We’re off on our virtual travels, finding out about the highs and lows of genetics fieldwork. From chasing butterflies up mountains to artificially inseminating kakapos with the help of drones and putting angry birds in paper bags until they poo, we talk to the researchers studying genetics and evolution in action. Every year The Genetics Society runs the Heredity Fieldwork Grant scheme, awarding up to £1,500 to cover the travel and accommodation costs for researchers wanting to carry out a fiel...
Jun 04, 2020•33 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this episode we’re taking a look at the life of Dame Anne McLaren - one of the leading embryologists of the 20th century, whose work underpinned the development of the in vitro fertilisation techniques responsible for bringing millions of bundles of joy into the world, and much more besides. This story was first published in the book A Passion for Science: Stories of discovery and invention , which is packed with 20 stories about amazing women in science and is available to download as an ebo...
May 21, 2020•31 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In this episode we’re taking a virtual trip to Africa to explore the genetic diversity in the birthplace of humanity, discover how researchers can read the cultural and historical stories written in the genome, and discuss the implications for the lack of diversity in our current genetic databases for global health. With Sarah Tishkoff from the University of Pennsylvania and Garrett Hellenthal and Lucy van Dorp from UCL. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at Genetic...
May 07, 2020•36 min•Season 3Ep. 10
The names of James Watson and Francis Crick are inextricably linked with the discovery of the DNA double helix. And if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that credit is also due to Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins and Ray Gosling too. But what about Elwyn Beighton, Fred Griffith or Rudolf Signer? In this episode we’re unwinding history to uncover some of the less well-known stories behind the discovery of the structure and function of DNA. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and ...
Apr 23, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Research into genetic conditions relies on information from patients and their families, whether that’s detailed health records or genomic data. As the tools and techniques for DNA and data analysis become cheaper and more organisations get in on this fast-growing field, it’s vital to make sure that the most valuable research resource - human lives - doesn’t get overlooked in the rush. In this episode, recorded at the recent Festival of Genomics in London, we find out why it’s so important to ma...
Apr 09, 2020•33 min•Season 3Ep. 8
35 years ago this month, a small team of scientists at the University of Leicester published a paper that changed the world. We take a look at the story of genetic fingerprinting, and some of the very first ways that this game-changing technique was put to work. Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney with additional scripting and research by Emily Nordvang...
Mar 26, 2020•28 min•Season 3Ep. 7
To get involved in the Genomics Education Programme’s week of action you can follow them on Twitter, @genomicsedu, and get on the hashtag #GenomicsConversation or head over to genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk In this episode in partnership with the Genomics Education Programme, we’re taking a look at some of the common myths and misconceptions surrounding genomics and genetics tests. Are mutations always bad? If you’re more like your mum, does that mean you’ve inherited more of her genes? And is the...
Mar 12, 2020•30 min•Season 3Ep. 6
If you know a bit of biology, you might know that the genetic code of DNA is written in just four ‘letters’ - A, C, T and G. You may even know that these letters are the initials come from the names of the molecules that make up the double helix, known as nucleotide bases: adenine, cytosine, thymine and guanine. But where did those strange-sounding names come from? In this episode of Genetics Unzipped, we go from poop to pus to atomic bonds on our journey to learn about the discovery of these vi...
Feb 27, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In this episode, we’re hunting for the ghosts in our genomes, recreating the story of the discovery of the double helix in Lego, and science writer and broadcaster Adam Rutherford tells us how to argue with a racist. Full show notes, transcript and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip 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 d...
Feb 13, 2020•29 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this episode exploring great ideas in genetics, we’re discovering our inner fish - finding out whether we really do go through a fishy phase in the womb, and looking at the legacy of Tiktaalik, the first fish to walk on land. Born in 1834, Ernst Haeckel was a German zoologist with a flair for illustration - and a knack for creating incredibly detailed and widely shared scientific images. But do his infamous embryo drawings really show the true picture of early development? Haeckel thought tha...
Jan 30, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 3
It’s become cheaper and easier than ever to access genetic testing, and more and more people are having their genomes ‘done’ for reasons of personal interest, health or ancestry. But what happens when an innocent genetic investigation reveals dark family secrets? And how do we properly engage and inform people about genetic testing and research, so that they really know what they’re getting into? Full show notes, transcript, music credits and references online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us o...
Jan 16, 2020•35 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In this episode from our centenary series exploring 100 ideas in genetics, we’re exploring a couple of iconic images in evolution - the much-parodied March of Progress, portraying the inexorable journey from monkey to man, and the famous finches of the Galapagos islands, which are supposedly the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Where did these infamous images come from, and do they really show what everyone seems to think they do? Full show notes, transcript, music c...
Jan 02, 2020•23 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Professor Turi King from the University of Leicester reveals the secrets of the Y chromosome and how the remains of Richard III were identified. Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons. Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media . More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follow them on Twitter @GaltonIns...
Dec 19, 2019•10 min•Season 2Ep. 7
The Celts are one of the most famous - and misunderstood - people who lived in ancient Britain. Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe CBE, FBA from the University of Oxford explores the myths and the reality. Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons. Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media . More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the soc...
Dec 19, 2019•10 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Dr Lara Cassidy from Trinity College Dublin talks about her work exploring the genomic history of Ireland. Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons. Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media . More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute...
Dec 19, 2019•9 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Professor Sir Walter Bodmer FRS from the Weatherall Institute, Oxford, explains what we know so far about genetic structure and origins of populations of the British Isles. Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons. Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media . More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follo...
Dec 19, 2019•10 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Dr Silvia Bello from the Natural History Museum in London is investigating how patterns of human behaviour have changed over the last million years. Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons. Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media . More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work and follow them on Twitter @Galto...
Dec 19, 2019•9 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Professor Ian Barnes and Dr Selina Brace , ancient DNA researchers at the Natural History Museum in Lopndon, discuss how their work on ancient DNA is shedding light on the British population from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age. Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons. Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media . More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Visit the Galton Institute website ...
Dec 19, 2019•13 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Professor Nick Ashton, an archaeologist at the British Museum, is studying the earliest humans in Europe. Part of our special series from the 2019 Galton Institute Symposium - New Light on Old Britons. Presented and produced by Georgia Mills for First Create The Media . More info at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Visit the Galton Institute website to find out more about the society and its work. and follow them on Twitter @GaltonInstitute...
Dec 19, 2019•7 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this episode we’re bringing you highlights from the Society’s Centenary Conference, held up in Edinburgh last month. We’ve got stories of sneaky sheep, substandard racing stallions, the Vikings of the Scottish Isles and a ceilidh with a scientific spin. Plus, news from the front lines of the sperm wars. Full transcript online at GeneticsUnzipped.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the Media for The Genet...
Dec 05, 2019•35 min•Ep. 28
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.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip G...
Nov 21, 2019•30 min•Ep. 27
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.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip Genetics Unzipped...
Nov 07, 2019•40 min•Ep. 26
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.com Follow us on Twitter @GeneticsUnzip 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 applicatio...
Oct 24, 2019•33 min•Ep. 25
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 Bi...
Oct 10, 2019•34 min•Ep. 24
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.com Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by Kat Arney, and produced by First Create the M...
Sep 26, 2019•35 min•Ep. 23
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 ...
Sep 12, 2019•29 min•Ep. 22
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 Arne...
Aug 29, 2019•33 min•Ep. 21
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...
Aug 15, 2019•30 min•Ep. 20
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 Genet...
Aug 01, 2019•34 min•Ep. 19
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 supp...
Jul 18, 2019•25 min•Ep. 18
