Science Friday

In nature, enzymes are the catalysts that make much of biology work. They jumpstart chemical reactions that either wouldn’t happen, or would happen super slowly. They break down food, build other molecules, extract energy, and more. What if we could harness evolution to engineer designer enzymes that do other specific jobs that benefit us? 

Putting that idea into practice changed the game for chemistry, and earned Frances Arnold the Nobel Prize prize in 2018. She called it “directed evolution.” Today, thousands of labs use her methods to coax enzymes into doing things no one ever thought of. She joins Host Flora Lichtman to talk about where she sees this approach going in the future, and the personal evolution that brought her into science.

Guest: Dr. Frances Arnold is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.

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The new semi-autobiographical play “The Reservoir” spins a comedic narrative around cognitive reserve, the idea that doing brain-stimulating activities can prevent or delay the onset of dementia symptoms. It’s currently running at the Atlantic Theater Company and co-produced by The Ensemble Studio Theater in New York.* 

Host Ira Flatow talks with playwright Jake Brasch about his inspiration for the play and how to mesh science into the theater. 

Then, neurologist Marilyn Albert discusses some of the latest science of mental stimulation and dementia. After following a diverse group of older adults for 20 years, her research found that a modest amount of specialized cognitive training reduced dementia risk by 25%. You can try a very similar brain training exercise at home. 

*“The Reservoir” received funding from the Sloan Foundation, which also helps support Science Friday.

Guests:

Jake Brasch is a writer, performer, composer, clown, and writer of the new play “The Reservoir.” 

Dr. Marilyn Albert is a professor of neurology and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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American chestnut trees once towered over the landscape, dominating forests in parts of the eastern United States. But in the late 1800s, a fungal blight virtually wiped them out across the country. Chestnut restoration scientist Jared Westbrook tells Host Ira Flatow how new genetic work could speed up efforts to breed fungal resistance into hybrid chestnuts and create a heartier chestnut population. 

Then, author Hanna Lewis introduces Ira to the concept of miniforests, self-sustaining native forest ecosystems on a tiny footprint, like an empty lot or a schoolyard. The planting method, developed by botanist Akira Miyawaki, can help “rewild” small parcels of land by jump-starting forest development.

Read our full story, The Miniforest Movement Gains Ground In The U.S.

Guests:

Dr. Jared Westbrook is Director of Science for the American Chestnut Foundation in Asheville, North Carolina.

Hanna Lewis is the author of the book Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World. She works for non-profit Renewing the Countryside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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On February 12, the Environmental Protection Agency dealt a major blow to the government’s power to fight climate change by rescinding a key piece of research called the endangerment finding. The finding, issued in 2009, basically says: Greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare—and because they’re harmful, they must be regulated. It's the legal basis for the federal government’s regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. So what does it mean that this finding has been thrown out?

Host Flora Lichtman digs into this question with Andy Miller, an original author on the endangerment finding who spent more than 30 years working for the EPA.

Guest:

Dr. Andy Miller worked on air pollution and climate change at the EPA for more than 30 years. He was an original author on Endangerment Finding.

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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An estimated 500,000 people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States each year, but the causes and mechanisms of the condition remain a neurological mystery. A recent study looked at the role of variants in a gene called APOE in Alzheimer’s, and found that while it’s not a simple determinant of developing the disease, that one gene seems to play a significant role in promoting disease risk. Researchers hope work like this could point to new areas to study and even potential treatments.

Epidemiologist Dylan Williams joins Host Ira Flatow to explain the findings and discuss the challenges in tracing a complex disease to its roots.

Guest: Dr. Dylan Williams is a principal research fellow in molecular and genetic epidemiology at University College London.

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

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