core properties of any good society, The  forbidden experiment in sociology, and morality.   Guest info:  Website: https://humannaturelab.net/people/nicholas-christakis  Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAChristakis  Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ANicholas+A.+Christakis+MD++PhD&s=relevancerank&text=Nicholas+A.+Christakis+MD++PhD&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1   Episode links:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/the-evolutionary-origins-of-a-good-society-with-nicholas-christakis  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61-cE2z-aWI  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2WjOykglFgmydegQ18QajI  Apple podcast:  https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reason-with-science/407cd478-4271-4319-8318-fc378d4e7ccb/episode/the-evolutionary-origins-of-a-good-society-|-nicholas-christakis-|-reason-with-science-|-psychology/904d4179-7dc4-4a6f-b8c2-a5c13e520d7c  Google podcast:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NDQ0NmFiMDUtMDI5ZS00NzAxLWFhNjYtMjQ3MjgxNTQ0YzBi?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjor4S5ybP9AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQQw Follow Reason with Science:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh   Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894   Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw    Timestamps:  00:00:00 Introduction   00:01:03 Major questions about human societies   00:07:16 Importance of human social networks   00:09:58 Nature- nurture debate    00:14:15 The social suite   00:16:06 Importance of the social society in creating a human society   00:22:17 Going beyond the social suite in a society   00:24:25 Extended phenotype and Exo-phenotype   00:29:36 Exo-phenotype and Darwinian evolution  00:30:30 Importance of an individual in a society   00:34:48 In-group bias   00:44:56 How much we can change 'In-group bias'?   00:47:03 Robert Sapolsky's 'Categorical thinking'   00:53:05 Life on Mars   00:54:11 Importance of Mild hierarchies    00:55:49 Mentorship  over Narcissism   01:01:39 Love in human societies    01:06:15 Morality    01:09:11 Thank you!

This episode is with Chris Impey. He is a university Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the  University of Arizona. For 17 years he was Deputy Head of the Astronomy  Department at the University of Arizona, and he is currently Associate  Dean of the College of Science. His research focuses on observational  cosmology—using telescopes and other instruments to study the  large-scale structure and evolution of the universe. Here we talk about Einstein's monsters, How do black holes form?, Types  of black holes?, Information paradox, Supernova, Dark matter and Dark  energy. Guest info: Website: http://chrisimpey-astronomy.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImpeyChris Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chris-Impey/author/B001IZXGTS?isDramIntegrated=true&ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&store_ref=ap_rdr  Episode links:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/physics-of-black-holes-with-chris-impey  Youtube: https://youtu.be/n_0Wp0s39Es  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7juYOARFZeR2Z1lr7oA0Bw  Apple podcast:  https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reason-with-science/407cd478-4271-4319-8318-fc378d4e7ccb/episode/physics-of-black-holes-with-chris-impey/a1ca48fd-09ea-438f-98c9-54bdfc907c8b  Google podcast:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ZmI1MzU1NGItM2EyOC00NjAwLWFhYzItMGQ5YTgzN2RjYjE5?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjYy_zTm6H9AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ Follow Reason with Science:  Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh  Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894  Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

This episode is with Abhay Ashtekar. He is Evan Pugh Professor of Physics at Penn State, where he also holds the Eberly Chair. In 1993, he founded the Institute of Gravitation and the Cosmos. Ashtekar’s scientific work focuses on theoretical aspects of general relativity, cosmology and quantum gravity. Here we talk about what is gravity?, loop quantum gravity, The big bang, The big bounce, Singularities, Black holes and gravitational waves. Guest info:  Website: https://science.psu.edu/physics/people/abhay-ashtekar  Biography: https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/45807 Episode links:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/big-bang-black-holes-and-gravitational-waves-with-abhay-ashtekar  Youtube: https://youtu.be/_eYw_MQXIhM  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1W2ltjs6l9I0WSAo9CYEKh  Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/cz/podcast/big-bang-black-holes-and-gravitational-waves-abhay/id1641776894?i=1000597045107  Google podcast:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NDc4OGIxMGMtNDY4My00ZmRiLWE0OWUtZjMyYjhkYmIyYTA1?ep=14 Follow Reason with Science:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh   Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894   Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 What is gravity? 00:10:50 Einstein's equivalence principle 00:15:34 Importance of geometry in physics 00:19:04 Introduction to quantum field theory 00:23:50 Einstein's work on quantum mechanics 00:25:04 Quantum field theory to explain reality 00:33:10 Scale of theory of relativity and quantum field theory 00:37:50 Introduction to loop quantum gravity 00:52:44 Gravity is a weak force 00:54:45 'Loops' in loop quantum gravity 01:05:20 Difference between strings and quantum threads 01:07:04 Status of Gravitons 01:10:58 Importance of gravitons 01:15:12 Gravitational waves 01:17:34 What is a black hole? 01:21:16 Black holes and loop quantum gravity 01:27:12 The Big Bounce 01:38:00 Loop quantum cosmology 01:39:07 Big bounce and the universe 01:41:31 Validating loop quantum gravity 01:45:25 Recommended reading 01:49:51 Thank you! Recommended reading: The Story of Loop Quantum Gravity- From the Big Bounce to Black Holes https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1042&v=x9jYH5VIF9E Before the Big Bang 1 - Loop Quantum Cosmology Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFcQuEw0oY8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUtOgKmAM4MeFu-jd-HB3_cg A  Short Review of Loop Quantum Gravity, by A. Ashtekar and E. Bianchi, https://arxiv.org/pdf/2104.04394.pdf  Quantum Space-time: Beyond the continuum of Minkowski and Einstein, by A. Ashtekar, https://arxiv.org/pdf/0810.0514.pdf  Clip: New Meaning of the Big Bang. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7kvjTRW-tw&feature=youtu.be 

This episode is with Pavel Plevka. He is a research group leader at Central European institute of technology (CEITEC).  His research is focused on solving the structures of viruses in order to understand their mechanism of action. For this conversation, My co-host is Anna Papageorgiou (https://twitter.com/AnnaCalypte). Here we talk about general aspects of viruses, their genomes, evolution of viruses, their infection strategies, impact of viruses on human health, environment and agriculture. Guest info: Website: https://www.ceitec.cz/doc-mgr-pavel-plevka-ph-d/u26854?page=publication Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlevkaLab Episode links:   Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/home/viruses_the_enigma_of_life_with_pavel_plevka  Youtube: https://youtu.be/c2TRLkbDVa8  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3J2A6psAbgwudGcaBXoePS?si=NNPZNbTbR52KZVSVKW_eyw  Apple podcast:  https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/reason-with-science/407cd478-4271-4319-8318-fc378d4e7ccb/episode/viruses-the-enigma-of-life-with-pavel-plevka/e369efdf-1cd7-42ff-967c-2937d6be3edd  Google podcast:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/YWJiMDRiY2EtYThjMC00M2M4LWExNWQtNWI3MjNkNDI3YmYw?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwj4qOK4q9v8AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA Follow Reason with Science:  Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/reasonwithscience  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh  Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894  Google podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9iMjMyNDZlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw  Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:01 What is a virus and why do we study them? 00:02:02 Size of a viruses 00:03:57 Viroids and Gene Transfer Agents (GTA) 00:05:17 How to visualize viruses? 00:07:03 Different structures of viruses 00:08:34 Classification of viruses 00:10:01 How do viruses recognize their hosts and infect them? 00:16:58 Viral mechanism of action 00:19:42 How viruses can infect multiple hosts? 00:21:52 Essential features of viral genomes 00:23:30 Membranes and envelopes of viruses 00:26:05 Evolutionary origins of viruses 00:29:22 Why viruses are not part of the tree of life? 00:30:17 Co-evolution of viruses and hosts 00:37:24 How widespread viruses are? 00:39:47 Therapeutic strategies against viruses 00:42:26 Prevention against viruses 00:44:55 Phage therapy 00:47:27 Use of viruses in cancer therapies 00:49:00 Gene therapy 00:51:02 Importance of viruses for ecology 00:54:44 How viruses survive the extreme conditions? 00:58:40 Honeybee viruses 01:00:12 Do viruses carry known functions? 01:01:35 Are viruses alive? 01:02:29 What the technology lacks? 01:03:34 Pavel's favorite virus 01:04:21 Recommended article 01:05:10 Thank you! Music by: Ahmed Hassan (https://www.youtube.com/@2ays577/featured)