TWiEVO 86: Pulling out the stops in genetic code evolution

Nels and Vincent discuss how evolution of changes in stop codon assignment might occur, and a novel mechanism for altering the meaning of translation stop codons discovered in a trypanosomatid with the apropos name, Blastocrithidia nonstop.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiEVO 86  (55 MB .mp3, 97 min)
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•Novel stop codon reassignment mechanisms (Nature)

Science Picks

Nels – Protein Synthesis: An epic on the cellular level 

Vincent – Widespread stop-codon recoding in bacteriophages may regulate translation of lytic genes discussed on TWiM 277

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TWiEVO 85: Teaching old dogs new genetic tricks

Nels and Vincent discuss the use of genome sequence data for over 4,000 domestic, semi-feral, and wild canids to understand the genetic drivers of canine behavior.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Science Picks 1:28:05

Nels – Ghosts of Science Past Still Haunt Us by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Vincent – The Biggest Ideas in the Universe by Sean Carroll

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TWiEVO 84: Decoding our defenses to the Black Death

Nels and Vincent review the use of ancient DNA to identify loci that may have been under selection during the Black Death by studying populations before, during, and after the pandemic.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiEVO 84  (55 MB .mp3, 92 min)
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Science Picks 1:17:28

Nels – Interview with Paul Turner in Current Biology and Map of the World if you are a fish
Vincent – Smallpox and its eradication

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TWiEVO 83: Evolution spreads its wings (and then loses them)

Florian Maderspacher from Current Biology joins Nels and Vincent to discuss a special issue of the journal on birds.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Florian Maderspacher

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Download TWiEVO 83  (55 MB .mp3, 92 min)
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Science Picks 1:22:39

Florian – Favorite birds of authors/contributors in Birds issue
Nels –Loss of avian intromittent organs as a sperm competition strategy: a race to be last
Vincent – Malaria at the Bronx Zoo (TWiP 110)

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TWiEVO 82: A genetic hack for the human brain

Nels and Vincent consider evidence that a single amino acid change in the TKTL1 gene might have led to greater neurogenesis in the frontal cortex of modern humans compared with Neanderthals.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiEVO 82  (52 MB .mp3, 86 min)
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Science Picks 1:23:33

Nels – Unusual display of elements
Vincent – Sykdomspulsen and summary

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TWiEVO 81: Evolution’s new and improved slime molds

Nels and Vincent discuss how duplication of a gene encoding a transcription factor led to evolution of a novel cell type in the slime mold Dictyostelium.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiEVO 81  (52 MB .mp3, 86 min)
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Science Picks 1:15:16

Nels – Dall-E artificial intelligence meets art
Vincent – John Bonner’s slime mold movies

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TWiEVO 80: Viruses of a feather bottleneck together

Louise Moncla joins Nels and Vincent to review her use of genomics to understand emergence, evolution, and transmission of respiratory viruses including influenza virus H5N1, mumps virus, and SARS-CoV-2.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Louise Moncla

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Download TWiEVO 80  (51 MB .mp3, 84 min)
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Science Picks 1:10:40

Nels – JWST Images
Vincent – 3rd International Symposium on Infectious Diseases of Bats and Program

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TWiEVO 79: When the immune system is away, SARS-CoV-2 will play

Nels and Vincent discuss an analysis of the drivers of evolution of SARS-CoV-2 during chronic infections, indicating that a tradeoff exists between antibody evasion and fitness.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiEVO 79  (59 MB .mp3, 98 min)
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Science Picks 1:32:04

Nels – NASA scientists say images from the Webb telescope nearly brought them to tears
Vincent – FDA: Don’t rush a move to change the Covid-19 vaccine composition

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TWiEVO 78: The virus daily double

Nels and Vincent provide an update on cases of monkeypox, and summarize a biochemical view of three changes in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that may balance positive and negative selection.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiEVO 77  (103 MB .mp3, 86 min)
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  • ECDC monkeypox risk assessment (pdf) 8:44
  • Monkeypox virus genomes (Nextstrain) 17:30
  • Discussion of monkeypox virus genome sequencing (virological.org) 25:18
  • Balancing positive and negative selection in spike protein (Biochem) 47:11
  • Time stamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Science Picks 1:11:11

Nels – Science on the Side podcast by Morgan Nelson and Ty Chiaro 
Vincent – Richard Ernst Lecture 2022

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TWiEVO 77: The mutations of our lives

Alex joins Nels and Vincent to discuss his work which demonstrates that somatic mutation rates scale with lifespan in mammals.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Alex Cagan

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Download TWiEVO 77  (103 MB .mp3, 86 min)
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Science Picks 1:12:34

Alex – Paper.app
Nels – Fifty years since Lewontin’s apportionment of human diversity
Vincent – An Exceptional Village

Listener Pick

Martha – Plagues Upon the Earth by Kyle Harper

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