From structure to function: looking at protein structures with Prof Andreas Boland

Have you ever wondered about the remarkable connection between our food, therapeutics, and even washing powders? The answer lies in the captivating domain of proteins, the fundamental building blocks of life! In this episode, we delve into the world of protein production, purification, and characterization, accompanied by the expertise of Dr. Oscar Vadas. Join us as we dive deep into these processes and unravel their importance both within the laboratory and in our daily lives. Here, Dr. Oscar Vadas sheds light on the fascinating techniques employed to produce, purify, and characterize proteins, revealing their pivotal role in various scientific domains, including biomedical research and industrial processes. Episode introduced by Nathalia Williams.

How would you explain why a plant is considered alive and a bonfire is not? What defines what is alive? In this episode our correspondant Oriol Mañé will interview Prof. Karsten Kruse from the Department of Biochemistry. They will discuss about the link between physics and biology and how his lab tries to understand collective phenomena in living cells and tissues. - Episode introduced by Emma Ganga.

"... from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved." - Charles Darwin Darwin's closing statement in On the Origin of Species often invokes images of colorful birds, strange plants, and odd animals. But have you ever stopped to consider the diversity of parasites? Parasite diversity is immense and they also play an important ecological role. Join our correspondent Cody Raul Cardenas as he chats with Natural History Museum of Geneva Curator Dr. Isa Blasco-Costa where they discuss the work she and her students do to describe and understand parasites. Episode presented by Oriol Mañé.

Barriers aren’t always bad. Sometimes, they are the bridge that gives rise to complexity. At all scales, biological units are separated from their environment by surfaces. From the membranes that surround our cells to the tissues that organize our body, these surfaces are governed by the same physical principles. Today, we are joined by Professor Aurélien Roux from the Faculty of Science to discuss how to better understand the barriers that organize life. Stay tuned as we explore the « Physics of Living Surfaces ». Introduction by Cody Raul Cardenas

Gaining trust is important, both in our daily lives and in the laboratory. But how do we build trust in science? In our research? Join us as we delve into the world of scientific reproducibility and explore how common laboratory tools may be hindering progress. Professor Pierre Cosson shares his expert insights with Joshua on the state of science today and reveals how the development of recombinant antibodies could be the game-changer we've all been waiting for. If you're ready to be on the cutting-edge of scientific discovery and learn how to build trust in your research, then don't miss out on this episode of Biosounds! Introduction by Davide D'Amico.

In this episode we explore the wonderful world of structural biology, where learning about the shapes and folding of proteins gives us an insight about how cells divide. Professor Andreas Boland shares with Olimpia the newest techniques with which we can now look at proteins and what they can tell us: from fundamental research to applied pharmacology the sky is really the limit. Introduced by Joshua Tran

One of the most fundamental characteristics of life is its ability to multiply and spread. In the very core of these phenomena lies cellular growth as a complex process of synthesis and accumulation of biomacromolecules and structures that these molecules form inside the cell. As any complex biological process, the growth of the cell is strictly regulated where the key role is held by TOR protein complex (TORC). In this episode our correspondent Aleksandar Arsović and his guest Prof. Robbie Loewith talk about basic principles of cellular growth, history of TORC research, current work and research questions that Prof. Loewith's team aims to answer and the exciting future of this field of biology. Introduced by Olimpia Bompadre.

Scientists have always speculated about the existence of planets orbiting other stars. From the desert world of Arrakis in Dune to the lush jungles of Yoda's planet Dagobah in Star Wars, we have been always fascinated with the idea of faraway lands. In this episode Inês Pinheiro talks to Professor Monika Lendl about the discovery and the characterisation of exoplanets and what do they teach us about our own origins. What if we could reach them one day with a spaceship? What if these worlds outside our solar system are swarming with life? Our Universe is estimated to have over 100 billion galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars. Our home, the Solar System is made up of eight planets, all orbiting the Sun but this is only one Star among billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Now we know that worlds beyond our Solar System - known as exoplanets - do exist, with over 5000 cataloged.

Did you know that around 90% of cervical cancer deaths occur in low- or middle-income countries? A major reason is lack of screening, which would catch it at an early or precancerous stage. In this episode, Zoé Valbret talks to Dr. Holly Clarke, a research fellow at the University Hospital of Geneva in the group of Patrick Petignat, about their international collaboration's work developing an AI-driven smartphone app for better screening in low-income countries including Cameroon. Introduced by Inês Pinheiro

Welcome to the 1st episode of Biosounds Season 4 ! Do you eat a pint of ice cream after a bad breakup? Do you deal with uncomfortable emotions using food? Could you get addicted to food? Listen to this episode to find out !! In this 1st episode of Biosounds season 4, our correspondent Nathalia WILLIAMS, interviews Prof. Geraldine Coppin of the Food and Human Behavior lab from Unidistance Suisse where she talks about her work on behavioral and neural correlation to food preferences.