Characteristics of Living Organisms

During this episode, Dr. O’Toole shares with us a fascinating program here at Emory: the Tibet Science Initiative. The Dalai Lama initiated this program to educate Tibetan monks about modern science so they can incorporate this knowledge of the natural world, from biology to physics, into their own philosophies and understanding of the world. But the program is not just for the monastics; it is an intercultural exchange that brings Tibetan culture to Emory, enriching both sides. This is such a wonderful program and incredible to learn about. Dr. O’Toole is one of the professors who teaches the monks, and she shares with us her experiences as an instructor for this program. Let’s get right into this conversation.

In this episode, we are joined by Jordan Lee, a second-year MD PhD student at Emory Medical School. Jordan shares his nontraditional journey to medical school, from applying twice to taking multiple gap years. His journey shows us the ups and downs of the admissions process and the tenacity and grit that it takes to succeed. For those of us interested in medical school, I believe our conversation will offer great insights into what makes a successful medical school application.Additionally, feel free to learn more about Jordan's pre-med journey and time as an MD/PhD student through his Instagram: md.phlee

In this episode, I interview Dr. Garrett Cooper, a recent PhD graduate from Emory's Genetics and Molecular Biology program. He now works as a research scientist for Exact Sciences.Our conversation is perfect for anyone interested in pursuing an industry job in the biotech sector. We open with a conversation about how Garrett entered the field of genetics and what ultimately led him to pursue a career in the biotech sector. Additionally, a large portion of our conversation is dedicated to the advice he offers to others pursuing a job in the biotech industry. He provides insight into how to interview successfully, how to navigate the hiring process, and the unique experiences that made him a competitive candidate.Dr. Cooper also hosts a YouTube channel called Genomify with Garrett, where he teaches bioinformatics. The link is below to check it out!Genomify with Garrett: https://garrettc00per.github.io/tutorials/

In this episode, I interview Dr. Shana Burstein, a second-year pediatric hematology-oncology fellow at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She received her MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 2021, followed by a residency in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. Her current research interest is identifying novel genomic variants associated with pediatric cancer predisposition syndromes. During this conversation, Dr. Burstein shares the challenges and life lessons she learned along the way to becoming a physician. Further, she tells us about the incredible research she has performed from her work with calcium ion channels at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to the computational biology work she is spearheading at Emory University. Lastly, we close the interview with Dr. Burstein sharing valuable advice for those aspiring to have a successful and healthy career in medicine. 

In this episode, we have a discussion with Dr. Caroline Li, an assistant professor at City of Hope, a top ten cancer research center. She shares with us her academic journey from discovering her passion for science at a young age to establishing herself as faculty member of City of Hope. This episode gives great insight into the journey of a scientist, showing the successes and failures one encounters along the way.

Our bodies love processing glucose, the primary energy source for many organisms. It is simple and easy to extract the energy contained within this simple sugar. But, there are other sugars that organisms can utilize such as lactose. One way that E. coli and many other bacteria harness lactose as an energy source is with the help of the lac operon. This episode explores the components of the lac operon and how the operon functions under varying levels of lactose and glucose.

In the early 2000s, news headlines were all reporting of the same terror: ricin laden letters. Once a person comes in contact with ricin and the poison is absorbed, cells lose the ability to perform translation. Without translation, the body is unable to synthesize proteins critical for life. In today’s episode, we will explore the step by step process of translation along with the structural components involved (ribosomes and t-RNA).Translation YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/Vu6LBOQSqiE

DNA serves as the genetic blueprint for all living organisms. They hold all of the information that govern our very existence. Our growth and development as living organisms relies on this essential biological molecule. In this episode, we will be explore the structure of DNA. Specifically, we will analyze nucleotide structure, dehydration synthesis, complementary base pairing, and the double helix.

Today, we have Charles Darwin to thank for the theory of evolution and natural selection. His work has revolutionized our understanding of life on Earth. In his infamous novel, On the Origin of Species, he proposed a core concept that we refer to as Darwin's four postulates. These postulates serve as the foundation for how natural selection occurs. In this episode, we will explore each of these postulates and dive into how natural selection occurs.

As biologists, we are responsible for the study of life. We study a vast range of topics from how cancer cells interact with each other to the origin of life. We study everything that is living. But, what does it mean to even be alive? Today, we will be discussing the 7 characteristics of living organisms.