TWiV 203: Mark Challberg, a cold room kind of guy

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Created on Tuesday, 16 October 2012 00:50

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Mark Challberg

Vincent and Rich meet up with Mark Challberg to talk about his scientific career studying viral DNA replication, and his transition to an NIH Program Officer.

Right-click to download TWiV 203 (69 MB .mp3, 96 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• Purification of vaccinia virus DNA polymerase (J Biol Chem)
• Adenovirus DNA replication in vitro (PNAS)
• Herpes simplex viral genes required for DNA synthesis (J Virol)
• Letters read on TWiV 203

Weekly Science Picks

Rich - Mattel Hot Wheels Curiosity Rover
Vincent - Should H5N1 Moratorium End?

Listener Pick of the Week

Claudio - DIY lab equipment (Ars Technica) and DIY Bio

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV 202: Huskers go viral

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Created on Sunday, 07 October 2012 17:42

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, T. Jack Morris, James Van Etten, and Charles Wood

Vincent travels to the University of Nebraska to meet with members of the Nebraska Center for Virology and discuss their work on algal viruses, plant viruses, HIV and Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus.

Right-click to download TWiV 202 (52 MB .mp3, 72 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• The Nebraska Center for Viology
• Behind the scenes at TWiV 202
• TWiV on Facebook

Weekly Science Picks

Charles - Rhabdovirus associated with hemorrhagic fever (PLoS Path)
Vincent - Bacteriophage graffiti (jpg)

Listener Pick of the Week

Bob - Remembering Penny Pinneo
Janet - Penn and Teller on vaccinations (YouTube)

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV 201: Rabid about viruses

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Created on Sunday, 30 September 2012 16:24

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Dickson Despommier, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Alan, Rich, Dickson, and Kathy answer reader email about rabies, xenotransplantation, poliovirus, Ph.D. programs, mosquitoes, and much more.

Right-click to download TWiV 201 (90 MB .mp3, 125 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• Mattias Schnell
• Novel rhabdovirus from Africa (Plos Path)
• Milwaukee protocol (Wikipedia)
• How lethal is rabies virus? (virology blog)
• Issues with polio eradication (J Gen Virol)
• Vaccine-derived polioviruses (J Inf Dis)
• Global pandemics with Hidde Ploegh (Vimeo)
• Polio vs Bin Laden (Alan Dove)
• Letters read on TWiV 201

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Wallace Online
Rich - World Rabies Day
Kathy - Yo-yos in space
Dickson - The Art in Science
Vincent - The Podcasters Studio

Listener Pick of the Week

Wink - DuckDuckGo
Josh - Introduction to Solid State Chemistry

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV 200: Threading the NEIDL

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Created on Sunday, 23 September 2012 16:18

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Elke Mühlberger, Paul Duprex, and Ron Corley

Vincent, Alan, and Rich celebrate the 200th episode of TWiV by visiting the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories at Boston University Medical Center, where they meet with Elke, Paul, and Ron to talk about building and working in a BSL4 facility.

Right-click to download TWiV 200 (72 MB .mp3, 100 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• The NEIDL
• NEIDL goes public (BU Today)
• Biosafety levels (Wikipedia)
• Select agents (Wikipedia)
• NEIDL stalled (Boston Business J)
• TWiV on Facebook
• Letters read on TWiV 200
• Behind the scenes at TWiV 200
• Video of this episode - view below

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Dance your Ph.D.
Rich - Angel of Death by Gareth Williams
Vincent - Why herpesvirus is good for you (Virgin lab)

Listener Pick of the Week

Luis - VBORNET maps

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV Special: A paradigm for pathogen de-discovery

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Created on Tuesday, 18 September 2012 21:23

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and W. Ian Lipkin

Vincent and Ian review a multicenter blinded analysis which finds no association between chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis and XMRV or polytropic murine leukemia virus.

Right-click to download TWiV Special XMRV (53 MB .mp3, 44 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• Multicenter blinded analysis of CFS and XMRV/pMLV (mBio)
• Press release on multicenter study (pdf)
• Press conference webcast
• TWiV on Facebook

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV 199: Of mice, ticks, and pigs

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Created on Sunday, 16 September 2012 13:01

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Alan, Rich, and Kathy discuss recent outbreaks of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Yosemite National Park and novel swine-origin influenza in the US midwest, and isolation of the Heartland virus from two patients in Missouri with severe febrile illness.

Right-click to download TWiV 199 (73 MB .mp3, 101 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• Hantavirus outbreak in Yosemite (ProMedMail)
• Hantavirus in Yosemite (CDC)
• CDC page on hantavirus
• Summary of hantavirus outbreak (Avian Flu Diary)
• Swine-origin influenza outbreak in midwest (MMWR)
• Lyn Finelli interview on swine-origin H3N2 (Microbeworld)
• Transmission of vH3N2 in ferrets (PNAS)
• New phlebovirus from Missouri (NEJM)
• TWiV on Facebook
• Letters read on TWiV 199

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Insane in the Chromatophores (Vimeo)
Rich - Golden Goose Awards
Kathy - Euler's Disk (YouTube)
Vincent - Ignorance: How it Drives Science by Stuart Firestein

Listener Pick of the Week

Adam - Leigh Van Valen

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV 198: Pox has got a squeeze-box, seals are gonna sneeze all night

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Created on Tuesday, 04 September 2012 16:36

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Alan, Rich, and Kathy review fatal avian influenza virus in harbor seals, and poxvirus deployment of genomic accordions to counter antiviral defenses.

Right-click to download TWiV 198 (71 MB .mp3, 99 minutes).

There once was a virus named pox
Whose genome contained a squeeze-box
When placed under pressure
It expanded its measure
Overcoming the new cellular blocks

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• Avian influenza virus in harbor seals (mBio)
• Poxvirus genomic accordions (Cell)
• Red Queen hypothesis (Wikipedia)
• Squeeze box (The Who)
• TWiV on Facebook
• Letters read on TWiV 198

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Getting Better: 200 Years of Medicine
Rich - Khan Academy
Kathy - Vi Hart
Vincent - Tweet Keeper

Listener Pick of the Week

Diane - The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Stephen - Amateur Micrography

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV 197: Cloning HeLa cells with Professor Philip I. Marcus

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Created on Monday, 27 August 2012 21:23

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Philip I. Marcus

Vincent travels to the University of Connecticut to meet up with Professor Philip I. Marcus to discuss his development of the single cell cloning technique in the early 1950s.

Right-click to download TWiV 197 (51 MB .mp3, 71 minutes).

Watch the Video for TWiV197

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• Cloning with X-irradiated feeder cells (PNAS)
• Philip I. Marcus in the lab (jpg)
• Cloning with capillary tubes (jpg)
• Cloning platform (jpg)
• VRR holding 1950s glass plate of clones (jpg)
• HeLa clones (jpg)
• Cloning cylinder (jpg)
• TWiV on Facebook

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV 196: An arena for snakes

Details

Created on Monday, 20 August 2012 15:27

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Dickson Despommier, Kathy Spindler, Mark Stenglein, and Joseph DeRisi

The TWiVites meet with Mark Stenglein and Joseph DeRisi to discuss their discovery of a novel arenavirus in snakes with inclusion body disease.

Right-click to download TWiV 196 (77 MB .mp3,  107 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes, at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• Highly divergent arenaviruses in snakes (mBio)
• Taryn's sick snake (NPR)
• Assemblathon
• Faculty position in virology, Columbia U.
• Petridish.org
• TWiV on Facebook
• Letters read on TWiV 196

Weekly Science Picks

Mark - The Slow Mo Guys (Fly eats fly)
Dickson - I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor by Shel Silverstein
Alan - MMWR: First 30 years online
Rich - Giant python in Everglades and California Academy of Sciences
Kathy - Darwin finch genome sequence
Vincent - Microbiology at Mt. Sinai

Listener Pick of the Week

Renato - Security Now podcast
Robin - The Weather
Chad - Rare protozoan from sludge (ScienceDaily)

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

 

TWiV 195: They did it in the hot tub

Details

Created on Monday, 13 August 2012 02:08

Written by Vincent Racaniello

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Dickson Despommier, and Ken Stedman

The complete TWiV team meets with Ken Stedman to discuss the discovery in Boiling Spring Lake of a DNA virus with the capsid of an RNA virus.

Right-click to download TWiV 195 (77 MB .mp3, 107 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• Novel virus from an extreme environment (Biol Direct, virology blog)
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Tombusviridae, Circoviridae (ViralZone)
• TWiV on Facebook
• Letters read on TWiV 195

Weekly Science Picks

Ken - The Edge of Life trailer and Facebook page
Dickson - The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint by Edward Tufte
Alan - SEMs of insects and spiders via Steve Gschmeissner
Rich - Curiosity Has Landed (Wiki mission summary)
Vincent - Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror (YouTube)

Listener Pick of the Week

Lance - The Vaccine Confidence Project and Immune response video (YouTube)
Anat - Beautiful Science

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.