Episode 36 – The Scientific Method Starts with Curiosity

Dr. Bonnie Bassler

With the upcoming 2009 HHMI Holiday Lecture on Science in December (Exploring Biodiversity), we decided to talk with one of the presenters – Dr. Bonnie Bassler.  The focus of Dr. Bassler’s research is on how bacteria communicate with each other in a process called quorum sensing.  This research has earned her a MacArthur fellowship in 2002, and her work is being carefully watched for the development of new antimicrobial drugs.  Dr. Bassler inspires us with her curiosity, her research, and science education.

Links:

• Profile from the Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University
• The Bassler Lab at Princeton
• Wikipedia Entry
• HHMI Investigator Bio
• 2009 HHMI Holiday Lectures on Science: Exploring Biodiversity
• Request Past HHMI Holiday Lectures on DVD
• TED Talks Video, Profile
• NOVA Science Now Profile & Video
• NPR All Things Considered: A Biologist’s Listening Guide to Bacteria
• Review: “The languages of bacteria” (Genes & Development)
• iBioSeminars: Cell-to-Cell Communication in Bacteria
• Wikipedia entry for Lewis Thomas
• Appleton College Avenue Bridge Opens

Direct download: LOL36.mp3