logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
15m 43s

First UK baby born with DNA from three p...

The Guardian
About this episode
The pioneering IVF procedure known as mitochondrial donation therapy (MDT) could prevent children from being born with devastating mitochondrial diseases. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Prof Darren Griffin, an expert in genetic diseases and reproduction, about how MDT works, the ethical considerations attached, and what techniques like it could mean for the future of reproduction. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
Up next
Yesterday
Texas floods and forecasting cuts: a sign of things to come?
In the days since the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country, speculation has grown about whether cuts to US weather agencies may have contributed to the the number of casualties. Ian Sample talks to the meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus to find out whether this ... Show More
16m 49s
Jul 8
Microplastics, blood cleaning and Orlando Bloom
The actor recently posted a photo of himself undergoing a £10,000 procedure at a London clinic that claims to remove microplastics, forever chemicals and herbicides from the blood. But how settled is the science around the health risks of microplastics? To find out, Ian Sample sp ... Show More
15m 58s
Jul 3
Why British women are freezing their eggs abroad
The number of women choosing to freeze their eggs has increased sharply, according to figures from the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The number deciding to embark on the process abroad also appears to be rising. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian ... Show More
18m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2019
Model embryos from stem cells, Paul Steinhardt's book on impossible crystals, Mother Thames
One of the most fundamental developmental stages we humans go through is extremely poorly understood. The first few days of the embryo, once it's been implanted in the womb is incredibly hard to study. Yet it's the time when the majority of pregnancies fail. Professor Magdalena Z ... Show More
35m 56s
Aug 2021
Jay Gargus, “Autism: A Genetic Perspective” (Open Agenda, 2021)
Autism: A Genetic Perspective is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and Jay Gargus, Professor of Physiology, Biophysics and Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Autism Research and Translation at UC Irvine. This wide-ranging conversation examines ... Show More
2h 10m
Sep 2021
She leads genes, cells, and molecules into battle against rare childhood diseases
Tenured Professor of Pediatric Neurology and Neurogenetics Rose Mary Boustani has spent decades at AUB and Duke University tracking down the individual molecules, genes, and cells that cause rare childhood and adolescent diseases that had long been seen as incurable. She explains ... Show More
25m 36s
Feb 2023
Bad Blood: Newgenics
Are we entering a ‘newgenic’ age - where cutting-edge technologies and the power of personal choice could achieve the kind of genetic perfection that 20th century eugenicists were after?In 2018, a Chinese scientist illegally attempted to precision edit the genome of two embryos. ... Show More
28m 18s
Apr 2023
Le don d'ovocytes
De nombreuses femmes en parcours de PMA, confrontées à une infertilité après un long parcours de tentatives avec leurs propres gamètes, de nombreux échecs, se tournent vers le don d’ovocytes, pour beaucoup à l’étranger et de plus en plus en France. Pour devenir parent, la dimensi ... Show More
1h 17m
Dec 2021
Genetic Dreams, Genetic Nightmares
CRISPR is the latest and most powerful technique for changing the genetic code of living things. This method of gene editing is already showing great promise in treating people with gene-based diseases, from sickle cell disease to cancer. However, in 2018 the use of CRISPR to edi ... Show More
27m 32s
Nov 2023
The International Race To Create Human Eggs And Sperm In The Lab
In which we meet the pioneers of one of the most exciting — and controversial — fields of biomedical research: in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG. The goal of IVG is to make unlimited supplies of what Hayashi calls "artificial" eggs and sperm from any cell in the human body. That cou ... Show More
15m 17s
Oct 2022
IVF Has Come A Long Way, But Many Don't Have Access
Since the first successful in vitro fertilization pregnancy and live birth in 1978, nearly half a million babies have been born using IVF in the United States. Assisted reproductive technology has made it possible for more people to become parents, but it's not accessible to ever ... Show More
13m 1s
Oct 2023
Differential Methylated Regions in Autism Spectrum Disorders (Janine La Salle)
In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we talked with Janine La Salle from UC Davis about her work on differential methylated regions in autism spectrum disorders. In our discussion, Janine LaSalle highlights her work on the placental epigenetic signature, which offers insig ... Show More
40m 39s