Einstein A Go-Go - 25 March 2018

Joining Dr Shane In the studio this week is Dr Ray, Dr Krystal and Dr Linden. In news, plants and microbes can be friends; hookworms helping with diseases; and masers (microwave lasers). First guest is Dr Kate Sutherland and Dr Sarah Best, Stem Cells and Cancer Division, from the The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. The discovery of a Cancer 'signature' by Melbourne researchers could be a step toward a blood test for patients with an aggressive and hard to treat type of lung cancer. The research revealed a unique molecular signature that could, in the future, be used to develop a simple blood test for these cancers. The next guest is Professor Leigh Ackland, Director of the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology at Deakin University. A world-first study of pregnant women has shown in humans for the first time that pregnancy can induce long-term epigenetic changes to our bodies, with major implications for understanding, preventing and treating disease. Deakin University scientists have discovered that pregnancy can cause long-term changes to the way women's genes behave, which could affect the future health of them and their children.