How Mice and CRISPR are Reversing Blindness One small step for science, one furry leap for mousekind. Scientists have found a way to reverse a common mutation that causes blindness in both people and mice using gene editing technology. References: In Mouse Study, Scientists Use Gene Editing to Reverse a Major Cause of Blindness | US News Credits: Children's Songs by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians | Internet Archive Three Blind Mice - Beidernecke, Bix | Internet Archive

How Deleted DNA Reveals the Origins of Humanity In 2007, researchers pitted humans against chimpanzees in a memory test competition. Who was the victor of this mental jungle gym? Phoebe Melvin and Dr. Kaylee Byers delve into Yale University research that reveals what DNA humans share with our primate relatives but, more intriguingly, what sets us apart. References: Mankind’s Missing Puzzle Pieces: The “Deleted” Genes That Made Us Human | Yale University Chimps Beat Humans on Memory Tasks |...

How an Oddball Bunny Saved Millions of Lives Can a make-believe tale have real-life consequences? Perhaps a 1930s legend from a snowy town in Wyoming illustrates signals just how the strange things found in nature can become life-saving treatments. References: Are jackalopes real? | Live Science New Research Shows the HPV Cancer Vaccine Saves Lives | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Credits: The Legend Of Bigfoot | Internet Archive (CC) Somewhere In Wyoming 1930 Joe Green Orchestra |...

Meet the Magic of Mushrooms on Colour Blindness Roughly 300 million people have a colour vision deficiency. But with a few mushrooms and some magic, those who experience colourblindness might be able to see a whole range of colors for the first time. References: Magic Mushrooms seem to have a strange effect on color blindness | Science Alert Ishihara test: Color Blind Test | Colormax What is LSD | Science Alert Case report: Prolonged amelioration of mild red-green color vision deficiency...

Indigenous Environmental Stewardship Description: The Indigenous peoples of what’s now known as Western Canada had a relationship of reciprocity with the land. But when explorers from Europe arrived eager to tame the land and absorb its vast natural resources these two world views came to a head. And caught in between an iconic species of the Pacific Northwest—the Gary Oak—has become threatened. So how can we reconcile the harmful assumptions of the past that overlooked other ways of...

Challenging our assumptions about pain When Jackie Gonzalez was just young, doctors assumed that she was pining for attention when she restlessly tried to rub her feet and describing that she was in constant pain. It wasn’t until she was a teenager that doctors and scientists diagnosed her with Erythromelalgia, also known as ‘Man on Fire Syndrome’. It's a rare condition, and even rarer for people to be born with it, like Jackie was. But what if this uncommon ailment could be cured with the...

Challenging our assumptions about sleep Sleep is essential to our lives, but our perception of how it functions in our non-waking life is not always well understood. So in the mires of our busy daily lives do we overlook sleep by seeing it as a means of refilling our energy for a productive day? By questioning this assumption, one term rolls from out of the haze: The ‘Circadian Rhythm’. Dr. Kaylee Byers speaks with Dr. Hiroki Ueda from the University of Tokyo in the Faculty of Medicine on...

Challenging our assumptions on toxins What’s more terrifying than the true life tales of bloodcurdling and breathstopping toxins? This Hallows' Eve we're taking a page from the history books to make sense of puzzling poisons of our past and present. Dr. Kaylee Byers speaks with Toxicologist Dr. Kimberly Garrett as they connect the dots across the globe of some of the most notorious and subtle poisonings in history. From investigating the final words of a disgraced emperor, tragic fates of...

Challenging our assumptions around fatness ShantaQuilette Carter was in her late 30’s when she had her first stroke. It felt like death was lurking over her shoulder. But when her doctor suggests fending it off by using a drug she had never heard of before, a boatload of questions come to the surface. Dr. Kaylee Byers sits down with experts to challenge the everyday assumptions we make about our health and weight. She speaks with professor and journalist Harriet Brown on the fact-finding...

Questioning persistent myths about same-sex behaviour in nature Can we predict who we love from our genetics alone? For LGBT History Month in October, Dr. Kaylee Byers is joined by co-host Dr. Julia Monk to look at what our genes teach us about diverse forms of sexuality and identity. Starting by witnessing a pair of male penguins cozying up, our hosts join flippers to unearth research from naturalists who have recorded same-sex behaviour in the wild. Then they invite socio-geneticist Dr....

Challenging assumptions around food security Is the world running out of bananas? Well, no. Not…yet — but nature is flashing a big, yellow, squishy "caution" sign. In this episode, Dr. Kaylee Byers peels away our assumptions about food security by looking at bananas. Venturing Down Under, we connect with Dr. James Dale from Queensland University of Technology – a bona fide banana expert, who tells us exactly why this iconic yellow fruit could one day become a rarity. But, with the help of a...

Cross-examining the origins of our base pairs One of our most foundational assumptions is that ‘Our DNA is our own.’ But what if our DNA is stolen? There's a puzzling phenomenon called 'horizontal gene transfer' in which one organisms' genetics jumps to another. Dr. Kaylee Byers is joined by invertebrate specialists Dr. Anna Klompen from the Stowers Institute, and Dr. Jessica Goodheart, a marine biologist hunting for nudibranchs, "gene pirates" of the sea. And Dr. Ted Turlings will tell us...

What did your grade four teacher say? "Never Assume. It makes an..." well, you know the rest. We all fall into the trap of our own assumptions from time to time. But in the weird and wonderful world of science, assumptions can misguide research madly off in all directions. That's why challenging assumptions is so important! Join host Dr. Kaylee Byers and the Nice Genes! podcast team on a journey to learn the truth about some of our most deeply held assumptions. We’ll uncover whether our DNA...

How a Reptilian 'Virgin Birth' Baffled Scientists Dr. Kaylee Byers and Producer Phoebe Melvin share one lonely crocodile's story that surprised scientists and sheds light on their distant relatives that once wandered the earth.  Resources: 'Virgin Birth' recorded in Crocodile for 1st time ever | Live Science Monsieur Crocodile - Les 5 Pères | Austin Foundation Crocodile Tears - Eddy Howard and His Orchestra | Austin Foundation

Welcome to our first Gene Shorts Episode! It's the trademark storytelling you love in Nice Genes! but bite sized. In this episode Dr. Kaylee Byers speaks with Producer Phoebe Melvin about a potentially life saving discovery lurking in the damp depths of brown bear caves.

Repairing the Environment: Climate Special Part 2 With disappearing species, plastic-filled oceans, and environmental commitments lagging behind global targets, it's easy to feel like humanity's fate is already sealed. But can we 'science' our way out of it?In this episode, Dr. Kaylee Byers meets up with Dr. Aria Hahn to discuss what she believes could be a handy tool to repair some of the damage that's already been done to the planet. While becoming a scientist, she spotted the incredible...

Tracking diseases using genomics  Stop the presses! New research shows that viruses locked in the Arctic permafrost for thousands of years have the potential to infect present-day organisms. Accompanied with a warming planet, this issue is really starting to thaw out. So what can brave scientists and institutions on the frontlines of tracking diseases do about it? And how can understanding our genomic history with diseases over thousands of years better prepare us in the fight to overcome...

Preparing the Environment: Climate Special Part 1  In part 1 of our climate special, we revisit our oceans to look at the rocky atolls and reefs that are home to colourful world builders, coral!Since the 1950’s the planet has lost half of its coral reefs due to degradation. With ocean temperatures rising and harmful environmental and human activities, how can we better protect essential ecosystems for communities and marine life alike?Dr. Kaylee Byers sits down with Dr. Shayle Matsuda, a...

A genomic whale of a story Things aren’t always what they seem on the surface, especially when it comes to our oceans. So many mysteries hum below its watery surface. So, you may just have to use your ears when it's too dark to see exactly what's going on down there.Dr. Kaylee Byers looks into the ocean giants that lurk in the depths and the unique songs they share with us. She sits down with whale biologist Dr. Jennifer Allen on how whale songs are imparting a cultural exchange between...

The Importance of Biodiversity  Conservation is often about protecting the species that still wander around our Earth. But what about those that once did but have gone extinct? In this Halloween-inspired episode, we take a look into how one spooky idea has gone from science fiction to science fact, de-extinction style.Dr. Kaylee Byers takes us to the upside-down world of wild animals in Australia. She sits down with Dr. Axel Newton whose research addresses how to resurrect a species that has...

Protecting Local Wildlife Icons What do you get when you cross a polar bear and a grizzly… and why should you care?In this episode of Nice Genes!, host Dr. Kaylee Byers and National Geographic explorer Dr. Christine Wilkinson look into the mysterious case of pizzly bears, a rare hybrid between polar bears and grizzlies. Together they speak with Dr. David Paetkau, whose team unravelled this strange genomic crossbreeding after receiving more and more sightings coming from the Arctic Circle. Is...

Species loss, warming temperatures, and pollution are just the tip of the iceberg concerning the challenges of climate change. Oh, and you can forget about that iceberg... because it's melting too. The point is, it's easy to feel down on our luck on this planet we all know and love. But what if we don't have to feel that way?On Season 2 of Nice Genes! we look into the incredible science, bold missions, and brainy ideas that give us hope for the spinning rock we call home. Through tools like...

Solving murder mysteries with genomics[TW: murder, mention of suicide, violent imagery]In order to seek genomic justice, you have to get out of the lab and into the field.Dr. Kaylee Byers grabs a magnifying glass and a deerstalker cap as she goes to the scene of one of North America’s oldest cold case murder mysteries, the “Babes in the Woods.” This over 70-year-old unsolved case has finally had some closure due to emerging forensic genomic science. But while looking for leads, Dr. Byers...

Just like any good superhero comic, we start this episode with the science going incredibly wrong. Think: vats of toxic waste producing evil mutants that ravage the city. Or maybe not so evil. It really depends on your perspective. Just like the X-men, genetic mutations get a bad rap in the public eye. But they aren’t all nasty.Dr. Kaylee Byers speaks with data scientist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Brian Arnold on how the genetic ‘mistakes’ known as variants occasionally encode incredible...