Biology Interviews

The Genetics of Eyesight

There are many, diverse causes of blindness, with Inherited Retinal Degeneration affecting one in 2000 people in the UK alone. Robin Ali explains how gene therapy holds promise...Professor Robin Ali, UCL

Robots of the Ocean

The best way to monitor and understand the sea is to go with the flow! Jules Jaffe and colleagues at Scripps Institute of Oceanography have been developing robots to do just that...Jules Jaffe, Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego

The Origin of Life

In a box hidden in a corner of the lab belonging to the late Stanley Miller was an experiment which could explain the origins of life on Earth, conducted 50 years ago. How will the experiment stand up to modern analytical techniques? Extremely well, as Jeffrey Bada explains...Jeffrey Bada, Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego

Do Your Friends Make you Fat?

Can your friends, their friends, and even their friends' friends, boost your chances of becoming obese? James Fowler explains how even people we've never met can influence our eating habits...James Fowler, UCSD

The Population Institute

The Population Institute were our kind hosts in LA, but who are they, and what do they do? I spoke to Bill Ryerson, President of the Population Institute...Bill Ryerson

Do plants have body clocks?

Do plants suffer from jetlag? We meet Steve Kay at UCSD, who invited us to his forest laboratory to explain how plants feel biological rhythms...Steve Kay, UCSD

Multiple Sclerosis: Successful Treatment

A recent Pathology success story - the drug CamPath, which is also known as alemtuzumab and was originally developed at Cambridge University's Pathology department, has now been shown to have a positive effect in sufferers of multiple sclerosis...Alistair Coles, University of Cambridge

Kitchen Science - Plague Outbreak!

In place of this week's Kitchen Science experiment, Ben attended a National Pathology Week event run by the Royal College of Pathologists and the Natural History Museum, simulating an outbreak of plague in Central London. Would you know how to contain an outbreak before it becomes an epidemic?Royal College of Pathologists and the Natural History Museum

Dancing in your Genes

Time to get your dancing shoes on! It seems that the way you dance could say something about your genetic fitness – in other words, how good your genes would be to pass on to the next generation. Dr Peter Lovatt, a professional dancer turned psychologist from the University of Hertfordshire joins us to explain more...Peter Lovatt, University of Hertfordshire

Beer and Beauty

the beer goggles, or stella-vision, is a well known phenomenon where a few alcoholic drinks makes other people seem much more attractive, sometimes even leading people to do things they regret. Psychologists at Bristol University have been looking into this effect, and it seems that there’s more to it than it seems at first...Marcus Munafo, University of Bristol

Japanese Knotweed - An alien to fight an alien?

John Bailey joins us to explain the problem with Japanese knotweed, and how this alien species could be kept under control by another alien species...John Bailey, University of Leicester

Mounting an Immune Attack Against Tumours

Immunotherapy, using the body's own immune cells to attack a tumour, could provide an alternative to radiotherapy, chemotherapy and traditional surgery. We found out how it's shown promise in treating malignant melanoma.Cassian Yee, Fred Hutchinson Research Centre

From Breastmilk to Baby's Blood

We know that antibodies must pass from breastmilk to baby's blood, but only now have scientists watched one in the process, using a gold nanoparticle to shine a light on how it works...Pamela Bjorkman

Damaged DNA

DNA damage leads to many of the diseases we associate with ageing, so if we could stop DNA from being damaged, or repair existing damage - could we stay young forever?Steve Jackson, Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge

Younger Looking Skin

Meera finds out how to keep your skin looking young and healthy...Patrick Bowler, British Association of Cosmetic Doctors

Surprise Attack - Stopping Bacteria from Sensing your Immune Response

Some bacteria sense an immune response, and then become hyper-virulent. This means that treatment with antibiotics could make an infection worse! Now, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Centre have found a way to block the bacteria from sensing our response...Vanessa Sperandio, Southwestern Medical Centre, University of Texas

Keeping Bacteria Off Surfaces

Whether or not bacteria stick around in your local hospital isn’t always down to local conditions or cleaning. Sometimes it’s the microscopic structure of the surface you’re cleaning that dictates whether you’ll manage to get the bugs off. If we can understand better how bacteria stick to surfaces we could make food factories, bathrooms, kitchens and hospitals much cleaner. A team at Manchester Metropolitan University have been looking into this.Professor Joanna Verran, Manchester Metropolitan University

A Vaccine for MRSA

The bacterium MRSA has been the big villain of hospital acquired infections – it’s resistant to common antibacterial drugs, it seems to infect otherwise healthy people, and it’s spread into the community. But now, scientists in Boston, have spotted a chink in it’s armour – and potentially a way to make a vaccine...Gerald Pier, Harvard Medical School

Preparing the Heart for Attack

In some cases, the human heart can be 'pre-conditioned', and as such can withstand the damage of a heart attack. Now, researchers have found a way to re-create pre-conditioning, and possibly save lives...Daria Mochly-Rosen, Stanford University

Studying Corals

Deep water corals, just like their relatives on the reefs, are an indication of a healthy ecosystem - but they also act as a coral climate calender, locking away millions of years of Earth's history. They're being studied as part of TRACES, the TRans Atlantic Coral Ecosystem Study...Murray Roberts, Scottish Association for Marine Science, & Brendan Roark, Texas A&M University