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About This Podcast
The 21st century is the century of biology. Discoveries made in the lab today will shape the cures of tomorrow. On Lab Notes, we're pulling back the curtain on the human stories behind headline-grabbing scientific studies and breakthroughs. Lab Notes is a production of the Allen Institute.
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Recent Episodes
S6E4 Lab Notes | Bridging science fiction and reality: Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology
Global science lies at the edge of a new age of discovery thanks to advances in synthetic biology driving innovations that could reshape human health. Synthetic biology involves redesigning organisms…
S6E3 Lab Notes | The neuroscience of addiction and possible paths to a cure
Science is supporting the battle against addiction and substance use disorder. Neuroscientists around the world are working to better understand the mechanisms of addictive drug use and how to…
S6E2 [RERELEASE] Lab Notes | Why don’t we understand the brain?
This episode originally aired on March 14, 2022.Why is the brain harder to understand than other organs? What can we learn about our brains from studying octopus arms? Is the human brain even capable…
S6E1 Lab Notes | The Digital Brain: Unlocking the Mind's Virtual Twin
How does the brain work? Scientists are closer to answering this enigma with the largest wiring diagram and functional map of a mammalian brain to date. In April 2025, the Allen Institute, as part of…
S4E2 Cells in Space!
Reaching new heights, stem cells from the Allen Institute for Cell Science were flown into space for the first time ever. In 2023, astronauts from Axiom Space studied genetically engineered cells,…
S4E1 The mystery of long COVID
Where are we with long COVID? Researchers at the Allen Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center are working to understand the science behind this new chronic disease. Behind every science…
S3E4 Cracking the code of addiction
Reward is essential for life. Our brains flood with feel-good chemicals when we learn, eat, have sex. But these essential brain circuits are hijacked in drug addiction. Neuroscientists at the Allen…
S3E3 Bees suffer from social isolation too
It is no secret that social isolation has major developmental consequences on humans, but what about other social creatures like bumblebees? Neuroscientist Z Yan Wang investigated how social…
S3E2 Building a consciousness meter with Christof Koch
Can we put a number on human consciousness? Neuroscientist Christof Koch is leading an effort to build a consciousness meter that could have real-world applications to determine whether coma patients…
S3E1 Why don't we understand the brain?
Scientists have known for centuries that the brain is the seat of human thought, but we’re still in the dark about how it works. For Brain Awareness Week 2022, Lab Notes asked four neuroscientists to…
S2E2 Fire Inside: The quest to understand & prevent rheumatoid arthritis
In the early '80s, Linda Sloate was a 30-year old mom raising three little kids when she became one of an estimated 20 million people worldwide living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has been a…
S2E1 The novelist and the scientist
When neuroscientist Christina Kim published an important research study, her close friend, novelist Yaa Gyasi, wanted to understand more about her friend’s work, so she asked to shadow her in the…
S1E4 Starved but unable to eat: Life with Crohn's
Aldan Beaubien was in high school when a smorgasbord of bagels, cream cheese and apple juice left him in agony. Months later, doctors diagnosed him with Crohn's disease. Now an IT engineer at a…
S1E3 SCANning for coronavirus
In the winter of 2019, a series of storms dubbed “Snowpocalypse” dumped more than 20 inches of snow on the Seattle area, forcing the closure of schools and businesses. This weather-induced…
S1E2 Taming the Beast
When the first U.S. COVID-19 cases began arriving at the hospital, doctors nicknamed the illness "The Beast" because of the way it attacked the body. Dr. Ryan Padgett treated several patients before…
S1E1 A face mask that detects coronavirus
What if there were a face mask that could tell you you're infected with coronavirus before you ever show symptoms? In this episode we chat with Allen Distinguished Investigator Jim Collins from MIT…
Frequently Asked Questions
Lab Notes has published 16 episodes since April 2020, covering topics in News, Science.
Lab Notes is currently active with new episodes semi-annually. Average episode length is 19m.
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