Research

In this episode of AV: Christy Martin is a WBC female Super Welterweight Champion. She’s been inducted into several boxing Halls of Fame; but what people didn’t know is that she dealt with domestic abuse. In 2010, her husband stabbed and shot her. Christy survived the stab wounds, the gunshot wound, and she went on to help others. Christy started Christy's Champs, to help people dealing with emotional and physical abuse. She'll tell us about her boxing career, surviving domestic abuse, and how she's helping others. 
Then, our next guest is Dr. Feng Zhang, who develops technological tools for brain science and gene editing. He'll talk to us about coming the U.S. as a child, the benefits of our education system, and advances he's making in gene editing to help cure diseases. He is a James and Patricia Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at The McGovern Institute at MIT. And a core member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. 
Plus, author Tara Ison Writer on her favorite sound.

American Voices airs on SiriusXM Radio, POTUS, Channel 124. Sunday mornings at 11 am ET. Visit us on Facebook: facebook.com/Americanvoiceswithsenatorbillbradley

Boxing Champion Christy Martin; plus, Dr. Feng Zhang on Gene Editing

Which is more likely to catch a reader’s attention: a pop science article referring to “human cortical spheroids” or “brain balls”? Each has its advantages, but also its drawbacks. Communication of science requires reader-friendly translation of jargon-filled, complex ideas, but it’s crucial that this is done accurately and without misinformed hype. For Stanford researcher Dr. Sergiu Pasca, this challenge is especially relevant. His work developing three-dimensional models of human brain tissue could rile up fears of scientific creations gaining consciousness or even becoming “human.” Pasca’s challenge is shared by scientists in all disciplines, especially where innovation can seem closer to science fiction than reality.

In this episode of the Stanford SciCast, Robel Daniel and Amanda Urke explore the many factors influencing how complicated and often controversial science is conducted, communicated to non-expert audiences, and perceived by the public. Through conversations with Stanford Bioengineering Professor Drew Endy and Stanford science writer Bruce Goldman, Robel and Amanda explore the philosophical basis and limitations of scientific communication and how it is achieved in today’s media. 

Thank you to Drew Endy and Bruce Goldman for sharing their perspectives on science and how it’s communicated and to Jennifer Stonaker for her guidance in producing this podcast. 

          To learn more about Dr. Pasca’s research, visit his lab website at https://www.pascalab.org/ or check out Bruce’s articles: 
• “Scientists generate, track development of myelin-producing brain cells” – Stanford Medicine news center, January 28, 2019: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2019/01/scientists-generate-track-development-of-myelin-producing-cells.html 
• “Brain Balls” – Stanford Medicine blog, Winter 2018:  https://stanmed.stanford.edu/2018winter/lab-grown-brain-balls-could-aid-understanding-of-neurological-diseases.html. 

          For science communication gone wrong, here are the articles mentioned in the podcast: 
• “Brain balls grown from skin cells spark with electricity” – Wired, 2015 https://www.wired.com/2015/05/brain-balls-grown-skin-cells-spark-electricity/ 
• “Scientists brew up the creepiest batches of brain balls yet” – Wired, 2017 https://www.wired.com/2017/04/scientists-brew-creepiest-batches-brain-balls-yet/

Photography credit: Timothy Archibald
Music credit: “Perihelion” by Arvind Ranganathan, used with personal and explicit permission. His current SoundCloud is https://soundcloud.com/vinceranga/tracks, and “Perihelion” was retrieved from his older SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/maestroarvind/tracks.

Stanford SciCast, Season 3

Brain Balls: Effective Science Communication or Misinformed Hype?  by Robel Daniel and Amanda Urke

Sundays at noon ET, on SiriusXM Radio, Channel 124. 
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Host Senator Bill Bradley; Senior Producer Devorah Klahr; Assistant Producer, Christine Whelan