Chemicals are all around us, from the foods we eat to flame retardants in the carpet. But how do we know that they’re safe? In this episode with Dr. Kristin Aillon, we discuss the data that supports public health, whether eliminating risk is possible, and how researchers keep up with an estimated 2,000 new chemicals that are introduced each year.

The majority of synthetic opioid overdose deaths in 2023 were due to one drug – fentanyl. On this episode, we discuss why it’s so potent, the scale of the problem, and how MRIGlobal is helping first responders do their job safely and effectively when putting themselves in harm’s way.

Research scientists are putting CRISPR gene editing to work in agriculture, diagnostics, disease therapeutics, and even in the fight against climate change. Dr. Julie Lucas offers insight into why ensuring its responsible use is critical and how it may help us find new pathogens before they impact human health.

Sleep is an incredibly important process that involves multiple states and stages, each with different functions for health. It is also not a single homogeneous state, but a period that involves the complex interplay of neurotransmitter systems and physiological processes. Dr. Ian Colrain shares his expertise on its complexity and the impacts of sleep deprivation, being a teenager, and even alcohol consumption.

Infectious diseases can emerge from anywhere in the world, and when they do, it's critical that officials are prepared with detection and diagnostic methods for use in environments that have space, time, and resource constraints. Jennifer Stone shares with us how field forward detection and diagnostic devices are developed and their role in providing care to remote communities around the world.

Have you ever swabbed inside your nose and used that sample to help diagnose if you have the flu or COVID-19? Or maybe you peed on a pregnancy test. The technology that makes those and other diagnostic tests like them possible is rooted in chemistry. Dr. Karen Peltier shares with us how the pandemic helped improve access to diagnostics and the chemistry that provides you an accurate diagnosis.

Picture this: a toolkit of standardized genetic components, a canvas of principles borrowed from engineering, and the artistry of constructing biological systems with unprecedented functions. Molecular biologist Richard Winegar, Ph.D., shares expertise on synthetic biology, the diseases it may help defeat, and how it is changing the landscape of diagnostics, biosecurity, and food security.

On the warfront or home front, chemical weapons are a threat. Working with government and commercial customers, we specialize in evaluating equipment to detect, decontaminate, and mitigate these threats. Our Cristina Youngren tells us about her interest in Novichok, what SLUDGEM means, and why it’s so important to do our job well.