A crack in creation

FromChemistry World Book Club

Start listening View podcast show

A crack in creation

FromChemistry World Book Club

ratings:

Length:

27 minutes

Released:

Oct 19, 2017

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

We are the products of nature and nurture, but the invention of Crispr, which enables us to alter our genomes, means we could soon be nurturing nature. This may well lead to a cure for HIV or certain types of cancer, but arguably it might lead to designer babies. In this week's podcast, we discuss A crack in creation by Crispr's inventor, Jennifer Doudna, and Samuel Sternberg.

Released:

Oct 19, 2017

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (78)

Meet the authors of the latest popular science books, and join Chemistry World for a review and discussion of the topics the book raises. Join in on twitter by using #bookclubCW

Skip carousel

Adventures in the Anthropocene: A journey to the heart of the planet we made by Chemistry World Book Club
22 min listen
Big data: does size matter?: This month, we discuss the benefits of big data and whether these are offset by their threat to privacy by Chemistry World Book Club
24 min listen
The Elements of Power: This month we discuss by David Abraham. New technologies like smart phones and wind turbines are increasing the diversity of elements that humanitiy is ustilising. Amongst them are the rare metals, which may not acutually be rare, but they often... by Chemistry World Book Club
23 min listen
Why does asparagus make your wee smell?: This month we answer the profound qustion This is the title of Andy Brunning's new book, which addresses a smorgasbord of questions about food and drink in a scientific manner. You can read here, and . We want to include... by Chemistry World Book Club
27 min listen
A is for Arsenic: Welcome to our new monthly podcast, theChemistry World Book Club. Each month we’ll be sharing our thoughts on one of the latest popular science releases and interview the authors to find out what inspired them to write about science. Join us for a... by Chemistry World Book Club
21 min listen
Herding Hemingway's Cats: This month we discuss by Kat Arney. In Ernest Hemingway's house in Florida there is a family six-toed cats. Their appearance is caused by a mutation in the molecular switch that controls the Sonic hedgehog gene. These cats provided Kat Arney... by Chemistry World Book Club
1 min listen
Why science is sexist: This month we discuss by Nicola Gaston. That science is sexist – it is. Rather, she wants to know why a field that prides itself in being rational should behave so illogically.We discuss the research she presents on unconscious bias, in... by Chemistry World Book Club
23 min listen
Chemistry World at the Hay Festival: Join Emma Stoye at the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. She speaks to New Scientist's Rowan Hooper about his book Superhuman, finds out from Philip Ball why quantum physics is Beyond Weird, and discusses the genesis of... by Chemistry World Book Club
30 min listen
Scientific Babel: This month we examine the history of scientific language, with Michael Gordin's book . We ask whether the mixture of science and language can be distilled, or if our reactions to words are too strongly bonded to their meaning. We'll discover how... by Chemistry World Book Club
27 min listen
Sorting the beef from the bull: This month we discuss by Richard Evershed and Nicola Temple. The horsemeat scandal opened our eyes to the fact that the food we eat is not always what it claims to be. Just how widespread is the problem, how do we detect it and what changes need... by Chemistry World Book Club
23 min listen
Thing explainer: This month we discuss Thing explainer by Randall Munroe. In this book the creator attempts to explain things as diverse as the International Space Station and the human body, using only the most common ten hundred words in the English... by Chemistry World Book Club
24 min listen
Science and the city: the mechanics behind the metropolis: In this month’s book club we discuss the technologies that help modern cities function by Chemistry World Book Club
21 min listen
Grunt: the curious science of humans at war: This month we discuss by Mary Roach. The military is a huge investor in scientific and technological development. Mary Roach gained access to those who carry out research into those technologies of warfare that aren’t to do with weapons. Her... by Chemistry World Book Club
22 min listen
Homo deus and the best books of 2016: Yuval Noah Harari likes the big topics. His last book, Sapiens attempted to explain everything that has happened in the history of humanity. In his latest book he examines everything that will happen in humanity’s future. In part 1 of the podcast,... by Chemistry World Book Club
38 min listen
Scientific Paper Writing – a Survival Guide: This month we discuss by Bodil Holst. Every budding researcher must eventually write a scientific paper, and yet how to do this is not something that is usually taught. Some supervisors provide excellent guidance and others – let's be diplomatic... by Chemistry World Book Club
29 min listen
The master algorithm: If there’s one thing we can learn from histroy it’s everything that there is to know. Or at least that’s the promise of machine learning. by Pedro Domingos tells us how machines that learn are starting to transform the world, bringing us... by Chemistry World Book Club
24 min listen
I contain multitudes: the microbes within us and a grander view of life: Some cleaning agents claim to kill 99.9% of all bacteria, but if preventing disease is the main aim, then maybe total annihilation isn’t the best course to take. We discuss this and other lessons we have learnt by studying the microbiome: the... by Chemistry World Book Club
20 min listen
Bring back the king: Almost a decade after its extinction, the Pyrenean ibex became newly un-extinct thanks to cloning. But what are the limits of this technology? Could we one day visit a real-life Jurassic Park? Bring back the king by Helen Pilcher recounts the... by Chemistry World Book Club
24 min listen
More molecules of murder: This month we discuss More molecules of murder, in which John Emsley meets your morbid fascination with stories of true crime and the poisons involved by Chemistry World Book Club
20 min listen
Furry logic: Evolution has created ingenious solutions to life’s problems. Some animals use physics in a way that stumps even the physicists. Turtles, for instance, venture thousands of miles across the ocean, yet return with precision to the exact beach from... by Chemistry World Book Club
21 min listen
Liquid: This month’s podcast features material scientist Mark Miodownik’s latest book Liquid: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives. Fascinated by what defines a liquid and the mechanisms behind their working, the... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Superior: The Return of Race Science: In Superior: The Return of Race Science, Angela Saini examines the history of race science and the people who spend years studying it. Superior was influenced by Saini’s childhood, when experiences of every-day racism made... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Chemistry: This month we discuss Chemistry, in which First-time novelist Weike Wang takes us inside the mind of a Chinese American PhD student in Boston by Chemistry World Book Club
21 min listen
The secret life of fat: Fat might not be fashionable, but it is essential. It is a living organ that communicates with the brain, controlling our behaviour and even influencing our reproductive cycles. These facts and more form the the subject of The secret life of fat:... by Chemistry World Book Club
22 min listen
The death of expertise: The mass disparagement of knowledge is a recent phenomenon. Apparently we’ve all had enough of experts, and facts aren’t important, as there are always alternatives. In , Tom Nichols considers how facts fell out of favour, and what it means for... by Chemistry World Book Club
21 min listen
Cat Zero: For this month’s podcast, we take a slight diversion from our usual non-fiction theme, and take a look at Jennifer Rohn’s lab-lit novel Cat Zero. Being a scientist as well as a writer, Rohn finds herself in a unique position, enabling her to... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
The Beautiful Cure: Emma Stoye presents this month’s podcast about immunology professor Daniel Davis’s latest book – The Beautiful Cure. The book explores the history of immunology, along with insights from the author’s career and findings from his recent... by Chemistry World Book Club
17 min listen
Gene machine: the race to decipher the secrets of the ribosome: This time, we discuss and scrutinise Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome, by Venkatraman “Venki” Ramakrishnan. By the time Venki had earned a PhD in physics from Ohio University in the US, he had already made the unusual... by Chemistry World Book Club
18 min listen
Enlightenment now: Are things getting better, or are we on the decline? In Enlightenment now, Steven Pinker argues that science and reason have made us better than ever before. Emma Stoye, Kit Chapman and Aurora Walshe find out if he hits the mark. by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Seeds of Science: For this month’s podcast, we explore the world of anti-GM campaigning which Mark Lynas was a part of for years, and discover what it was that made him turn his back on his extreme views. The book looks at how and why he decided to help scientists on... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen

More Episodes from Chemistry World Book Club

Skip carousel

A Taste for Poison: If you really want to develop an appreciation for those early pathologists who went so far as to taste-tested truly horrible samples from corpses to establish a system for detecting poisons, read a new book by US-based physiology and biophysics... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Book club – Fresh Banana Leaves by Jessica Hernandez: Indigenous communities are among the most affected by climate change, yet their work and knowledge has long been dismissed as unscientific. In her first book Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science, Maya... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Book Club - Racing Green: This episode examines the science behind auto racing by digging into Racing Green: How Motorsports Became Smarter, Safer, Cleaner and Faster, by science journalist and science historian Kit Chapman. In this his second book, following... by Chemistry World Book Club
20 min listen
Book club – Sticky by Laurie Winkless: Why is duct tape the answer to fixing everything? How do geckos cling to walls? And what, exactly, keeps our car tyres rolling down the road? In Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces, physicist and science writer Laurie... by Chemistry World Book Club
18 min listen
Her Hidden Genius: In this episode, we discuss Her Hidden Genius. It’s the new book by Marie Benedict, a lawyer and best-selling author who unearths the historical stories of women who have left important legacies. In this her third book about a female scientist,... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Book club – Murder isn’t Easy: In this episode, we’re delving deep into the science of one of the best-selling fiction writers of all times: . We look for evidence of her pioneering forensic writing with Murder Isn’t Easy: The Forensics of Agatha Christie, the second... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Life as We Made It: This episode is for anybody interested in how human beings have altered the world around us since we came on the scene tens of thousands of years ago. University of California Santa Cruz evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro weaves fascinating and... by Chemistry World Book Club
16 min listen
Book club – The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean: This month, we’re reading The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science. It’s the new book by Sam Kean, who many might know as the author of the periodic table book The... by Chemistry World Book Club
18 min listen
Book club – Deep Sniff by Adam Zmith: In this episode, we’ll tackle Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures by Adam Zmith. In his first book, Zmith blends historical research with wry observation to tell the story of how amyl nitrites wafted out of the lab and into gay... by Chemistry World Book Club
14 min listen
Book club – Lessons from Plants by Beronda Montgomery: This episode is for all those people who have turned to gardening or amassed houseplants during the Covid lockdowns as we’ll be talking about Lessons from Plants. In it, the biochemist Beronda Montgomery explores the vigorous and creative life of... by Chemistry World Book Club
14 min listen
Book club – Science in Black and White by Alondra Oubré: In this month’s episode we’ll talk about Science in Black and White: How Biology and Environment Shape Our Racial Divide by medical anthropologist Alondra Oubré. She delves into the science behind the nature versus nurture debate... by Chemistry World Book Club
15 min listen
Book club – Vampirology by Kathryn Harkup: Get your garlic and crucifix ready as we tackle Kathryn Harkup’s latest book Vampirology: The Science of Horror’s Most Famous Fiend. Harkup is a chemist and science communicator, and an expert at casting a scientific eye on cultural phenomena,... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Book club – Handmade by Anna Ploszajski: How do you make a chemical-resistant beaker out of a material as fragile as glass? And how do you tell the temperature of a piece of steel without a thermometer? These are questions Anna Ploszajski tackles in her book Handmade: A Scientist’s Search... by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
Book club – The Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: We might like to think that science is purely objective, driven only by scientific principles and free of social disturbances — but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In this episode, we read Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s debut The... by Chemistry World Book Club
22 min listen
Book club – Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science by Luke O’Neill: In this episode, we’re looking for answers to the important questions in life like ‘Why do you believe in diets?’ or ‘Why are you working in a bullshit job?’ Biochemist and immunologist Luke O’Neill certainly doesn’t mince words in... by Chemistry World Book Club
17 min listen
Book club – The Poison Trials by Alisha Rankin: This month we find out drug testing has come a long way, as we read The Poison Trials: Wonder Drugs, Experiment and the Battle for Authority in Renaissance Science, the latest book from historian of science and medicine Alisha Rankin. The... by Chemistry World Book Club
17 min listen
Book club – Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks: This month we’re celebrating 20 years of a popular science classic: Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks. In his memoir, Sacks – who later became a famous neurologist – recounts how he discovered his love for... by Chemistry World Book Club
21 min listen
Book club – Science books for children: Whether you’re looking for a sciencey Christmas present for the young readers in your life or just want to delve into the science of children’s science writing, this kid’s books roundup is for you. We brought together three families and their... by Chemistry World Book Club
18 min listen
Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in what We Leave Behind by Chemistry World Book Club
19 min listen
The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking): It’s the end times in this episode as we’re reading The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking). In five scenarios, cosmologist Katie Mack explores how the universe might meet its ultimate demise and what this might look like... by Chemistry World Book Club
17 min listen
United We Are Unstoppable: 60 Inspiring Young People Saving Our World by Chemistry World Book Club
17 min listen
Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium by Chemistry World Book Club
18 min listen
Three books on pandemics: In this episode we’re tackling the coronavirus information overload by comparing three books on pandemics past and present: Outbreaks and Epidemics by Meera Senthilingam, Adam Kucharski’s The Rules of Contagion, and The... by Chemistry World Book Club
21 min listen
The Alchemy of Us: From photographic film to scientific glassware, Ainissa Ramirez’s new book The Alchemy of Us offers a unique insight into our relationship with technology. Find out what we thought about the book, and hear from Ramirez herself as she... by Chemistry World Book Club
14 min listen
Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How to See Past It by Chemistry World Book Club
17 min listen
Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us by Chemistry World Book Club
18 min listen
Say Why to Drugs: Everything You Need to Know About the Drugs We Take and Why We Get High by Chemistry World Book Club
17 min listen
You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: This month, we’re talking about giraffes, a magic sandwich hole and the question of whether robots will take over the world. All of these things come up in Janelle Shane’s You Look Like a Thing and I Love You, a book about the wonderful and often... by Chemistry World Book Club
18 min listen
Antimony, Gold, and Jupiter’s Wolf: How the Elements Were Named: This month, we’re delving deep into chemistry’s history as we discuss Peter Wothers' book Antimony, Gold, and Jupiter’s Wolf: How the Elements Were Named. Some chemists may know Wothers’ writing in the form of chemistry textbooks, but this is... by Chemistry World Book Club
17 min listen
Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time by Chemistry World Book Club
18 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Jennifer Doudna and Feng Zhang: The Code of Life: One of the most significant revolutions in science is underway, and yet most people haven't even heard of it. It's called CRISPR, and it is an easy, inexpensive process for cutting and pasting DNA - the code of life. It is already being used in human trials to cure genetic disease, and it promises to transform agriculture, with drought-resistant crops that will better feed the world. But it also threatens to usher in a frightening era of designer babies and unintended consequences. The two lead scientists behind CRISPR, Jennifer Doudna and Feng Zhang, talk here about their lives and their research, and they sound the alarm about the dangers of their own discovery. by What It Takes®
53 min listen
CRISPR: A Crack in Creation: Jennifer Doudna, whose research helped create CRISPR, speaks with Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson about the latest technological developments in gene editing and the unthinkable power to control evolution. by Aspen Ideas to Go
58 min listen
A Crack In Creation: The biological world is undergoing profound, human-induced changes. For billions of years, life progressed according to Darwin's theory of evolution - organisms developed through a series of random genetic variations. Up to now, species has been s... by What You Will Learn
28 min listen
Transition Cows, Looking in the Rear-View Mirror as We Speed into the Future: Tonight, is our second installment of what we call our legacy series. The legacy series honor those individuals that have a profound impact on our industry. For this conversation, we're going to zero in on the history of transition cow management. We are joined by Dr. Ric Grummer and Dr. Heather White from University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dr. Jesse Goff of Iowa State University. by Real Science Exchange
73 min listen
Robin Bicknell - The Genetic Revolution by Face2Face with David Peck
36 min listen
#72: The Nature of Viruses with Dr. Robert David Siegel by Nature's Archive
118 min listen
Decoding CRISPR: Jennifer Doudna and the future of gene editing (Ep 61) by Big Biology
58 min listen
CRISPR's next advance is bigger than you think | Jennifer Doudna: You've probably heard of CRISPR, the revolutionary technology that allows us to edit the DNA in living organisms. Biochemist and 2023 Audacious Project grantee Jennifer Doudna earned the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking work in this field — and now she's here to tell us about its next world-changing advancement. She explains how her team at the Innovative Genomics Institute is pioneering a brand new field of science — precision microbiome editing — that uses CRISPR in an effort to solve seemingly insurmountable problems like asthma, Alzheimer's and climate change. This ambitious idea is part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change. by TED Health
9 min listen
Covid vaccines: their legacy & vaccinating teens: What say do teens have over their Covid vaccine? And where next for vaccine science? by Inside Health
28 min listen
S2 | E21: Cervical Cancer & HPV with Dr. Elizabeth Goldspink: HPV is incredibly common, and it can cause cervical cancer. There is so much to know about this topic - and no one talks enough about it. We invited Dr. Elizabeth Goldspink, ND to discuss all things HPV and cervical cancer prevention. She is a regularly... by We Go There Podcast
36 min listen
The Good and Bad News About the Delta Variant: “The war has changed.” That’s what the leaked C.D.C. document says about the way the Delta variant has upended our coronavirus policies. Delta is astonishingly contagious. It can generate 1,000 times the viral load of the original coronavirus strain, and it spreads with the ease of chickenpox. The vaccinated can no longer assume immunity. The unvaccinated are at more risk than ever. Masks are back. New York City is essentially imposing a vaccine mandate. I have so many questions about the war we’re now in. What do we actually know about Delta? If you’re vaccinated, is it more or less likely to kill you than the flu? Is it more serious for children? Are we re-masking to protect the unvaccinated, or is this also for the vaccinated? What are the risks of long Covid for the vaccinated? I could go on. Luckily, Dr. Céline Gounder has answers. Gounder is an epidemiologist at N.Y.U. medical school, a CNN medical analyst and host of the Covid pod by The Ezra Klein Show
58 min listen
05 - Jennifer Doudna, PhD - Giants of Gene Therapy by ASGCT Podcast Network
29 min listen
Genetic Engineering: Melvyn Bragg examines the implications of the developments in genetic engineering. by In Our Time: Science
28 min listen
Genetic Engineering: Melvyn Bragg examines the implications of the developments in genetic engineering. by In Our Time
28 min listen
How far could gene editing go?: With leaps in gene editing technology how might humans alter their genome? by CrowdScience
32 min listen
Gene Editing Nature: Gene editing could revolutionise environmental conservation – but should we use it? by Costing the Earth
29 min listen
Your DNA May Not Be Your Destiny: Carl Zimmer by Good Life Project
60 min listen
Cómo funciona la modificación genética con CRISPR: Toma una clase gratis ?? platzi.com/podcast Emmanuelle Charpentier (microbióloga) y Jennifer Doudna (química) desarrollaron un método de edición genética que permite “cortar y pegar” partes del ADN, con lo que se cree que será posible tratar... by Platzi Podcast
20 min listen
The Art and Science of Biology's Future: In this episode of Bio Eats World, we talk to Dr. Jennifer Doudna—winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize for the co-discovery (with Emmanuelle Charpentier) of CRISPR-Cas9—about the art and science of biology. Huge breakthroughs such as Doudna's—which began with the identification of CRISPR in bacteria and was then built into a highly adaptable genome editing platform—are now fueling the evolution of the field. Fundamental knowledge that has largely come from curiosity-driven science has converged with enabling technologies, allowing scientists and biologists in particular to do things that even a couple of years ago, we would have found unimaginable. And biology has begun to shift from an artisanal process, to an industrial one—shifting from qualitative, descriptive science, to quantitative, predictive, high-throughput, science with increasing automation. In this conversation, a16z General Partner Vijay Pande and Doudna talk about what happens as CRIS by Raising Health
29 min listen
Triangulation 433: The Father of Modern Genomics - George Church: George Church by Triangulation (Audio)
60 min listen
Biochemist - Jennifer Doudna: Does the co-founder of the gene editing tool Crispr Cas9 fear for where it may lead? by HARDtalk
23 min listen
A Crack In Creation: The Power and Ethics of Gene Editing (Encore): The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to molecular microbiologists Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier for their work on CRISPR, the revolutionary technology that gives scientists a way to accurately cut DNA and transform the genetic code of life. Likened to a pair of “genetic scissors,” CRISPR could open the door to cures for some cancers, sickle cell anemia, and other diseases. But it is not without controversy. It’s already been used to manipulate embryos. That could be the first step on the path to “designer babies,” and it raises a multitude of ethical questions. In this encore episode recorded in 2017, Doudna spoke with Walter Isaacson, then president of the Aspen Institute, about gene editing and what it could mean to have the power to control evolution. by Aspen Ideas to Go
59 min listen
#179 Genetic Testing with Kira Dineen: James Fodor of The Science of Everything Podcast interviews Kira Dineen about the ins and outs of genetic testing. by DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast
20 min listen
Coxiella burnettii with Stacey Gilk: Coxiella burnettii causes Q Fever, a zoonotic disease that is rarely acquired by humans. But Q Fever has a history of being developed as a bioweapon because of its ability to be spread by aerosols and cause debilitating but not lethal... by microTalk
36 min listen
DNA is Not Destiny (rebroadcast) by Big Picture Science
54 min listen
Walter Isaacson on the Next Great Innovation Revolution: Biographer Walter Isaacson's latest book tells the story of biochemist Jennifer Doudna. She helped develop a controversial tool that has the power to transform the human race. CRISPR can edit genes to cure diseases but can also be used to create designer babies. by Aspen Ideas to Go
46 min listen
Farm animals show their smarts, and how honeyguide birds lead humans to hives: A look at cognition in livestock, and the coevolution of wild bird–human cooperation by Science Magazine Podcast
38 min listen
#177 Whole Genome Sequencing with PerkinElmer Genomics: Dr. Madhuri Hegde of PerkinElmer Genomics explores whole genome sequencing. by DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast
20 min listen
Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer brought to you by Kalmbach Feeds: Today, the Chicken Whisperer welcomes the Gabriele family to share their Salmonella experience from the 2013 outbreak. by Chicken Whisperer
77 min listen
Episode 128: A Light at the End of a Tough Two Weeks by Osterholm Update
20 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

A crack in creation

A crack in creation

Description

Titles in the series (78)

More Episodes from Chemistry World Book Club

Related podcast episodes