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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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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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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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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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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  • 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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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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TWiEVO 76: One-step symbiosis

Nels and Vincent describe how a single amino acid change can allow E. coli to replace the essential gut symbiont of the stinkbug Plautia stali.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Science Picks 1:13:41

Nels – Inequality in science and the case for a new agenda
Vincent – Foundations of Virology by Fred Murphy

Listener Pick

Sam – Saturday Morning Breakfast – Evolutionist

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TWiEVO 75: Even the BANAL coronaviruses are interesting

Nels and Vincent review isolation of SARS-CoV-2-like viruses from bats in Laos that can replicate in human cells.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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  • SARS-CoV-2 like viruses in bats in Laos (Nature) 13:37
  • Vampire vax (TWiV 809) 14:51
  • Time stamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Science Picks 1:30:30

Nels – Erich Jarvis on scientists and public engagement
Vincent – Polio type 1 in Africa

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TWiEVO 74: On racism, not race with Joe Graves

Joe Graves joins Nels and Vincent to discuss his career in evolutionary biology and his recent book that answers questions about race and racism.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Joe Graves

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Science Picks 1:14:43

Nels – Where is Webb?
Vincent – Black Microbiologists Association
Joe – Biology versus bias

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TWiEVO 73: With a little help from your hosts

Nels and Vincent review three aspects of SARS-CoV-2: phylogenetics of Omicron, a two-step fitness selection for SARS-CoV-2 variants, and putative RNA insertions from host genomes.

Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Science Picks 1:23:33

Nels – Plant virus satellite accelerates wing formation in insect
Vincent – A plant virus that switched to vertebrates

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The Hosts of TWiEVO

Nels Elde, Ph.D.


Vincent Racaniello, Ph.D.


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