logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
14m 48s

The Biologist Who Talks With Cells

NPR
About this episode
The human body is made up of more than 30 trillion cells, but how do they all work together? It's all about communication! "They talk through molecules going from one cell to the adjacent cell," says Dr. Sandra Murray, a professor of cell biology and physiology at the University of Pittsburgh who studies how cells communicate with each other to do complex tasks, like close a wound or deliver a baby.

This year, Dr. Murray became the first person of color elected as president of the American Society for Cell Biology. She talks with host Aaron Scott about the beautiful language of cells, how she made her way as a Black woman in STEM, and what gives her hope in her field today.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Aug 22
Could labs replace your natural chocolate?
Chocolate may fill grocery store shelves around the world, but the raw product that powers chocolate is far more selective. The majority of chocolate farms are found in West Africa and South America – just 20 degrees north or south of the equator. Each farm produces chocolate of ... Show More
8m 50s
Aug 20
The Yellowstone Wolf Controversy
Thirty years ago, park rangers reintroduced grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park. They wanted to restore the ecosystem and get the elk population, which had decimated the plant community, in check. And it worked – or so the popular narrative suggests. But is it really so si ... Show More
13m 55s
Aug 19
Toxic? These Animals Don't Care
Imagine, you’re a toxic toad hanging around South America. No other animals are gonna mess with you, right? After all, you’re ~toxic~! So if anyone tries to eat you, they’ll be exposed to something called a cardiotonic steroid — and may die of a heart attack. Well, unfortunately, ... Show More
13m 36s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
The New Science of Cell Shape
They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but can you judge a cell by its shape? On this episode, host Lauren Richardson is joined by Maddison Masaeli (CEO and cofounder of Deepcell), and a16z general partner Vijay Pande (whose lab at Stanford focused on the developmen ... Show More
32m 11s
Sep 2023
Stem Cells
On today’s episode: Apparently scientists have finally finished sequencing the human genome! Finally, for the fourth time. And speaking of hot research from the 90s…what’s up with stem cells lately? All that and more today on All Around Science... LINKS: SOURCES Students built a ... Show More
53m 5s
May 2014
Melinda B. Fagan, “Philosophy of Stem Cell Biology: Knowledge in Flesh and Blood” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013)
Philosophy of science has come a very long way from its historically rooted focus on theories, explanations, and evidential relations in physics elaborated in terms of a rather mythical “theory T”. But even in philosophy of biology, attention has largely been on the concepts and ... Show More
1h 9m
Mar 2023
Can We Program Our Cells?
Making living cells blink fluorescently like party lights may sound frivolous. But the demonstration that it’s possible could be a step toward someday programming our body’s immune cells to attack cancers more effectively and safely. That’s the promise of synthetic biology. While ... Show More
45m 11s
Sep 2014
How Stem Cells Work
Since scientists realized there is a type of cell that can grow into any other type, they have worked to use them to heal human conditions like Parkinson's and immune disorders. But because stem cells often come from embryos they remain controversial. Learn more about your ad-cho ... Show More
35m 26s
May 2023
Stem Cell Biology (CELLS MAKING CELLS) with “Science Sam” aka Samantha Yammine
How do our bodies build our bodies? What does a stem cell look like? How do they know what to do? What diseases could stem cells cure? And why is Canada such a hot place for research? Dr. Samantha Yammine – known by many as Science Sam – is a stem cell biologist and science commu ... Show More
1h 19m
Sep 2023
#316 Biology of Belief with Dr. Bruce Lipton, PhD
Send us a textThis week on The Less Stressed Life Podcast, I have on author Dr. Bruce Lipton, who is a former medical school professor and research scientist. Bruce explains his research on how cells process information led to the conclusion that our genes are turned on and off b ... Show More
1h 25m
May 2021
The next software revolution: programming biological cells | Sara-Jane Dunn
The cells in your body are like computer software: they're "programmed" to carry out specific functions at specific times. If we can better understand this process, we could unlock the ability to reprogram cells ourselves, says computational biologist Sara-Jane Dunn. In a talk fr ... Show More
14m 4s
Apr 2021
B/B: The Cell MCAT Review
Biology/Biochemistry: In this third episode of biology/biochemistry, we talk about the cell. Topics like the cell theory, organelles, eukaryotes vs. prokaryotes, viruses, and more. 
40m 47s