

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

Jan 14, 2021 • 37min
S4.01 Genes and Vaccines: Where mRNA COVID-19 vaccines came from and how they work
We take a look at the history of mRNA, and the story behind the development of mRNA vaccines and how they’ve been pressed into service at breakneck speed to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. 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.

Jan 7, 2021 • 33min
S3.28 *Repost* Chimps, cancer genes and missing kids: An interview with Mary-Claire King
In this reposted episode from March 2019, we bring you a very special interview with Mary-Claire King - one of the world’s leading geneticists, whose work has spanned everything from comparing chimps and humans to finding the first breast cancer gene to reuniting families that have been torn apart.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. 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.

Dec 31, 2020 • 32min
S3.27 *Repost* Not just the wife
We’re reposting some of our favourite episodes over the holiday period. In this episode from March 2019, we told the often-overlooked stories of four women who helped to shape the science of life: Esther Lederberg, Harriet Creighton, Tsuneko Okazaki and Martha Chase.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 audio production by Hannah Varrall and additional research and scripting by Emily Nordvang.Genetics Unzipped 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.

Dec 24, 2020 • 40min
Genetics Shambles 12: 9 Lessons and Carols for Socially Distanced People
AudioEDITREMOVEThe last episode of Genetics Shambles comes from the Cosmic Shambles 25-hour marathon event, 9 Lessons and Carols for Socially Distanced People, broadcast live on Saturday 12th through to Sunday 13th December 2020. Shambler-In-Chief Robin Ince chats with geneticist Emma Hodcroft, medical doctor Kevin Fong and immunology expert Dan Davis about what we’ve learned over the past year about COVID-19, vaccines and the way ahead. To view previous episodes in the Genetics Shambles series head to Cosmicshambles.comFollow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip

Dec 17, 2020 • 33min
S3.26 *Repost* When 'Becky' met Bateson: Edith Rebecca Saunders, the mother of British plant genetics
Repost from October 2019. The history of genetics has a few famous partnerships - such as James Watson and Francis Crick or Francois Jacob and Jacques Monod. But there’s one pair without whom this podcast wouldn’t exist at all, and that’s Edith Rebecca Saunders and William Bateson, who founded The Genetics Society one hundred years ago. But while Bateson tends to get the glory, particularly for his popularisation of Gregor Mendel’s ideas about heredity, much less is heard about Saunders - the ‘mother of British plant genetics’. It’s time to tell her story.Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall. 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.

Dec 10, 2020 • 30min
S3.25 *Repost* Uprooting the tree of life: Darwin, DNA and de-extinction
Repost from November 2019 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.com [UPDATE LINK to URL for latest episode]Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall with additional research and scripting by Emily Nordvang.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.

Dec 3, 2020 • 29min
Are my hormones making me fat? Hormones: The Inside Story
We bring you a sneak peek of a new science podcast that you might also enjoy, brought to you by the Society for Endocrinology and produced by First Create the Media - the team behind Genetics Unzipped. Presented by Georgia Mills, Hormones: The Inside Story uncovers the truth about how hormones affect stress, sleep, body fat, fertility and almost every aspect of our daily lives and health in this new, expert-led, myth-busting show. Available now on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy!

Nov 26, 2020 • 43min
Genetics Shambles 11: In conversation with Prof Steve Jones
Robin Ince sits down for a chat with Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics at UCL. Steve is one of the foremost and most popular science writers on the subject of evolution and genetics and is also a world-leading expert on snails.To view previous episodes in the Genetics Shambles series head to Cosmicshambles.comFollow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip

Nov 19, 2020 • 32min
S3.24 Best bits of 2020
We look back over our favourite bits from the podcast over the year, from dark family secrets revealed by genetic testing to the secret scientific history of bird poop.Jack Nunn - hidden family secrets revealed Listen to the full episode The bird poop boom Listen to the full episodeEwen’s angry birds Listen to the full episodeDarwin’s finches Listen to the full episodeSarah Tishkoff Listen to the full episodeFull show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzipGenetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with audio production by Hannah Varrall, with additional research and scripting by Emily Nordvang and reporting by Georgia Mills.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.

Nov 12, 2020 • 50min
Genetics Shambles 10: In conversation with Prof Aoife McLysaght
Robin Ince sits down for a chat with Aoife McLysaght, Professor in the Molecular Evolution Laboratory of the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, University of Dublin, Trinity College and one of the 2018 Royal Institution Christmas Lecturers.This series of Genetics Shambles is presented in association with The Genetics Society and The Milner Centre for Evolution. Find out more at CosmicShambles.com.To view previous episodes in the Genetics Shambles series head to Cosmicshambles.comFollow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip