012: Why is Plasmidsaurus sequencing so cheap?

Maria wrote and released a song about AI, made with AI: "It's Easy Now". Robert asks her how it came together, from writing the lyrics with Claude, to 86 versions of the music in Suno and 65 versions of the animated video, what the lyrics mean, whether the song is optimistic or pessimistic, and where the line is between made with AI and made by AI. The episode ends with the full song. The song "It's Easy Now" is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Watch the video version, with the song's animations, early lyric drafts, and before/after versions shown as we talk about them, and join the discussion in the comments on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dAGXHTr-A_s Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

We visit Plasmidsaurus and spoke with CEO Mark Budde about why they are offering sequencing for so cheap, what surprises came up when their customers first got whole plasmid sequencing, and how sequencers are like bread machines. Join the discussion in the comments on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ss8H6VUQBGo Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

We talk about the promise and the perils of AI and dive into a particular case where AI was used to predict enzyme function and gave results that looked really promising, but were not quite right. Learn more about the online Master of Science program from the University of Florida Department of Microbiology and Cell Science: https://microbiologyonline.ifas.ufl.edu/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social-paid&utm_campaign=omgenomics&utm_term=ms&utm_content= Join the discussion in the comments on YouTube: https://youtu.be/o097zC7CM5I Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

We talked about what scientists do with their lives after their PhD. Ashley is a PhD student herself who created PhDPaths by interviewing hundreds of PhD graduates about their career paths outside academia. Join the discussion in the comments on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rU8EAT1RJYY Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

We discuss our experiences with rewriting software, why it's nearly always a bad idea, and the ONE situation where it's justified anyway. Join the discussion in the comments on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5JDhydALi8c Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

Academic software has a bad reputation for being poorly maintained. We discuss our experiences maintaining our own bioinformatics tools and the systemic issues that influence the quality of academic software. Topics * Lessons we've learned from maintaining our 8+ year old tools: Ginkgo, Assemblytics, SplitThreader, Ribbon. * Discussing career implications and systemic incentives of maintaining academic software. * How we build bioinformatics web apps today versus when we first started out. * Supporting users when you're not even in that field anymore. * Lots of embarrassing stories of bad software engineering in bioinformatics tools. Join the discussion in the comments on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eyd7Cb7ueNg * For academics, do any other metrics get considered for your tools other than citations? * How do you cite tools you used that you didn't mention in the methods, e.g. samtools, parallel, IGV. * Do any programs match up volunteer experienced software engineers with scientists writing software? Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

In the last episode of the season, we discuss Cal Newport's book "So Good They Can't Ignore You" and our experience applying those ideas to bioinformatics. Topics: * Why "follow your passion" is bad advice, especially in science. * Career capital: acquiring rare and valuable skills to craft a career you'll love. * How your personality affects which skills you might pursue. * Deliberate practice and deep work. Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

We interview Kaja Wasik, co-founder of Variant Bio, whose goal is to develop new therapies by studying the genetics of communities with exceptional health traits. Topics: * Kaja's circuitous journey in the biotech startup industry. * How Variant Bio ethically collects genetic data from more than 20 populations worldwide. * Their unique approach to benefit sharing with the communities they work with. Show notes: * Kaja's fundraiser for Life Science Cares: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kaja-wasik1 * Twitter: Twitter: https://twitter.com/kajawasik * LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kaja-wasik-8a8aa26b/ * Variant Bio's work in French Polynesia: https://vimeo.com/683490754 * Variant Bio's work in the Faroe Islands: https://vimeo.com/705567729 Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

We interview Nils Homer, the co-founder of Fulcrum Genomics, a thriving bioinformatics consulting business. Topics: * Why Nils decided to start a consulting business in the bioinformatics space. * Embracing open-source. * Finding customers is the easy part. * Scoping and pricing in science when figuring out what work is possible or necessary is a huge part of the work itself. * Why Nils believes "working hard" and "lifestyle business" are not conflicting concepts. * Exploring the possibilities of productizing services in the custom-driven world of bioinformatics. * Nils' thoughts on selling software to scientists. Show notes: * Nils' Twitter: https://twitter.com/nilshomer * Fulcrum Genomics is hiring! https://fulcrumgenomics.com/careers/ Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com

Our guest Steve Osazuwa helps us answer the PhD question (namely, should you do one?). Since we both have PhDs, we are bringing on our friend Steve who has been successful in bioinformatics without a PhD to add his perspectives. Topics: * How Steve ended up in bioinformatics. * Starting a PhD after working in industry. * What Steve's barber thinks about his colleagues' advice. * Would we do a PhD again? * The opportunity cost of doing a PhD instead of going directly to industry. Where to find us online: https://omgenomics.com