Name: Whitehead's David Sabatini discusses mTOR, a protein connecting metabolism, nutrition, and disease by Whitehead Institute
Duration: 10 min 34 s
Description: As a graduate student, Whitehead Member David Sabatini identified mTOR, the keystone molecule in a cellular pathway connecting nutrition, metabolism, and aging. In this episode, he discusses how the molecule was first discovered and what his lab is currently working on, including mTOR's role in cancer, growth, and metabolism.

In this episode, MIT President Sally Kornbluth sits down with associate professor of political science and faculty co-director of MIT-Africa, Mai Hassan. Her work looks at bureaucracy, public administration, and the state in Africa, and more recently, how people mobilize against repressive dictatorships.

Links:
- Mai Hassan: https://maihassan.mit.edu
- MIT-Africa: https://misti.mit.edu/mit-africa
- Regime Threats and State Solutions: https://amazon.com/dp/1108796494

Show notes and transcript:
https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-2-bureaucracies-dictatorships-and-power-africas-people

Join the mailing list or send us feedback:
https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA

The Curiosity Unbounded podcast brings you behind the scenes at MIT through conversations between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and the people working in its labs and in the field. Along the way, Sally and her guests discuss pressing issues, as well as what inspires the people running at the world’s toughest challenges at one of the most innovative institutions on the planet.

Curiosity Unbounded

Curiosity Unbounded, Ep. 2: Bureaucracies, dictatorships, and the power of Africa's people

How do cells decide how long to pause division after they detect errors? Whitehead Institute Member Iain Cheeseman and postdoc Mary Jane Tsang identified that the key player is a previously undiscovered protein that was hiding in plain sight. Our Behind the Science podcast looks at the unexpected nature of this discovery.

Read more about the science at https://wi.mit.edu/news/protein-hidden-plain-sight-helps-cells-time-their-escape.

Credits:
Photo: Kuan Chung Su/ Whitehead Institute
Music:  Coffee or Tea by Michael Ramir C., Mixkit License
Sound effects: Fast wall clock ticking, Cowbell sharp hit, Mixkit License

Behind the Science

Behind the Science: A protein hidden in plain sight

Greg Fournier is an associate professor of geobiology at MIT. Greg’s work focuses on the microbial world, and by studying the evolution of microbes, he and his team further our understanding of the history of life on Earth.

In this episode, MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Fournier discuss fine-tuning our understanding of evolution; lab life and how research surprises often lead to new discoveries; and advice for those just beginning a career in science.

Links:
- Greg Fournier: https://eapsweb.mit.edu/people/g4nier
- Fournier Lab: https://fournierlab.scripts.mit.edu/web
- Craters of the Moon: https://nps.gov/crmo/index.htm
- Wind Cave: https://nps.gov/wica/index.htm
- Permian–Triassic mass extinction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permian%E2%80%93Triassic_extinction_event
- Purgatory Chasm: https://mass.gov/locations/purgatory-chasm-state-reservation
- NASA postdoctoral fellowship: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/directory/fournier-greg/index.html
- Course 1: http://catalog.mit.edu/subjects/1
- EAPS (Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences): https://eapsweb.mit.edu

Show notes and transcript:
https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-3-decoding-tree-life

Join the mailing list or send us feedback:
https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA

The Curiosity Unbounded podcast brings you behind the scenes at MIT through conversations between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and the people working in its labs and in the field. Along the way, Sally and her guests discuss pressing issues, as well as what inspires the people running at the world’s toughest challenges at one of the most innovative institutions on the planet.

Curiosity Unbounded, Ep. 3: Decoding the tree of life

Fadel Adib is an associate professor at the MIT Media Lab and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His work pushes the limits of wireless sensing: to monitor climate change in the oceans; to impact food production, health, and space exploration; and to see through walls.

In this episode, MIT President Sally Kornbluth talks with Adib about his work and how he’s inspired to solve pressing global issues. Along the way, they discuss his belief in the importance of inspiring others and democratizing advanced tools and technologies, as well as his early life in Lebanon and his family-held belief that education has the power to change lives.

Links:
- Fadel Adib: https://www.mit.edu/~fadel/
- The Big Bang Theory episode: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-7hJsis-Kpg
- Emerald Innovations: https://emeraldinno.com
- Signal Kinetics group: https://signal-kinetics.media.mit.edu
- Cartesian Systems: https://cartesian.systems
- MIT 100k Entrepreneurship Competition: https://mit100k.org
- Sensea: https://sensea.ai

Timestamps:
01:38 - The superpower question
07:48 - Detecting emotions through walls and The Big Bang Theory episode
09:00 - Ocean work and implications for aquaculture, climate change, and space exploration
17:50 - Early life in Lebanon
21:10 - Democratization of technology
25:52 - Family and the importance of education
28:26 - Local impact
29:24 - Public education through videos

Show notes and transcript:
https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-4-build-your-own-superpower-then-share-it-world

Join the mailing list or send us feedback:
https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA

The Curiosity Unbounded podcast brings you behind the scenes at MIT through conversations between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and the people working in its labs and in the field. Along the way, Sally and her guests discuss pressing issues, as well as what inspires the people running at the world’s toughest challenges at one of the most innovative institutions on the planet.

Curiosity Unbounded, Ep. 4: Build your own superpower, then share it with the world

Joshua Bennett is a professor of literature and distinguished chair of the humanities at MIT. Additionally, he is an accomplished spoken word artist, and author of several books. Here, he speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the power of words, the beauty of quiet things, and about the value in learning for its own sake. Plus, we hear him perform his poetry.

Links:
- drjoshuabennett.com: https://drjoshuabennett.com
- Tamara's Opus: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_U5BwD8zOeM
- Reading Poetry: Social Poetics: https://lit.mit.edu/academics/subject-offerings/?semester=spring+2023#21L.004-56361
- Minor Notes: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/702769/minor-notes-volume-1-by-edited-with-an-introduction-by-joshua-bennett-and-jesse-mccarthy-foreword-by-tracy-k-smith
- African Diaspora Studies program: https://shass.mit.edu/undergraduate/interdisciplinary/majors/african

Timestamps:
08:38 - On AI
13:40 - The benefits and joy of learning for its own sake
20:01 - The distinction between poetry on the page and on the stage

Show notes and transcript:
https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-5-beyond-words

Join the mailing list or send us feedback:
https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA

The Curiosity Unbounded podcast brings you behind the scenes at MIT through conversations between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and the people working in its labs and in the field. Along the way, Sally and her guests discuss pressing issues, as well as what inspires the people running at the world’s toughest challenges at one of the most innovative institutions on the planet.

Curiosity Unbounded, Ep. 5: Beyond words

Ellen Roche is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and the associate head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. Her research team develops new devices and therapeutic strategies for repairing the heart and other tissues. Here, she speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about her work, the advantages of taking a nonlinear route to one’s chosen career, and the importance of saying "yes" to unexpected opportunities.

Links:
- Ellen Roche: https://meche.mit.edu/people/faculty/etr@mit.edu
- Therapeutic Technology Design and Development Lab: https://ttdd.mit.edu
- Video: Patient-specific, 3D-printed, soft-robotic hearts: https://youtube.com/watch?v=52qNGqBbTQA
- Dassault Systèmes: https://3ds.com/3dexperience
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science: https://imes.mit.edu

Timestamps:
03:35 - Potential for 3D-printing hearts 
08:14 - Hydrogels
17:33 - On AI

Show notes and transcript:
https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-6-healing-ailing-heart 

Join the mailing list or send us feedback:
https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA

The Curiosity Unbounded podcast brings you behind the scenes at MIT through conversations between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and the people working in its labs and in the field. Along the way, Sally and her guests discuss pressing issues, as well as what inspires the people running at the world’s toughest challenges at one of the most innovative institutions on the planet.

Curiosity Unbounded, Ep. 6: Healing the ailing heart

Skylar Tibbits is a designer and computer scientist whose research focuses on self-assembling and programmable materials, and 3D and 4D printing. He is the founder of the MIT Self-Assembly Lab. Here, Skylar speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the inspiration for his lab’s projects, why design at MIT is unique, and the magic in combining the creative with the technical. 

The Curiosity Unbounded podcast brings you behind the scenes at MIT through conversations between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and the people working in its labs and in the field. Along the way, Sally and her guests discuss pressing issues, as well as what inspires the people running at the world’s toughest challenges at one of the most innovative institutions on the planet.

Episode show notes and transcript: https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-7-staying-radical-and-relevant

Curiosity Unbounded, Episode 7: Staying radical and relevant

In this episode of AudioHelicase, we sit down with three Whitehead Institute researchers driving breakthroughs in disease treatment. Join us as we explore some of the toughest challenges they're overcoming to move transformative therapies from the lab bench to your medicine cabinet.

Credits:
Interviews, production, and hosting by Shafaq Zia.

Music and sound effects:
Crescent Bloom by Kai Engel (CC BY-NC 4.0)
OBJPlls-INT_Pills Rattling by Alessia Pultrone (CC  BY-NC  4.0)
Asthma Inhaler — Sprayed/ Dispensed 2 times by MutilatorBCB (CC0  1.0)
Velcro 7 by CassieTee (CC  BY-NC  3.0)

Illustration: DrawImpacts

AudioHelicase

AudioHelicase Special: How foundational research takes medicines from lab to shelf

Namrata Kala is an associate professor in applied economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She studies the value of employee training and incentives, how communities adapt to environmental change and regulation, and the returns on environmental technology investment. Here, Namrata speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the importance of soft skills training, and the benefits of being a straight shooter.

Show notes and transcript: https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-8-hard-facts-soft-skills

The Curiosity Unbounded podcast brings you behind the scenes at MIT through conversations between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and the people working in its labs and in the field. Along the way, Sally and her guests discuss pressing issues, as well as what inspires the people running at the world’s toughest challenges at one of the most innovative institutions on the planet.

Curiosity Unbounded, Episode 8: Hard facts on soft skills

As a graduate student, Whitehead Member David Sabatini identified mTOR, the keystone molecule in a cellular pathway connecting nutrition, metabolism, and aging. In this episode, he discusses how the molecule was first discovered and what his lab is currently working on, including mTOR's role in cancer, growth, and metabolism.

Whitehead's David Sabatini discusses mTOR, a protein connecting metabolism, nutrition, and disease

AudioHelicase podcast unwinds the science and the people behind some of Whitehead Institute’s most exciting discoveries

Whitehead's David Sabatini discusses mTOR, a protein connecting metabolism, nutrition, and disease

Whitehead Institute

Related tracks