• Astronomy - Theoretical modelling

    Modelling the universe

    31/05/2020 - By 

    “We’re made of star stuff.” (Carl Sagan) We have had questions about the stars ever since we looked upwards at the sky. How was the universe born? How do stars live and die? How will the universe itself end? And when? I interviewed Dr. Jan Eldridge, who studies stars in our galaxy and those on the edge of observable space, using an algorithm that she built called the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis code (BPASS,  bpass.auckland.ac.nz). Jan gave me some fantastic insights not only into the life cycle of stars, but also about her important work in the LGBTQI sphere and…

  • Microbiology

    Social Microbes

    07/05/2020 - By 

    Microbes like living together, as it turns out. We learn in school that bacteria are single celled organisms, self sufficient in their genetic and protein machinery. However, in nature bacteria and other microbes like fungi actually prefer to live in communities, with heterogeneous populations that confer important properties to the survival of the community. This is called a biofilm. I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Tom Coenye, who explains the concept of biofilms, and also some of the exciting interdisciplinary research that he has been doing to access the depths of a microbial city (hint: it involves lasers!). Tom…