EPISODE 13: Hit and Run – How C. elegans Escapes Danger with Tyramine Power
How does a tiny worm coordinate complex escape behaviour? In this episode, we dive into how the neurotransmitter tyramine triggers rapid, coordinated escape in Caenorhabditis elegans. Researchers unco...
14 Touko 202517min
EPISODE 12: Grow Fast, Grow Smart – How Worms Keep Their Size in Check
Why don’t fast-growing worms end up giants and slow ones stay tiny? In this episode, we explore how Caenorhabditis elegans uses a clever trick: coupling growth rate with developmental speed to keep bo...
7 Touko 202522min
EPISODE 11: Slip the Noose – How C. elegans Dodges Deadly Fungal Traps
In this episode, we explore a real-world predator–prey arms race: how Caenorhabditis elegans uses its anterior touch response to escape predacious fungi. Species like Drechslerella doedycoides use con...
30 Huhti 202514min
EPISODE 10: Self or Snack? Peptide-Mediated Kin Recognition in Pristionchus pacificus
How do predatory nematodes avoid cannibalising their own offspring? In this episode, we explore a remarkable study that uncovers a peptide-based self-recognition system in Pristionchus pacificus. This...
23 Huhti 202516min
EPISODE 9: Divergent Diets, Divergent Defences – Intestinal Evolution in C. elegans and P. pacificus
How does a nematode’s feeding strategy shape its gut biology and disease resistance? In this episode, we explore a comparative gut transcriptomics study of Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus paci...
16 Huhti 202515min
EPISODE 8: Smart Polymers for Smarter Drug Delivery – From Glycerol to Nanocarriers
In this episode, we explore the next generation of polymeric drug carriers, made from sustainably sourced glycerol and diglycerol. Researchers are replacing traditional PEGylated polymers with innovat...
9 Huhti 202524min
EPISODE 7: Bright Polymers – Tracking Drug Delivery with Fluorescent PLGA Nanoparticles
Tracking drug delivery inside cells is a challenge when the drug carrier itself is invisible. In this episode, we discuss a breakthrough in polymer science: the creation of fluorescent poly(lactic-co-...
2 Huhti 202517min
EPISODE 6: Bloodthirsty Worms – Haematophagic Caenorhabditis elegans and Vaccine Discovery
Can a normally bacteria-feeding nematode become a blood-feeder? In this episode, we dive into the surprising world of haematophagic Caenorhabditis elegans — worms that can consume human blood. This re...
26 Maalis 20259min
