Topic
DNA
Episodes and research papers from From First Principles that help explain DNA from the ground up.
Episodes
Conversations and explainers connected to DNA.
New Rules For Heredity (Non-Mendelian Inheritance of Epigenetics)
A new mouse genetics paper suggests that non-Mendelian epigenetic inheritance may be more common in mammals than previously thought.
The Race to the Double Helix — Watson, Crick, Franklin & the Real Story of DNA
A single-story deep dive on DNA's discovery and its moral baggage.
Research
Papers and studies featured by the show.
STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL NATURE OF THE SUBSTANCE INDUCING TRANSFORMATION OF PNEUMOCOCCAL TYPES
Imagine you have two types of bacteria - one harmless and one deadly. Scientists found they could take a mysterious substance from the deadly bacteria and use it to transform the harmless bacteria into the deadly type. It was like giving the harmless bacteria a "recipe" that completely changed what they were. The big question was: what was this transforming substance? Most scientists thought it had to be protein (the body's workhorses), but Avery and his team proved it was actually DNA - the molecule we now know carries all genetic instructions for life. Think of it like discovering that the "instruction manual" for life was written in a completely different language than everyone expected.