Episodes
Monday Feb 10, 2020
WSS S4E10: Will you be my Valentine?
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Amanda Moehring and Geoff Wild join Western Science Speaks to discuss mating, courtship, and everything you need to know about love.
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
WSS S4E4: The Rise of Fish Farming in Canada
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
Dr. Bryan Neff from the Department of Biology joins the podcast to discuss the rise of sustainable fish farming in Canada, why we’re hesitant to eat genetically modified food, and his research in restoring salmon to Canadian lakes.
Thursday Sep 19, 2019
WSS S4E3: Back to square one: The role of metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease
Thursday Sep 19, 2019
Thursday Sep 19, 2019
Evidence suggests that metabolism is connected to Alzheimer's disease. In fact, lifestyle habits contribute to your susceptibility of getting Alzheimer’s. But exactly how remains a mystery. Robert Cumming and his lab research how age-dependent alterations in brain metabolism affect memory and contribute to neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Thursday Jan 24, 2019
WSS S3E9: The Physics of Cancer
Thursday Jan 24, 2019
Thursday Jan 24, 2019
We all know someone who has or is suffering from cancer. This week on Western Science speaks, Dr. Eugene Wong, a medical physicist at Western University, tells us about the wide variety of imaging technologies he uses to better understand the contexts in which cancerous tumors grow.
Thursday Oct 18, 2018
WSS S3E4: Nice Guys Finish Last ... Or Do They?
Thursday Oct 18, 2018
Thursday Oct 18, 2018
On this episode of the Western Science Speaks podcast we explore why attributes such as kindness and selflessness have triumphed over some less altruistic traits in evolution. Geoff Wild from the Department of Applied Mathematics stops by the podcast for a discussion ranging from the evolutionary benefits of "niceness" to how to the incorporation of social media into our daily lives has changed our perceptions of one another.
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
WSS S3E3: Breaking the Code: The Adaptive Capabilities of DNA
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
DNA is our biological signature. If our DNA changes, naturally so do we. So what causes these changes? Listen to this episode of Western Science Speaks to have Kathleen Hill from the Department of Biology break down how DNA is the thread that joins us to our ancestors, plus a conversation about the biological impacts of modern life.
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
WSS S2E5: The Genetic Basis for Courtship and Mating Behaviour with Amanda Moehring
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Meeting someone special is an undeniably worthwhile and necessary part of life. Unfortunately, it can often be awkward, flustering and at the worst of times, cringe-inducing. Determining how much of our success (or failure) in that domain is dictated by free will, rather than deep-rooted peculiarities is a question that fascinates researchers of behaviour. Amanda Moehring, from the Department of Biology, joins the podcast to break down the role genetics play in our courtship and mating process.
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
WSS S2E3: Genetics and Social Behaviour with Dr Anne Simon
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Western students, professors and staff create a social community of over 30,000 people on Western's campus every day. Understanding why we are comfortable or not in these social spaces is a topic of great importance for behavioural researchers. Western Science Speaks sits down with Dr Anne Simon of Western’s Department of Biology, to explore the role genetics in the social behaviour of living things.