Are synthetic genomes in our future?

05/23/19 • 34 min

A huge breakthrough of the last few decades is our ability to sequence genomes - pulling out the order of bases in our DNA to understand exactly what makes organisms tick. However, a new field takes it a step further by creating synthetic genomes that are built from scratch to produce custom DNA. Scientists even hope to re-code pieces of DNA that are redundant to perform more tasks. This technique promises to revolutionize many industries, with the most imminent advancements in the production of super bacteria that can resist viruses and save billions of dollars. James dives into a paper about synthetic DNA that sounds more like sci-fi than anything.

Read the paper, check out our merch, and watch a compilation of Jeff Goldblum quotes at www.paperboyspodcast.com.

Read the paper, check out our merch, and watch a compilation of Jeff Goldblum quotes at www.paperboyspodcast.com.

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Are moonquakes reshaping the Moon?

When people think of the moon, they often envision it as a cold, static body. However, when the Apollo moon missions landed on the moon’s surface, they were actually able to record seismic activity dubbed “moonquakes.” These findings suggested our cold, dusty neighbor was more geologically active than expected, but it was only recently that scientists were able to link these past seismic recordings to actual fault lines observed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter since its launch in 2009. This week, Charlie dives into new research about the moon to discuss the interesting science as well as the recent media reports about Jeff Bezos, NASA, and SpaceIL’s intents to return us to the lunar surface.

Read the paper, news articles, and support the show at www.paperboyspodcast.com.

Next Episode

How deep does "bomb carbon" go?

Nuclear weapons have obviously had a big impact on the world since their development more than 70 years ago. But new research on the diets of small crustaceans in the Mariana Trench--the deepest known point in the world at more than 36,000 feet below sea level--indicates that elevated levels of the radioactive isotope Carbon-14 created by nuclear weapons testing can still be found in these remote, isolated creatures. This week Charlie dives into this interesting research that reveals new insights about the carbon cycles of our oceans as well as the measurable impact of human activities on the environment.

Check out the paper, news articles, and disgusting picture of a Hadal amphipod at www.paperboyspodcast.com.