

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

Jun 23, 2022 • 30min
S5.12 In the blood: using circulating DNA to detect and monitor cancer
We’re taking a closer look at the red stuff, finding out what a few millilitres of blood can reveal about the development, progression and treatment of cancer within the body. Rather than painful surgical biopsies, expensive scans or complicated screening tests, what if we could simply take a small tube of blood and discover a wealth of information, such as whether or not you have cancer in your body, where it started, how to treat it, and whether that treatment is actually working? Presenter Dr Kat Arney finds out what circulating tumour DNA is from Dr Susan Galbraith, how it can be used to monitor the progression of a cancer from Professor Charles Swanton, and what this will mean for future cancer patients from Sir Harpal Kumar.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Sally Le Page.This podcast is 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.

Jun 16, 2022 • 0sec
*Repost* Strands of life
Our next episode has been held up, so we're taking the opportunity to look back at our series exploring 100 ideas in genetics. This episode was one of Kat's favourites, where she explores the discovery of chromosomes - the strands of genetic material within every living cell. Take a look at Lyonisation, and solve the case of the missing chromosomes.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

Jun 2, 2022 • 36min
S5.11 When should you eat your relatives?
In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, presenter Dr Sally Le Page explores the gruesome side of family life in the natural world, getting stuck into a spot of cannibalism and asking: “When exactly should you eat your relatives?”Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written, presented and produced by Sally Le Page.This podcast is created 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.

May 19, 2022 • 34min
S5.10 Squid Game: the strange science of cephalopods
We're exploring the genetic secrets of squid. Dr Sally Le Page chats with Dr Sarah McAnulty to find out what has made squid so difficult to genetically manipulate and how they do unusual things with their RNA. We then sit down with Professor Jamie Foster who has been sending glow-in-the-dark squid into space to find out more about our microbiome.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written, presented and produced by Sally Le Page.This podcast is created 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.

May 5, 2022 • 21min
S5.09 Nature, Nurture and 'The Wobble'
Presenter Dr Kat Arney explores the importance of randomness in genetics. How can we explain differences between individuals with identical nature and nurture? We look at how Ben Lehner’s worm-breaking research has changed our understanding of epigenetics.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Sally Le Page.This podcast is 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.

Apr 21, 2022 • 28min
S5.08 Have a heart: the science of xenotransplantation
In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, Dr Sally Le Page is delving into the seemingly science fiction world of xenotransplantation, that is, taking organs from animals and using them as organ transplants for humans. We chat with cardiologist Rohin Francis about the groundbreaking operation this year transplanting a genetically modified pig heart into a human, and we chat with Professor Angelika Schneike about how we can avoid getting more than we bargained for from pigs.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written, presented and produced by Sally Le Page.This podcast is created 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.

Apr 7, 2022 • 26min
S5.07 Face to face: The viruses that made us human
In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, Dr Kat Arney is looking at the monkey in the mirror, investigating how flipped genetic switches and long-dead viruses make all the difference between our human faces and those of our closest primate relatives.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Sally Le Page.This podcast is 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.

Mar 24, 2022 • 34min
S5.06 Introducing exosomes: exciting ideas for biological mailbags
We’re unpacking the science behind exosomes: one of the hottest new areas of research for both diagnosing and treating diseases.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written, presented and produced by Sally Le Page with Kat Arney.This podcast is created 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.

Mar 10, 2022 • 28min
S5.05 Sex and the Single Cell
In this week’s episode of the Genetics Unzipped podcast, we’re exploring groundbreaking discoveries about the secret sex lives of cancer cells, and what it means for our understanding of tumour growth, evolution and treatment. Dr Kat Arney tells the story of how we discovered cancer cells were having sex, plus we look into why female tumours and male tumours act so differently.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Sally Le Page.This podcast is 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.

Feb 24, 2022 • 37min
S5.04 Genetics of the Americas: from migration to the modern day
In this week’s episode of the Genetics Unzipped podcast, we’re looking at a genetic history of the Americas. Professor Jennifer Raff discusses her new book, Origins: A Genetic History of the Americas, telling the story of how humans first populated the American continents.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipThis episode of Genetics Unzipped was written, presented and produced by Sally Le Page.This podcast is created 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.