Project Premonition trapsHosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guests: Ethan Jackson and Jonathan Carlson

Project Premonition, a Microsoft Research project that uses drones to capture mosquitoes and analyze them for pathogens, preprint servers, and three mouse models for Zika virus induced birth defects are the topics of this episode hosted by the TWiumvirate and theirs guests Ethan and Jonathan.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 390 (97 MB .mp3, 134 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail, Google Play Music

Links for this episode

Image: An early prototype of the mosquito trap (image credit).

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thanks!

This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream. Get two months free when you sign up at curiositystream.com/microbe and use the promo code MICROBE. 0:25, 1:02:00

Also brought to you by ASV 2016 1:56:00

Weekly Science Picks 1:57:25

Dickson – Germany nearly reached 100% renewable power
Alan
 – Vertical City documentary and Lumino City game
Rich – Errol Morris: ‘Demon in the Freezer’
Kathy – Entropic Time YouTube by A Capella Science (watch “the making of”)
Vincent – Agar Art contest finalists

Listener Picks

Jennie – SciFi reading (scroll down)

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Stan LemonHost: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Stan Lemon

Vincent speaks with Stan Lemon about his career in virology, from early work on Epstein Barr virus, through making essential discoveries about hepatitis A virus, hepatitis C virus, and rhinoviruses.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 389 (53 MB .mp3, 73 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail, Google Play Music

Links for this episode

This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream. Get two months free when you sign up at curiositystream.com/microbe and use the promo code MICROBE.

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

antibody bound to Zika virus EHosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Preprint servers, the structure of an antibody bound to Zika virus, blocking Zika virus replication in mosquitoes with Wolbachia, and killing carp in Australia with a herpesvirus are topics of this episode hosted by Vincent, Dickson, Alan, and Kathy.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 388 (73 MB .mp3, 101 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail, Google Play Music

Links for this episode

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thanks!

Image: A single molecule of the Zika virus E glycoprotein (red) bound to a broadly neutralizing antibody (green). The fusion loop on the E protein, which is recognized by the antibody, is shown in yellow.

This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream. Get two months free when you sign up at curiositystream.com/microbe and use the promo code MICROBE. 0:25, 48:40

Also brought to you by ASV 2016

Weekly Science Picks 1:23:55

Dickson – EarthEnv
Alan
 – Research funding by lottery
Kathy – Eugenia Cheng Math and Baking
Vincent – Zika Diaries

Listener Picks

Stephen – Virus trading cards
William – Virus trading cards
Norma+MauriceVirus trading cards
TomVirus trading cards

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Nina MartinHosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Nina Martin

Nina Martin joins the TWiV team to talk about the movie Vaxxed, her bout with dengue fever, and the latest research on Zika virus.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 387 (69 MB .mp3, 96 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail, Google Play Music

Links for this episode

This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream. Get two months free when you sign up at curiositystream.com/microbe and use the promo code MICROBE. 0:25, 53:10

Also brought to you by ASV 2016 1:18:50

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:21:25

Nina – Vaccines and Your Child by Paul Offit and Charlotte Moser
Dickson – The animals of Chernobyl
Alan
 – Five rules of lab safety
Kathy – 20 best science images of the year?
Vincent – Massive undersea crab swarm

Listener Picks

JP – Global map of wind
Todd – Doc Martin

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Dolphins did itHosts: Vincent RacanielloRich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guests: Ted Diehl and Welkin Johnson

Ted and Welkin inform the TWiV team how the evolution of ancient retroviruses can be inferred by studying their sequences in the genomes of modern mammals, and join in a discussion of virus dispersal during different methods for drying hands.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 386 (86 MB .mp3, 119 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail, Google Play Music

Links for this episode

This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar Art ContestASM Grant Writing Course, and ASV 2016

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:44:25

Welkin – Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (essay)
Ted – Accidental brilliance in science
Rich – Perpetual motion?
Kathy – R0 graphic and explanation
Vincent – NWS ditches all caps forecasts

Listener Picks

Basel – Gimli Glider and Mars Climate Orbiter
Ken – Vaccination comic book

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Stuart FiresteinHosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Guest: Stuart Firestein

Stuart joins Vincent and Dickson to talk about his sequel to Ignorance, a book called Failure, which seeks to make science more appealing by revealing its faults.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 385 (83 MB .mp3, 115 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail

Links for this episode

This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar Art Contest and ASV 2016

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Tilapia die-offHosts: Vincent RacanielloDickson DespommierAlan Dove and Rich Condit

Guests: Nischay Mishra and Ian Lipkin

Nischay and Ian join the TWiVions to discuss mass die-offs of tilapia by a novel orthomyxo-like virus, Ian’s editorial on the movie Vaxxed, and new vaccines to prevent dengue virus infections, including a human challenge model. 

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 384 (76 MB .mp3, 105 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail

Links for this episode

This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar Art Contest, ASM Grant Writing Course, and ASV 2016 36:55, 1:03:40

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:30:20

Rich – Dune by Frank Herbert
Alan – Adult vaccination video contest
Dickson – Ski town greenhouse
Vincent – Preprint servers: Force awakens or revenge of undead?

Listener Picks

Ken – Golden Mole Awards for Accidental Brilliance (list, video)
Jim – Linear algebra course

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Zika virus cryoEMHosts: Vincent RacanielloDickson DespommierAlan Dove and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Esper Kallas

Esper and the Merry TWiXters analyze the latest data on Zika virus and microcephaly in Brazil, and discuss publications on a mouse model for disease, infection of a fetus, mosquito vector competence, and the cryo-EM structure of the virus particle.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 383 (90 MB .mp3, 125 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail

Links for this episode

This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar Art Contest and ASV 2016 4:10, 1:28:30

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:44:30

Esper – The Chaos by Gérard Nolst Trenité (pronunciation guide) and HIV pathogenesis course
Alan – Science Kombat
Dickson – Four steps to wiping out a mosquito
Vincent – Public lacks information on Zika virus
Kathy – Zika virus cryo-EM structure video

Listener Picks

Justin – Culture-independent discovery of Archaeal virus
Melinda – Zika virus open research portal and Your body battles series

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

We are viralHosts: Vincent RacanielloDickson DespommierAlan Dove and Kathy Spindler

Guests: Nels Elde and Edward Chuong

Nels and Ed join the TWiV team to talk about their observation that regulation of the human interferon response depends on regulatory sequences that were co-opted millions of years ago from endogenous retroviruses.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 382 (82 MB .mp3, 114 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail

Links for this episode

This episode is sponsored by ASM Agar Art Contest and ASV 2016 10:30, 1:14:45

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:32:40

Nels – Don’t Get Me Started – Matt Giorgianni
Alan – Sun’s magnetic field (paper)
Dickson – Most realistic dinosaur terrifies
Vincent – Top secret!
Kathy – Zika virus risk for US 50 cities (paper)
Ed – Watching comb jellies poop

Listener Picks

AsalLost paper of Gregor Mendel
DennisPhysicsGirl
Jacob – Second (XKCD) and ACI blogger interview

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Carl ZimmerHosts: Vincent RacanielloDickson DespommierAlan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Carl Zimmer

Carl Zimmer joins the TWiV team to talk about his career in science writing, the real meaning of copy-paste, science publishing, the value of Twitter, preprint servers, his thoughts on science outreach, and much more.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 381 (86 MB .mp3, 119 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunesRSSemail

Links for this episode

This episode is sponsored by ASV 2016 and ASM Agar Art Contest 5:20, 1:45:55

Timestamps by Jennifer. Thanks!

Weekly Science Picks 1:47:15

Carl – Surprising benefit of viral DNA
Alan – Global ship traffic
Dickson – Music with 2000 marbles
Vincent – The whiteboard revolution
Kathy – How to interpret UK and American advisors
Rich – Carina Storrs, science writer

Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv