Scientists at Work: Craig Mello on the Mysteries of Genetic Code

Episode 37

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Scientists at Work: Craig Mello on the Mysteries of Genetic Code
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Stat: Four. That’s how many letters in the DNA alphabet make up every living thing.

Story: How does genetic information transmit across generations? While trying to find out, scientists Craig Mello and Andrew Fire quite by accident made a discovery in 1998 that would earn them a Nobel Prize—and pave the way for the first drug to take on harmful genes. Pew’s Dan LeDuc talks with Mello about science’s surprises.

Additional audio licensed for use by the Nobel Foundation.  All rights reserved. © Nobel Media 2006

About Our Scientists at Work Series

“After the Fact” explores the world through the eyes of those on the frontiers of discovery. Listen in for meaningful conversations and stories on a variety of scientific topics, including penguin colonies and genetic research. 

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Not all of those birds are dying: Many are relocating to areas with more prey—a move aided by their ability to swim 170 kilometers a day—and 200,000 breeding pairs remain in Punta Tombo. But expert Dee Boersma, known as the Jane Goodall of penguins, says the decline may foretell worrying trends in the ecosystem. Host Dan LeDuc sits down with Boersma, and hears from a few of the penguins, to learn more.

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Craig Mello
Craig C. Mello Pew biomedical scholar and Nobel Prize Winner
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