Instant Genius Podcast: The intriguing science of phages with Tom Ireland

Instant Genius

Instant Genius is a bite-sized masterclass in podcast form. And in this episode, we explore the extraordinary science of phages.

Even before the global COVID pandemic, the simple mention of the word ‘virus’ was likely to send shivers down most of our spines. But it turns out not all viruses are nasties. Ever heard of a phage? They are a type of virus that infect bacteria. Despite being one of the most common forms of life on Earth, we still only know very little about them. However, current research suggests they may just be one of our greatest allies in the fight against superbugs.

Tom Ireland, author of The Good Virus: The Untold Story Of Phages, explains all.

Find Instant Genius on your preferred podcast platform here: instantgenius.podlink.to/Podcast

Listen to more episodes of Instant Genius:



from BBC Science Focus Magazine https://ift.tt/zHwYyDv

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why are our knees so prone to injury?

Image
The bottom of your thigh bone sits on top of the shin bone, and the joint is held together by ligaments and muscles that can easily be sprained and torn. As well as being structurally less stable, the knee joint is also far more restricted as it can only move forwards and backwards with a very limited amount of twisting. The moment the knee is no longer aligned with the foot, it relies on the ligaments and muscles for stability – which can easily be pushed too far and cause injury. Read more: Why do I have such a low pain threshold compared to my sister? Do heat patches really help with muscle pain? Why can emotional pain feel physical? If the brain has no pain receptors, why do I get headaches? Asked by: Caitlin Byrne, Dublin To submit your questions email us at questions@sciencefocus.com (don’t forget to include your name and location) from BBC Science Focus Magazine https://ift.tt/icGFyQj
Read more

Semaglutide: How the ‘skinny jab’ could help treat obesity

Image
“The worst kept secret in Hollywood!” shout the headlines. This particular badly-kept secret involves a pricey new weight-loss drug called Semaglutide. If you take the glossy celebrity magazines at face value, fans of these $1,200-a-month injections include Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk. But in mid-February, the weight-loss treatment moved beyond the A-list when UK high-street chemists announced they would be selling Semaglutide injections from spring 2023. At the time of writing, the UK price had not been disclosed. So what is Semaglutide? Is it safe? And could it be a game-changer for tackling the broader public health crisis of obesity? What is Semaglutide? Semaglutide is manufactured by the Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, and sold under the names Ozempic and Wegovy. Ozempic, in particular, made international headlines last year after going viral on TikTok, with the #MyOzempicJourney trend showcasing scarcely believable body transformations. Wegovy is the one going on ...
Read more

In Pictures: Euclid sends back first test images

Image
The first test images produced by ESA’s Euclid probe are here and hint at the amazing power of the imaging power on board. These test images are simply just that – future images will be even more detailed and much sharper and cleaner. The Euclid Telescope has been built and designed by ESA and the Euclid Consortium to explore the evolution of the dark universe, discovering how it formed and expanded over time. In order to do this, it has been fitted with a 1.2m-diameter telescope, visible-wavelength camera, and near-infrared camera/spectrometer. Using these instruments, Euclid will build a detailed 3D map of the Universe – the third dimension being time. During its mission, Euclid aims to answer some pretty big questions, such as if the expansion of our Universe is uniform or whether it changes over time. And whether or not our understanding of gravity is complete and accurate. The Near-Infrared camera This raw image was taken by Euclid’s Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photom...
Read more