It's a new podcast episode! This is the first episode that we've got Dorea Reeser as the newest permanent co-host of the podcast.

In this episode we're interviewing Sam about his Masters thesis. He studied protein stabilization using polyethylene glycol (PEG).

ENJOY!




2:30 - A general introduction to proteins and amino acids. Complete with the start of an analogy by Sam. Comment below if you can finish the analogy for him.

4:00 - Sam's thesis title: "Investigation into the effects of PEGylation on the thermodynamic stability of the WW domain". We discuss what thermodynamic stability means, what PEGylation means, and how both of these ideas apply to protein therapeutics (using insulin as an example).

18:00 - How does Sam make his proteins? (Hint: Sam does it the hard way)

20:00 - Chad asks a synthetic question. Chad's children join in with their questions about synthetic chemistry.

25:00 - What are the big objectives of Sam's research?

28:00 - "30 Seconds of Jargon" a new feature for the podcast. We give our guest 30 seconds - and only 30 seconds - to explain their research with all the jargon they can muster.

30:00 - The Fortnightly Scientist: Primo Levi