Pain. It comes in many forms: physical and emotional. But do we really understand it?

This episode will attempt to answer fundamental questions about what pain is, how it is experienced, and why it is such a critical aspect of human existence.

We speak with Prof Jeff Mogil to discuss sex differences in pain. His work has been influential in promoting the inclusion of both sexes in pain research, ensuring that treatments and pain management strategies are more effective for everyone. We are also joined by Steve Ruston, CEO of Persica, to discuss non-opioid intradiscal injection to treat chronic low back pain caused by bacterial infection.

Show notes

Nanoparticle gel could help save degraded coral reefs

Plants struggled for millions of years after the world's worst climate catastrophe

Today, we're diving into a topic that's not just reshaping the world of vaccines—it's flipping it on its head. We're exploring the cutting-edge realm of inverse vaccines with Prof Lawrence Steinman and how they're revolutionizing the approach to treating autoimmune diseases. Plus, we'll chat with CancerVax, who are using the immune system in a radically different way, aiming to make it attack cancer cells just like it would fight off a virus like measles.

Ever wonder what happens to your body when you leave Earth behind? In this gravity-defying episode, we launch into the weird, wild world of human biology in space. From the first C. elegans in space to the NASA Twins Study to future deep space missions, we have a lot to discuss. Strap in as we float through the science of space adaptation. Spoiler: space may teach us about our Earth-bound health.

Show notes

• Deane, Colleen S, et al. (2023) Comparative analysis of muscle atrophy during spaceflight, nutritional deficiency and disuse in the nematode caenorhabditis elegans. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24 (16), [12640].

• Francine E. Garrett-Bakelman et al. (2019) The NASA Twins Study: A multidimensional analysis of a year-long human spaceflight. Science, 364 (8650).

• Bokhari RS, et al. (2022) Looking on the horizon; potential and unique approaches to developing radiation countermeasures for deep space travel. Life Sci Space Res (Amst), 35 (105-112).

• Glavin, D.P., et al. (2025) Abundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu. Nat Astron 9 (199–210).

• Eyting, M., et al. (2025) A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia. Nature.