Inside your chest, a bootcamp is pumping out trained killers (and it’s called the thymus)

Meet your new favorite organ, the thymus. Scientists have since discovered a whole world within this little wad of tissue in your chest – a complex system that trains and equips some of your body's most important fighters against disease. Jarrod Dudakov, professor of immunology at the Fred Hutchin…

One speck of brain, half a billion connections: Creating the world's most detailed brain map

A full wiring diagram of the brain could show how its different parts work together, and it could potentially reveal new insights into diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Gabe visits the electron microscopy connectomics project at Seattle’s Allen Institute, and learns how they are using AI t…

The dark matter of dirt: Why the physics of mud are so mysterious

Mud is everywhere…under our shoes, our buildings, our crops. How it behaves affects where we can build, what we can grow and the shape of the land itself. But on a microscopic level we barely understand why it does what it does. Gabriel heads out with mud expert Kendall Valentine who gets ankle-dee…

When worlds collide: A cosmic detective story

When you look up at the night sky, it’s easy to think of it as static and permanent, like the stars are painted on up there and never change. But if you look really carefully, sometimes you can catch something dramatic unfolding. Andy Tzanidakis is a PhD candidate in astronomy at the University of …

Gene therapy in a syringe: simplifying life-saving cures for millions

Scientists have learned how to edit DNA and reprogram cells to fix a mutation and fight diseases. But the process requires a lab, is expensive and involves rounds of chemotherapy that are  grueling for the patient. But Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem is working on a new technology with the goal of delivering t…

Peeing jellyfish while confronting mortality: The power of psychedelics at the end of life

Therapy with psychedelic drugs has shown remarkable promise in treating depression, PTSD and the terminally ill. But scientists are still unsure how it works – why going on a single psychedelic journey could help to rewire a person’s brain. Dr. Anthony Back is an oncologist who found his way to thi…

An evolutionary arms race

Our immune systems have evolved to overcome all kinds of flus, plagues and poxes, but the process of adaptation is slow. Harmit Malik is a Professor and Associate Director of the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutch. He is part of a team that is working on a way to put evolution into overdrive to …

These frozen moons are not dead

Moons get no respect. People think of them as dead and cold, often overshadowed (literally) by the superstar planets they orbit around. But planetary scientist Baptiste Journaux would disagree. He’s fascinated by moons and the growing research that has shown that moons are far more active than we u…

Introducing Pocket Science, coming July 6

Discovery is happening all around Seattle… if you know where to look. On Pocket Science, we dig into the fascinating, weird, and groundbreaking research happening right here in our backyard—and meet the scientists in the thick of it.  From lab benches to tidal mudflats, it all starts with one simp…