Running time: 1:27:52

Download MP3 file

Please install Flash to use the web based podcast player.

Subscribe... ----------------------------------- iTunes Google Zune Other podcast clients (pcast:// compatible) RSS

Host: Marc Pelletier

Guest: Dr. Ron Evans, Professor and the March of Dimes Chair in Molecular and Developmental Biology, Salk Institute.

In this episode, Dr. Evans talks about science in a very pure sense and explains his approach to asking the right questions. This can truly make or break a scientist. He also talks about the great experience and people he has met while working at the Salk Institute, his pioneering work on cloning the growth hormone gene, and lastly, how his discoveries have led to the engineering the Marathon Mouse -the first example of the metabolic engineering of endurance.

Imagine having the conditioning and fat burning metabolism of a long distance runner without exercise (or for those that can't exercise), or on the other side the coin, being able to run long distances without prior training... Most importantly here, the Marathon Mouse provides proof-of-concept that metabolism can be controlled, and the potential medical benefits seem almost countless.

Some interesting links:

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Life in the lab
'Exercise Pill'

Our two books of the week are My Life with the Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall AND The Genome War: How Craig Venter Tried to Capture the Code of Life and Save the World by James Shreeve. For your free audio book visit Audible.com/Biotech.

Thanks to Cachefly for providing the bandwidth for this netcast.

Also thanks to Philippe Pelletier and Will Hall for the great opening and closing themes AND