A gene bank is a repository used to preserve genetic material for the future. Gene banks are not a modern concept -- the idea dates back thousands of years. Tune in as Allison and Robert explore gene banks, from Noah's Ark to the Doomsday Vault.
Today
From the Vault: Dinner with King Tut, with Sam Kean
In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert chats with Sam Kean about his new book “Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations.” (originally published 7/3/2025)See omnystudio.com/liste ... Show More
43m 56s
Yesterday
Weirdhouse Cinema: The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
In this episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss 1953’s “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,” a pivotal entry in the history of giant monster movies directed by Eugène Lourié and with effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. It stars Paul Hibschmid, Paula Raymond and Cecil K ... Show More
1h 23m
Jul 30
The Shocking Vastness of Prairie , Part 1
In this series from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss the vast North American grasslands of which poet William Cullen Bryant wrote, “These are the gardens of the desert, these the unshorn fields, boundless and beautiful, for which the speech of England has no name — ... Show More
1h 11m
Aug 2024
Will It Sequence? 700-year-old DNA
In this episode of Naked Genetics: A mammoth discovery in ancient DNA structure; on the subject of ancient DNA, what can we sequence for a centuries old body? And, in quirks of evolution, the animal that drinks its own offspring's blood... Like this podcast? Please help us by sup ... Show More
21m 17s
Mar 2012
Genes and evolution - from populations to tumours
From whole populations to individual cancers, we're taking a look at genes and evolution. We're also talking about dogs and their diseases, shining a light on Van Gogh's sunflowers, and wondering whether the USB-sized DNA sequence is hope or hype. Plus we've got our gene of the m ... Show More
32m 40s
Dec 2023
Genealogies of Modernity Episode 3: What Is Genealogy
Genealogy, in Charles Darwin’s terms, is the study of “descent with modification.” Taken as an analogy for the study of history, genealogy can guard against the potential dangers of claiming modernity. Against the effort to erase the past, genealogy asserts that our ancestry will ... Show More
45m 48s