This Week in Science – The Kickass Science Podcast · Dr. Kirsten Sanford Science Media

Gnaw On This For a Bit

·55 min·3 clips

University of Michigan researchers linked chewing to dopamine release centers, not just motor control.

1. This Week in Science episode 1051, “Gnaw On This For a Bit,” centers on Dr. Kiki’s March 11, 2026 roundup of science stories about policy, viruses, vaccines, space signals, biological computing, and chewing. 2. Dr. Kiki hosts the episode as the voice of This Week in Science, thanks Patreon supporters, and frames the show as a weekly scan of stories she found worth discussing. 3. The episode asks what counts as scientific freedom, what counts as evidence, and which recent studies deserve attention. 4. The first policy story covers the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony leaving Massachusetts for Zurich on September 3. 5. Organizers said they could not in good conscience ask winners and international journalists to travel to the U.S. because it had become unsafe for guests. 6. Dr. Kiki links that move to a broader concern about researchers and knowledge leaving the United States for better opportunities elsewhere. 7. The second policy story covers the NIH’s planned “Scientific Freedom Lectures,” starting March 20. 8. The first lecture is slated to feature Matthew Ridley, whom Dr. Kiki describes as a British science journalist with fringe views on climate change and the COVID-19 lab-origin question. 9. She also names Jay Bhattacharya as the NIH director behind the series and connects him to the Great Barrington Declaration. 10. Dr. Kiki argues that fringe ideas can be useful when evidence is still developing, but that science cannot be driven by popularity or belief. 11. A UC San Diego study uses phylogenetic analysis across many viruses that cause disease in humans. 12. The researchers compare naturally emerging viruses with lab-created or lab-fostered viruses and say the signatures are different. 13. The study’s conclusion, as quoted on air, says SARS-CoV-2 shows no evidence of laboratory selection or prolonged evolution in an intermediate host before emergence. 14. Dr. Kiki says the finding matters because it shows how natural selection leaves repeatable signatures that can be compared with laboratory passage. 15. Harvard University, the Weiss Institute, and Dana-Farber Cancer Center are named as the homes of a DNA origami vaccine platform called DoriVac. 16. The team tests the platform in mice and in human lymph node tissue using organ-on-a-chip technology, then compares it with mRNA vaccines. 17. Dr. Kiki explains that the design pairs antigen and adjuvant on a self-folding nanostructure and is meant to improve delivery and storage stability. 18. She says the platform could matter for cancer and infectious disease because it appears easier to move than temperature-sensitive mRNA products. 19. The show’s tone stays conversational, skeptical, and exploratory, with Dr. Kiki interrupting herself to explain terms like adjuvant and to respond to chat comments live. 20. This episode fits listeners who like science news, policy debates, and odd biology details, and it may not suit people who want a single-topic deep dive.

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