Foundational Skills in Life Sciences
Episodes
61. How I prepare for teaching how to read papers to professional students
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to prepare a single lecture? In this episode, I will talk about months-long process for crafting a lecture on how to read clinic...
60. Postdoc training program (that I organized in my university)
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I have set up a training program for the postdoctoral researchers (postdocs) in my home department. Today, I would like to talk about: how and why I h...
59. Happy 2-year anniversary! (plus, how I am scripting episodes)
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast is now two years old. And it is the start of the third year! Thank you for listening and for your support! I would like to give you m...
58. Paragraph 1 of Introduction, written by Nobel Laureates: meaning of each sentence therein
13 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s read the first paragraph of the Introduction section in a paper written by the Nobel Laureates. Specifically, we will read each sentence in th...
57. How to read the main points of Introduction paragraphs
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Introduction section of a life-science paper tells the main story, sometimes even multiple related ones. But without helpful subheadings, understa...
56. How many paragraphs in Introduction?
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In combination with the last episode, we will talk about an introduction to how to read the Introduction section. With these two episodes, we will be ...
55. Does the Introduction section have subheadings?
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sub-sections and subheadings will be helpful. The Methods and the Results sections of life-science papers are divided into sub-sections. And the s...
54. Can you explain the role of Introduction in one sentence?
14 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The single-sentence rule for understanding research paper Introductions. Have you thought about what the Introduction section of a life-science pap...
53. Minimum features of well-written abstracts
08 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, we will learn which structural components will be minimally essential for an abstract, and which will be additionally necessary ...
52. Example of a well-written abstract (other than the one by Nobel Laureates)
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s talk about an excellent abstract that I read this week. It was so well written, and I was so excited to read it that I wanted to talk about it...
51. Have you read an abstract that was not written well?
20 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
My students selected a paper to read in a journal club. The abstract (and the rest of the paper) was not written well. The abstract gave us two precio...
50. Happy 50th episode!
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have reached 50 episodes! Thank you for listening. Today, we will briefly talk about how I have kept sustainable podcasting so far. The most im...
49. Another well-crafted logic loop in Abstract by Nobel Laureates (mini-series: reading-30)
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We will talk about the second of the two, well-crafted loops of logic, in the Abstract of a paper written by the Nobel Prize Laureates. Not all abstr...
48. Well-crafted logic loop in Abstract by Nobel Laureates (mini-series: reading-29)
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I can visualize two well-crafted loops of logic, in the Abstract of a paper written by the Nobel Prize Laureates. Can you? We will talk about one ...
47. Why is the 2nd sentence important in an abstract? (mini-series: reading-28)
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's analyze a single sentence in the Abstract of an impressive paper. It is the paper that led to the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicin...
46. Let’s analyze the Abstract of a paper written by Nobel Laureates (mini-series: reading-27)
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we will analyze the Abstract of an impressive paper. It is the paper that led to the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. This is the pa...
45. Let’s read the Abstract of a paper written by Nobel Laureates (mini-series: reading-26)
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we will take a significant step towards understanding the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. We will read the Abstract of the Laureate...
44. An evolving reader: my phases through reading textbooks (Q&A-5: textbooks, part 2)
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How are you reading life-science textbooks? My approach to reading textbooks has evolved significantly throughout my academic career, from student...
43. An evolving reader: my phases through reading textbooks (Q&A-5: textbooks, part 1)
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How are you reading life-science textbooks? My approach to reading textbooks has evolved significantly throughout my academic career, from student...
42. Happy Holidays!
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Holidays to you, and I wish you the very best in 2025!
41. Exclude or include seemingly irrelevant experiences in your academic CV? (Q&A-4: CV)
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Should I exclude irrelevant experiences from my academic CV?” This is a question that students often ask. In this episode, I would like to gi...
40. Short or long CV for applying for a research position? (Q&A-3: CV)
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Should my CV be short or long, when I apply for a research assistant position in a college/university lab?” This is a question that students ...
39. Eight key components define the Abstract structure (mini-series: reading-25)
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do top-tier scientific journals, like Nature, make sure their abstracts are clear and impactful? In today’s episode, we will identify the ei...
38. The journal, Nature, dissects the Abstract structure (mini-series: reading-24)
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is the best way to learn how to read the Abstract of a scientific paper? In my view, the best way is to learn how the Abstract is structured ...
37. Announcement of The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024, relevant to life scientists!
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2024 Nobel Prize was announced! Two days ago, it was in Physiology or Medicine. Yesterday, it was in Physics. Today, it was in Chemistry. The ...
36. Announcement of The Nobel Prize in Physics 2024, relevant to life scientists!
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2024 Nobel Prize was announced! Yesterday, it was in Physiology or Medicine. Today it was in Physics. It was awarded to Dr. John Hopfield, and...
35. Announcement of The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2024 Nobel Prize was announced! This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Dr. Victor Ambros, and Dr. Gary Ruvkun, “for ...
34. Lessons learned from Nobel Laureates' work, about positive and negative controls (mini-series: reading-23)
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We will complete the analysis of positive and negative controls in the milestone article of the Nobel Laureates of 2023. The article shows us one of t...
33. How to do a good oral presentation? Hidden, but important tip (Q&A-2: presentation)
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Question of today: What is a practical tip for effective oral presentations? There are many important things to do, for delivering oral presentations ...
32. Is it important to include positive and negative controls in each experiment? Lesson from Nobel Laureates' work (mini-series: reading-22)
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We will examine the positive and negative controls in the milestone article of the Nobel Laureates. The article shows us one of the best examples of h...
31. Is it OK to say, “I don’t know” in response to technical questions? (Q&A-1: interview)
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The first Q&A session! Question of today: Is it OK to say, “I don’t know” in response to technical questions in an interview when you app...
30. Positive controls in another experiment by Nobel Laureates (mini-series: reading-21)
17 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We will keep analyzing the specific positive controls that the Nobel Laureates used in their milestone article 1 that led to the Nobel Prize. We will ...
29. Positive controls in experiments by Nobel Laureates (mini-series: reading-20)
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s analyze the specific positive controls that the Nobel Laureates used in their milestone article 1 that led to the Nobel Prize. We will look at...
28. Defining positive controls in life-science experiments (mini-series: reading-19)
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we shift our focus from negative controls to their counterparts: positive controls. We will begin by defining what we mean by positiv...
27. One-year anniversary: I started podcasting to help you (podcast update 5)
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One-year anniversary of this podcast channel! Thank you for listening. Why did I start podcasting? The motivation or the trigger was the students’ f...
26. Lessons learned from a failed experiment. Part 2 (mini-series: reading-18)
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode continues from the last one. This will mark the end of our story about the life-science experiment that did not work at first, but worked...
25. Lessons learned from a failed experiment. Part 1 (mini-series: reading-17)
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the last episode, we finished discussing details of the life-science experiments in our story. We observed that negative controls can be powerful t...
24. Negative controls put the pieces together in troubleshooting experiments (mini-series: reading-16)
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We will see how the experimenters implemented a good, troubleshooting idea into a protocol that appeared to be challenging at first. We are continuing...
23. Refining a troubleshooting idea: the power of identifying unknowns (mini-series: reading-15)
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We will discuss the fourth and final idea, for troubleshooting a real, life-science experiment in our story. This idea was based on the previous three...
22. Negative controls unveil a hidden culprit in a problematic experiment (mini-series: reading-14)
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our deep exploration into negative controls and their importance in troubleshooting life-science experiments. We follow a real-life story ...
21. An exciting new way to stay connected (email newsletter; podcast update 4)
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We will be happy to announce the launch of a new way to stay connected with the show - a FREE email newsletter! Sign up to get updates on upcoming epi...
20. Detective work of troubleshooting a puzzling experiment: negative control as a guide (mini-series: reading-13)
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We will experience the fascinating world of scientific troubleshooting. In this episode, we will revisit a life-science experiment where researchers a...
19. Negative controls are important: a story (mini-series: reading-12)
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many reasons why life-science experiments do not work well. Today, I will tell you a real story about an experiment. It is an experiment tha...
18. In-depth analysis of negative controls: using Nobel Laureates’ as example (mini-series: reading-11)
31 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's focus: negative controls. In life-science experiments, negative controls play critical roles. In my view, they are more important than th...
17. Links to 3 milestone articles & YouTube video presentation: Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine 2023 (mini-series: reading-10)
10 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I will list four sets of links mentioned in this episode. All are related to the Laureates, Dr. Katalin Karikó & Dr. Drew Weissman of the Nobel P...
16. Graph axis labels by Nobel Laureates: the secret method of scientific communication (mini-series: reading-9)
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's focus: the power of text elements in figures. We explore how category axis labels in bar graphs, when meticulously organized, reveal key ...
15. Let's read a bar graph made by Nobel Laureates (mini-series: reading-8)
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dive deep into Step 11 of reading the milestone article written by Nobel Laureates. We will examine the most important bar graph. We will read the lab...
14. Let’s read a paper written by Nobel Prize Laureates, 2023: Part 7 (mini-series: reading-7)
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Visual elements in scientific papers often convey information faster than words. In Part 7 of reading mini-series, we will discuss previewing the pape...
13. Let’s read a paper written by Nobel Prize Laureates, 2023: Part 6 (mini-series: reading-6)
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 6 of reading mini-series, we will discuss key steps before diving into a paper. We will verify the paper's identity and map its structure...
12. Let’s read a paper written by Nobel Prize Laureates, 2023: Part 5 (mini-series: reading-5)
06 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Part 5 of our mini-series on reading. Today, we will discuss a crucial step before diving into a paper. This powerful step will shift your ...
11. 2023 Wrap-up (podcast update-3)
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thank you for listening. I started podcasting earlier in 2023. The total number of episode downloads reached 250 on the day of this recording. Please ...
10. Let’s read a paper written by Nobel Prize Laureates, 2023: Part 4 (mini-series: reading-4)
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is Part 4 of a multi-episode mini-series on reading. When we want to read a paper written by the Nobel Laureates, you might wonder which ...
9. Let’s read a paper written by Nobel Prize Laureates, 2023: Part 3 (mini-series: reading-3)
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is Part 3 of a multi-episode mini-series on reading. The biggest hurdle when we read a paper written by the Nobel Laureates is usually ou...
8. Let’s read a paper written by Nobel Prize Laureates, 2023: Part 2 (mini-series: reading-2)
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's enjoy the Nobel Prize announcement. How do we enjoy it? We will read one paper written by the Nobel Laureates, and dive deep. This episode ...
7. Let’s read a paper written by Nobel Prize Laureates, 2023: Part 1 (mini-series: reading-1)
12 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's enjoy the Nobel Prize announcement. How do we enjoy it? We will read one paper written by the Nobel Laureates, and dive deep. This episode ...
6. Thank you for 100 downloads of episodes (podcast update-2)
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I would like to report to you: the total number of my episode downloads reached 100! It took me 2 months. Thank you for listening. Please kee...
5. Happy Birthday, Google! (mini-series: online information search-3)
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Google celebrates the 25th birthday in September, 2023, when this episode is recorded. Google CEO, Mr. Pichai, reflects on the paths that Google ch...
4. "Thank you for listening" in three languages (podcast update-1)
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I would like to thank you for listening. I will report to you the number of downloads for the first three episodes so far. It is a ti...
3. ChatGPT is here. Do we still need Google search? (Part 2) (mini-series: online information search-2)
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode (Part 2) and the one before (Part 1), we are discussing how to search for life-science information online. What method would give us t...
2. ChatGPT is here. Do we still need Google search? (Part 1) (mini-series: online information search-1)
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first episode of a mini-series. We rely very much on online information every day. How can we choose reliable websites for the correct inf...
1. Introduction to the Podcast
15 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the "Foundational Skills in Life Sciences" podcast. I am your host, Dr. Synaptologica. In this episode, I will introduce you to...