Wrapping up "The DNA Files"

Friday, 12/21, marks the last day for our science series "The DNA Files."

It has been a great experience for the APR Newsroom because we were able to tackle a subject -- genetics -- that, quite frankly, can be a bit intimidating.

I hope you'll spend some time listening to our reports, which are available online. You can find them by clicking here.

Butler

What's up folks? I'm excited about my companion report for the DNA Files documentaries we've been airing ... which are outstanding in my opinion. I admit, I don't have the strongest science background, but The DNA Files breaks it down in such a way that it's still interesting without being too far over my head LOL!

My report airs Friday morning at 6:35 and 8:35, and explores the sometime contentious relationship between science and religion. The report looks at how those concepts and discussions of those concepts are made possible through our DNA. We'll talk with people in the fields of science, philosophy and faith, including a researcher in England who is one of the people exploring a gene called FOXP2. FOXP2 is the first gene identified thought to have a direct tie to the ability to develop, perform and utilize language. My report is the companion piece to an episode of The DNA Files (which airs Friday night 12/21 at 7) that I was especially fascinated with. The episode focuses on scientists' efforts to understand what makes us different from other animals ... and how they keeping find evidence of what makes us all the same. It's great stuff even if you aren't a science-head. I hope you'll tune us in.

cheers,
Brett Tannehill

After Tuskegee

This Friday, my contribution to our locally produced DNA Files series will air. This segment examines why so few minorities are involved in clinical testing and research and what is being done to address the issues. One of the primary reasons cited by minorities as why they will not participate in clinical testing and research is lack of trust. This attitude is usually linked with trials like the Tuskegee Syphilis Studies.

Researchers are hoping their community-based efforts will help overcome some of the trust issues and educate the public about bioethics.

Working on this story was so eye-opening for me. Not only was I able to find out some of the methods being used to attract a more wide variety of people to testing, but I also found out WHY this is so important. Having a cross section of people involved in testing is vitally important to putting new drugs and medical techniques on the market that are safe and effective.

I hope you enjoy this upcoming story and most importantly, I hope you walk away with a desire to find out more about the topic of clinical research.

Alisa

More Worm Shack

Hey everyone just a quick update on my story about the Caldwell Lab also known as the Worm Shack. The story is in it's final stages and I will look to spin some of the elements I had to leave out into more web oriented content. There are so many interesting stories coming out of the Caldwell Lab, I found myself constrained by the time I was allowed to air my story, making more web content necessary.

The story runs on Morning Edition with Gina Smith and the companion story from DNA Files runs Friday at 7:00 PM in APR Presents. I will also be making an appearance on WVUA to promote the story and DNA Files Friday around 5:30.

Ryan Vasquez

Worm Shack

On this weeks edition of DNA Files, I will be taking a look at the Caldwell Lab or more affectionately known as the Worm shack located on the University of Alabama's campus in Tuscaloosa. I will be taking a look at how the lab uses undergraduate students in groundbreaking work being done on a variety of diseases including Parkinson's Disease.

It is interesting how a microscopic worm can give such great insight into the human genome and how genes react to certain mechanisms. I hope I can do justice to some of the work the Caldwell Lab is doing not only to the science but the passion these researchers have for their work.

More to come later in the week...

Ryan

A Tough Chore

I have to admit -- it was difficult determining exactly which pieces of information to include in my report about the hybrid catfish. If you haven't heard it yet, you can find it here.

There are significant scientific aspects to this story -- the production process of the hybrid; how the eggs are fertilized; how the fish exhibits the traits of its parents, the blue catfish and the channel catfish; and how the fish behaves.

There are also huge economic interests to consider -- the business plan of the company that sells the hybrid to farmers; the farmers who pay more to get it but spend less on food for it; and the continuing importation of cheaper seafood products from Asia.

I had a hard time squeezing this story into four-and-a-half minutes, but I hope I provided you with the right -- and right amount -- of information on this topic. It's fascinating, and it was a lot of fun working on it.

Butler

Covering Science Stories

Alabama Public Radio's participation in the national DNA Files project is a change of pace for the news department. We're pretty good at covering the normal "public radio" topics such as politics, the environment, etc. But science reporting is something different.

There seems to be this general fear among reporters who do not report on science regularly. The pervasive thought is that we journalists have to be experts in science to do any kind of science reporting. The fear is palpable enough that Ira Flatow, the host of Science Friday (which airs Fridays 1-3 PM on APR) addressed the issue this past summer at the Public Radio News Directors, Inc. annual convention in New Orleans.

In short, he suggested that public radio reporters should overcome that hesitation and just go for it. Obviously, we've taken that challenge to heart, and you'll be hearing our work through the DNA Files project.

Butler