Bonding Over Science
Join the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory for a monthly conversation around scientific questions affecting our daily lives. Bonding Over Science host Dawn Stringer sits down with researchers to unpack the molecular processes involved in climate change, plant growth, biofuels production, and more.
Episodes

Monday Sep 11, 2023
Orchard Recycling: The Alternative to Burning Orchards
Monday Sep 11, 2023
Monday Sep 11, 2023
What happens to orchards when they’ve reached the end of their lifespan and are no longer producing crops? Conventionally, orchards are burned. However, concerns about biomass burning and air quality have led to an alternative practice known as whole orchard recycling. Hear microbiologist Amisha Poret-Peterson talk about how she is using nuclear magnetic resonance at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory to learn about the role and efficiency of microbial nitrogen in soils in whole orchard recycling. Read more about her project in the EMSL feature article.
Read the full transcription of this episode on EMSL's website.

Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
How Artificial Intelligence is Advancing Biological Science
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
On episode six of Bonding Over Science, host Dawn Stringer discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) is helping advance scientific findings for EMSL User Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede and her research on protein folding. Wittung-Stafshede talks about the positive and negative effects of using AI not only in the science world, but in everyday life. What’s your take?
Interested in learning more about this topic? You can read the feature article on this research on the EMSL website and access the full transcription of the podcast.

Friday Jul 07, 2023
Rising Wildfires: What Does It Mean for Our Environment?
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
On episode five of Bonding Over Science, host Dawn Stringer chats with Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Earth System Science Steven Allison about how he uses Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory capabilities to uncover mysteries from the Earth beneath our feet. Allison explains how his research could help us understand severe events, like wildfire patterns, and how they affect soil microbiomes. Allison is researching how well microbial communities respond and rejuvenate when exposed to extreme environmental disturbances like wildfires.
Interested in learning more about this topic? Read the web feature on wildfire research. You can also review the full transcription of the podcast.

Friday Jun 09, 2023
Finding Earth’s Lost History on Mars
Friday Jun 09, 2023
Friday Jun 09, 2023
On episode four of Bonding Over Science, host Dawn Stringer talks to EMSL user Kim Tait, who is using Martian meteorites to determine if the necessary ingredients for life once existed on Mars. Listen to Tait explain how these findings could teach us about our own planet.
Interested in learning more about this topic? Read the web feature on Martian meteorites. You can also access the full transcription of the podcast here.

Monday May 15, 2023
The Muscle of Mussel Feet
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
On episode three of Bonding Over Science, host Dawn Stringer talks to EMSL user Marcus Foston, who is using synthetic biology to create an underwater hydrogel that mimics the strength of mussel foot proteins. Listen to Foston explain how this hydrogel’s powerful adhesive could replace surgical sutures and fix cracked boats.
Interested in learning more about this topic? Read the web feature about mussel feet research. You can also access the full transcription of the podcast here.

Monday Apr 10, 2023
Fungi: Friend or Foe?
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
In this episode of Bonding Over Science, host Dawn Stringer investigates the underground world of fungi. Scott Baker, fungal biotechnology scientist and microbiologist Davinia Salvachúa break down the importance of fungi to the environment. They also dispel fears that fungi could affect humans as depicted in the fictional series, "The Last of Us," and if fungi are our friend or foe. Read a full transcript on the EMSL website.
Interested in learning more about fungi? Read the web feature about EMSL staff and user scientists who are conducting fungal research.

Monday Mar 20, 2023
How Algae Affects Climate and Human Health
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Sit down with Bonding Over Science host Dawn Stringer for a chat with Mickey Rogers, a Linus Pauling Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory. Rogers talks about her research on how algae particles in the atmosphere affect climate and human health. They even venture into the fictional HBO series “The Last of Us” where they compare and dispel similarities between effects of algal blooms to the concepts about a mutant fungus detailed on the show. Should people on the coast be worried about how algal blooms affect their health? Get to know Mickey and her passion for algae. Read the full transcript on the EMSL website.
For more information on Rogers’ research, check out this article.

About EMSL
EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, is a DOE Office of Science national user facility that accelerates scientific discovery and pioneers new capabilities to understand biological and environmental processes across temporal and spatial scales. EMSL leads the scientific community toward a predictive understanding of complex biological and environmental systems to enable sustainable solutions to the nation’s energy and environmental challenges. Learn more at www.emsl.pnnl.gov.
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