In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about what dark energy and dark matter are made out of and how knowing more could upend our understanding of the Big Bang. Then we cover microchimeric cells — cells transferred between baby and mom — and how new research in mice shows that fetal cells that took residency in mom from a first pregnancy are replaced by new fetal cells of a second pregnancy.

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In December 2017, the FDA approved a new injectable drug to treat type 2 diabetes called semaglutide, which you likely know by its brand name: Ozempic. A few years later, during the pandemic, Wegovy, a drug with a higher dose of the same active ingredient, was approved specifically for chronic weight management. Soon after, people taking Ozempic started reporting a dramatic, even “life-changing” weight loss. Ozempic is now a bona fide blockbuster. So what’s the science behind these “wonder drugs” that apparently 1 in 10 of us could end up using? They have the potential to have so many positive effects on our lives, from treating Alzheimer’s disease and addiction to changing our relationship with consumption but, like with most things, they also come with risks.

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In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we hear from a listener who has Marfan syndrome and dive into the complexities of the disease. Then we talk about pathogens that eat — or infiltrate! — plant DNA.

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Over the last 200 years or so, vaccines have come a long way, for a number of viruses. We’ve made so much progress, in fact, that in 2017 scientists began the early stages of vaccine development for some virus families they believed could pose a future pandemic threat. One of those families was Coronaviridae: coronaviruses. Not many people know that before SARS-CoV-2 started making its way into people in 2019, there was already a project underway in the U.S. to create a vaccine for a looming coronavirus (we didn't!), but even that would not have been possible without the decades of vaccine and drug research that came before it, particularly for HIV.

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In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we break down what limits on anesthesia could mean, both for doctors and patients. Then we hear from a listener who’s on a research trip in Puerto Rico and went kayaking in a bioluminescent bay. What is bioluminescence? And what are the perfect conditions to try to see it?

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Check out this Journey to the Microcosmos video, "The Algae That Saved an Astronaut's Life"

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The placenta is essential for life, but so much of its function is unknown. In this episode, we talk about how this disposable organ’s development within the early weeks of pregnancy shapes so much of what happens months later. We tackle what makes the human placenta so unique, what other animals like reptiles are teaching us about it, and how scientists are turning to evolution and computer models to see if we can better understand it.

Check out the IVF episode of Tiny Matters.

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In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we hear from a listener about her incredible grandma who’s a pharmacist in Venezuela (still, at 92 years old!) and has inspired her love of science and current lab work. We then talk about orcas spotted wearing dead salmon as hats, and what this fishy behavior may mean.

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The reason many of us hear about glaciers has to do with sea level rise — which makes sense! If all of the glaciers on Earth melted, sea levels are predicted to increase by about 230 feet (70 meters), which would flood coastal areas, envelope a number of islands, and seriously impact human infrastructure, including our current water resources. But glaciers do more than safeguard Earth’s future — buried within them is our ancient past. In January of this year, a team of scientists drilled nearly 2 miles down into an Antarctic glacier. The 1.7 mile long cylinder of ice they pulled up, called an ice core, holds the equivalent of 1.2 million years of climate history. In this episode of Tiny Matters, we talk about what glaciers mean to us today, their importance for the future of our planet, and what they tell us about Earth’s ancient past.

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