How wastewater surveillance is tracking diseases outbreaksWhen you flush your toilet, where does the waste go? Down the pipes, through the sewers, and into a… lab? That’s right, hidden in our collective waste is a archive of genomic clues revealing our health, habits, and maybe even happiness levels.In this episode, host Dr. Kaylee Byers teams up with Dr. Jess Steier from the Unbiased Science podcast as they dive into the world of wastewater surveillance. Along the way, they enlist a seasoned “poo detective,” Dr. Natalie Prystajecky, who wades through some wastewater 101, and how sewage can tip us off to disease outbreaks before symptoms even start. Then, Dr. Yemisi Bokinni brings the investigation to the not-so-small town of Makoko, Nigeria, where a new genome sequencing lab is chasing an old culprit: polio.From your neighbourhood sewers to global health and future pandemics, we're using genomics to identify poo dunnit.Resources1. Wastewater Surveillance– BC Centre for Disease Control2. Wastewater surveillance tells a quiet story of polio’s return– BMJ3. Nigeria’s polio battleground'– Nature4. Makoko: ‘Venice of Lagos’– SmartCities Dive
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Welcome to ‘Nice Genes!’ Season 5
Every mystery leaves a trail of clues. Fingerprints, call logs, maybe some tire tracks… or, of course, DNA. And when it comes to mysteries about our health, there are no shortages of leads to chase.This season, join host, Dr. –or Detective– Kaylee Byers and the Nice Genes! CSI unit as we investigate the genomic breadcrumbs shaping the way we age, treat diseases– and even watch TV. We’ll uncover how “poo water” can tip us off to pandemics before they spread, to why some of the fittest athletes suddenly collapse on the field. And if you thought you smelled a “rat,” well, you’d be correct. Because we'll also learn how our rodent sidekicks are helping us sniff out the world's deadliest infectious disease.Explore these cases and more in Nice Genes! season 5: “DNA Detectives”– resolving the genetic riddles behind our health, one story at a time.
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Spaced Out!
Houston, we have… a microbe? A mysterious bacterial species has shown up aboard China’s Tiangong Space Station, and Dr. Kaylee Byers and Sarah Lando are hopping into the Nice Genes! mothership to investigate. Where did this intriguing new organism come from? Did it evolve in orbit? And what does it mean for the future of space travel?Resources1. New Bacteria Have Been Discovered on a Chinese Space Station - WIRED2. New space-adapted bacteria discovered on China’s space station - CBC3. Unknown strain of bacteria found on China's Tiangong Space Station - Live Science4. Niallia tiangongensis sp. nov., isolated from the China Space Station - International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology
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Roach Encroach: How we made cockroaches the ultimate pest
German cockroaches are notorious for making themselves at home in our kitchens and bathrooms, but how did they become such persistent pests? Dr. Kaylee Byers and Sarah Lando explore the fascinating genomics behind this unwanted guest—and why we’re partly to blame.Resources:1.Solving the 250-year-old mystery of the origin and global spread of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica – PNAS2. The world's most common cockroach is 'a monster of our own creation,' study finds - CBC3. German Cockroach – Rutgers4. Prevalence of Cockroaches, Bed Bugs, and House Mice in Low-Income Housing and Evaluation of Baits for Monitoring House Mouse Infestations – Journal of Medical Entomology
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Genomic Repeat: The Devil’s In the Details - The Importance of Biodiversity
The Importance of BiodiversityDescription:This episode was originally released on October 31, 2022Conservation is often about protecting the species that still wander around our Earth. But what about those that once did but have gone extinct? In this Halloween-inspired episode, we take a look into how one spooky idea has gone from science fiction to science fact, de-extinction style.Dr. Kaylee Byers takes us to the upside-down world of wild animals in Australia. She sits down with Dr. Axel Newton whose research addresses how to resurrect a species that has been extinct for nearly a century. Also joining her is Dr. Carolyn Hogg who uses the latest genomic technology to understand the impacts of reintroducing endangered species into their native habitats. In this wacky tale of resurrection and 'devils' will the spirit of scientific discovery mean incredible changes for the future, or is a line being crossed that we can't come back from?References:1. Lab takes 'giant leap' toward thylacine de-extinction with Colossal genetic engineering technology partnership | The University of Melbourne2. Thylacine Integrated Genomic Restoration Research Lab (TIGRR Lab) | The University of Melbourne3. Thylacine: How we plan to de-extinct the Tasmanian tiger | Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences4. Extinction of thylacine | National Museum Australia5. A year after Australia's wildfires, extinction threatens hundreds of species | Science News6. Rewilding returns lost species to strengthen ecosystems | Science News7. Park Conscious | U.S. Dept. of Agriculture8. Endangered Tasmanian devils insured against future threats | The University of Sydney9. The 9 Steps to De-Extincting Australia's Thylacine | The University of Melbourne10. The Value of Reference Genomes in the Conservation of Threatened Species | Marsupial Genetics and Genomics11. Assessing evolutionary processes over time in a conservation breeding program: a combined approach using molecular data, simulations and pedigree analysis | Biodiversity and Conservation
From healthcare and biotechnology to forests and fisheries, the evolving study of genomics is leading to some of the most exciting and world-changing discoveries in science and medicine. Like – did you know that your individual genomic signature can help determine the healthcare treatment you receive? Or that mapping the genomes of trees can inform forest management?
But while the study of genomics holds great promise for the health of people, animals, and the environment, it also confronts us with big questions: How do we study genetic patterns in a way that respects sensitive genetic information, history, and equity? How do we use the power of genomic research to fight climate change? Save the salmon?
Join Dr. Kaylee Byers – a self-described “rat detective” and science communicator as she guides you through fascinating conversations about the what, the why, and the how of genomics.
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