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 Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, explains how the thymus can help us understand why our bodies get worse at fighting disease as we age. 

More resources:
Jarrod Dudakov at the Fred Hutchinson Canter Research Center
The landmark 1961 research article in The Lancet, “The Immunological Function of the Thymus”

Pocket Science is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. It is hosted by Gabriel Spitzer, edited by Jim Gates and produced by Anna Boiko-Weyrauch. 

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Meet your new favorite organ, the thymus. Scientists have since discovered a whole world within this little wad of tissue in your chest &ndash; 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 Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, explains how the thymus can help us understand why our bodies get worse at fighting disease as we age.&nbsp;
More resources:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.fredhutch.org/en/people/d/jarrod-dudakov.html">Jarrod Dudakov at the Fred Hutchinson Canter Research Center</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673661906936">The landmark 1961 research article in The Lancet, &ldquo;The Immunological Function of the Thymus&rdquo;</a></li>
</ul>
Pocket Science is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. It is hosted by <a href="https://www.kuow.org/people/gabriel-spitzer">Gabriel Spitzer</a>, edited by <a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/jim-gates">Jim Gates</a> and produced by <a href="https://www.kuow.org/people/anna-boiko-weyrauch">Anna Boiko-Weyrauch</a>.&nbsp;
We can only make Pocket Science because listeners support us.<a href="https://donate.kuow.org/donate/pocket-science-show-notes"> Tap here</a> to make a gift and keep Pocket Science in your feed.

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 simple question: what are you working on? The answers might surprise you. Take your curiosity with you on Pocket Science.

Pocket Science launches July 6 with new episodes available every other Monday.

Discovery is happening all around Seattle&hellip; if you know where to look. On Pocket Science, we dig into the fascinating, weird, and groundbreaking research happening right here in our backyard&mdash;and meet the scientists in the thick of it. From lab benches to tidal mudflats, it all starts with one simple question: what are you working on? The answers might surprise you. Take your curiosity with you on Pocket Science.
Pocket Science launches July 6 with new episodes available every other Monday.

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Scientists have since discovered a whole world within the thymus, a little wad of tissue in your chest. The organ hosts a complex system that trains and equips some of your body's most important fighters against disease.