The Interactome

Episode 40: The Sound of Science

What plays in your head when you hear “DNA?” Amir Bitran, postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley AND classical musician, joins Maia, Sam, and Joe to discuss how he composes science-inspired music! Tune in for our joint analysis and play-by-play of excerpts from his piece “When DNA Makes Loops,” and a lively discussion about inspiration, accessibility, the parallels between science and classical music, and the beauty in both. Additionally, we pause a few times to listen to When DNA Makes Loops throughout the episode. Below is a list of the segments of the piece we listen to at each pause. Segment 1: 0:00 - 0:45 Segment 2: 1:08 - 1:40 Segment 3: 2:21 - 3:05 Segment 4: 9:28 - End Links: When DNA Makes Loops: https://soundcloud.com/amir-bitran/when-dna-makes-loops More about Amir’s science and compositions: https://www.amirbitran.com/ The Inner Life of the Cell: https://youtu.be/wJyUtbn0O5Y?si=ja_DqzKIvir59MiR Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:22 Meet Amir! 14:14 What draws Amir to classical music? 23:07 What is science inspired music? 31:02 Segment 1 40:08 Segment 2 45:18 Segment 3 51:59 Segment 4 1:06:15 Outro

Episode 39: Hurricane Season

Note: This episode was recorded on September 17, 2025. When you think of meteorology, you probably think of someone giving a weather forecast on TV. But predicting the weather requires a whole team of scientists, from those who run simulations in labs to researchers on boats, and even a few who fly planes into storms to get measurements up close. In this episode, we invite Colorado State University graduate student Delián Colón-Burgos to teach us all about forecasting hurricanes. She guides us through the field of hurricane meteorology, from what a hurricane is to how scientists are updating forecasting models to reflect our changing seas. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:23 Introducing Delián! 3:08 What is a Meteorologist? 6:42 Seasonal Forecasting 8:26 How do hurricanes get named? 10:06 Delián's Origin Story 13:32 Defining a Hurricane 24:26 How are storms forecast? 32:13 Delián's work 43:57 Predictions going into hurricane season 49:13 "The Calm Before the Storm" 52:17 Effects of climate change on hurricanes 54:35 Closing thoughts 58:33 Outro

Episode 38: Process Engineering

Have you ever wondered how new medications go from being a research project to being safely used in hospitals and clinics around the world? In this episode of the Interactome, host Sam talks about their work on technical challenges in the field of process development. From the different types of therapeutic molecules to how horseshoe crabs keep patients safe, this episode covers many of the steps on the path between a potential medication working in a petri dish to saving lives. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:58 Biotherapeutics vs Small Molecule 13:52 Research Process Lines 20:24 Research Grade Pharmaceuticals vs Pharmaceutical Grade 25:22 Upstream and Downstream 28:47 Suspension vs Adherence of Cells 40:25 Soap 42:14 How do you Know if it's Safe for a Person? 49:57 Clinical Trials 59:50 Getting the Drug into the Person 1:19:59 Conclusion

Episode 37: Epigenetics

The age old nature vs. nurture question is complicated, especially when genetics are involved. On this episode, we dive into the concept of “epigenetics,” which translates to “above the genome.” Joe, Sam and Natalie cover how your environment can play a role in how your genes are expressed, how you can have different kinds of cells from the same DNA, and … jello? You’ll walk away with an understanding of why your DNA is a lot more like a cook book than you think. Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:04 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck 6:19 Licking Rats 9:55 Nature vs Nurture 14:22 The Need for Epigentics 20:36 The Mechanisms of Epigenetics 40:52 Licking Rats Part 2 55:21 Outro

Episode 36: Noninvasive Neuroengineering

The human brain is arguably the most complex organ in the body - and its hard to do experiments on it in a lab setting without invasive tools like electrodes and injections in the brain itself. But what if we had less invasive tools for understanding the brain in the lab? Join Sarah and Joe as they talk with Schuyler, an MD-PhD candidate, about the wild world of non-invasive neuroengineering... and Dungeons & Dragons! Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com Szablowski Lab: https://www.szablowskilab.org/ Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:09 Meet Schuyler! 5:25 What is an MSTP? 7:00 What does everyone do for fun? 14:00 Breaking down Noninvasive Neural Engineering 30:34 When will these techniques be used in clinical trial? 32:58 Acoustically Targeted Chemo Genetics 51:25 Can this be applied to space medicine? 1:01:48 Outro