

Genetics Unzipped
The Genetics Society
From Mendel's peas to personal genome sequencing, Genetics Unzipped brings you stories from the world of genes, genomes and DNA. In association with The Genetics Society.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 21, 2019 • 30min
027 - Uprooting the tree of life: Darwin, DNA and de-extinction
In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re uprooting the tree of life - asking whether we should believe our eyes or our sequencing machines when it comes to deciding what makes a species. Plus, the greatest comebacks of all time - we look at the science of de-extinction and find out whether Jurassic Park could ever become a reality.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.comFollow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with additional research by Emily Nordvang, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.

Nov 7, 2019 • 40min
026 - The future is now: Curing HIV, advancing CRISPR therapies, predatory phages for superbug infections and advice for a healthy life
We’re reporting back from the Manova Global Health Summit, exploring the latest advances in health technology such as CRISPR-based gene therapies, infection-fighting viruses and a potential cure for HIV. Plus veteran health columnist Jane Brody’s advice for a healthy life, and reflections on progress in cancer from US journalist and advocate Katie Couric.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.comFollow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is presented by Kat Arney and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.

Oct 24, 2019 • 33min
025 - When 'Becky' met Bateson: Edith Rebecca Saunders, the mother of British plant genetics
We explore the story of Edith Rebecca Saunders - co-founder of The Genetics Society and the ‘mother of British plant genetics’.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.comFollow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall

Oct 10, 2019 • 34min
024 - Exploring the Poop-ome, from the microbiome to metagenomics
In this episode we’re getting our hands dirty by delving into the poop-ome - the trillions of bacteria that live inside our guts and make up what’s known as the microbiome. Rather than simply being a bunch of bugs, the microbiome is now believed to play a role in virtually every aspect of health and disease. But what are they up to? How do we even know what species are in there? And can you blame your stinky farts on your bacteria?With:-Tim Spector, King's College London-Rob Finn, European Bioinformatics Institute-Hilary Browne, Wellcome Sanger InstituteFull show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.comFollow us on Twitter - @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.

Sep 26, 2019 • 35min
023 Mergers and Acquisitions
In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re looking at mergers and acquisitions - but in a biological rather than a financial sense. We find out what happens when two cells decide to move in together, unpack the history of genetic engineering and bleat on about the story of Dolly the Sheep.Full shows notes including transcript and music credits at GeneticsUnzipped.comGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Audio production by Hannah Varrall.

Sep 12, 2019 • 29min
022 - Big Questions about the Big C
Why are tumours more likely to develop in some tissues than others? Why are bowel and breast cancers so common when heart cancer is so rare? And will low doses of radiation from medical scans create the conditions for unruly cells to grow, even without damaging DNA? In the latest episode of Genetics Unzipped we’re tackling the Big Questions about the Big C as we dig into some of the mysteries surrounding what’s often seen as the ultimate genetic disease: cancer.Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.Full show notes, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Aug 29, 2019 • 33min
021 In case you missed it...
In this episode we’re bringing you a selection of our favourite bits from the year so far that you might have missed.We’re taking a short summer break and will be back again with new episodes from the 12th of September. In the meantime, I’ve picked a few highlights from our earlier episodes that you may have missed. I hope you enjoy listening to them, whether again or for the first time, as much as producer Hannah and I enjoyed making them.Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.Full show notes, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com

Aug 15, 2019 • 30min
020 Sex and Death
Please fill in our short listener survey so we can make the podcasts even better, and you’ll be entered into a draw to win a signed copy of Kat’s book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats.In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re telling tales of sex, death and extinction, and exploring the very darkest side of genetics.Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.Full show notes, music credits and references online at geneticsunzipped.com

Aug 1, 2019 • 34min
019 - The Genetic Time Machine
In this episode we’re taking a trip in a genetic time machine - back into the past to discover the origins of ancient human populations, and into the future to explore the realities of personal genome sequencing.Please fill in our short listener survey so we can make the podcasts even better, and you’ll be entered into a draw to win a signed copy of Kat’s book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats.Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics, online at genetics.org.uk. Production by Hannah Varrall.Full show notes, music credits and references online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/8/1/019-the-genetic-time-machine

Jul 18, 2019 • 25min
018 Cut. Paste. Pair. Repeat.
Please take a moment to do our brief listener survey - https://geneticsunzipped.com/survey - thanks very much.In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re exploring the dark heart of the genome, untying nature’s shoelaces, and looking back at the discovery of RNA splicing.Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. Production by Hannah Varrall.Full show notes, music credits and references online at https://geneticsunzipped.com/blog/2019/7/18/018-cut-paste-pair-repeat