111. Space Genes and Subway Scenes: Chris Mason on Planning Life’s Next Big Leap

Karl and Erum welcome Dr. Chris Mason. He’s a professor of genomics, physiology, and biophysics, as well as co-founder / COI of BiotiaNYC, Ursa Bio, and Onegevity. Chris will take you on a journey from the mysteries of space genomics to the hidden worlds of Earth's microbiomes. He discusses the intersection of advanced biology and space exploration, diving into his work with NASA’s twin study, the possibilities of planetary engineering, and his fascination with unknown DNA found even in urban subways. Chris also talks about how the convergence of ancient biological knowledge and cutting-edge technology could redefine humanity's future, both on Earth and beyond.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 - The Spark of Science and Fresh Starts
• 00:01:23 - The Biotech Buzz in San Francisco
• 00:03:37 - Blockchain Meets Biology
• 00:07:45 - 2025’s Game-Changers: Microbes and Mars
• 00:08:52 - Into the Unknown: Dr. Chris Mason’s Journey
• 00:12:29 - Space’s Genetic Surprises
• 00:15:55 - Portable Labs Orbiting Earth
• 00:21:58 - Hidden Worlds Underfoot: Urban Microbes
• 00:32:19 - Tokyo’s Microbial Enigma
• 00:33:08 - The Peanut Paradox and Immune Myths
• 00:35:56 - Singular Cells in Vast Ecosystems
• 00:36:46 - From Genes to Blueprints: Synthetic Biology
• 00:47:31 - Terraforming at Planetary Scale
• 00:50:45 - Commercial Space Odysseys
• 00:52:53 - The Biology of Tomorrow: Dreams of Terraforming
• 00:55:59 - Wrapping Up with Visionaries

Episode Links:

• The Next 500 Years: Engineering Life to Reach New Worlds by Chris Mason 
• Two New Space Planes
• DeSci Market Capitalization 
• Chris Mason Lab
• Twins Study - Astronaut genomics
• MetaSub 
• Among New York Subway’s Millions of Riders, a Study Finds Many Mystery Microbes
• Extreme Microbiome Project
• Colossal Biosciences

Topics Covered: 

space genomics, urban microbiomes, dna discovery, planetary engineering, biotechnology trends, genetic engineering, synthetic biology tools, microbiome exploration

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Email: groweverything@messaginglab.com

Music by: Nihilore

Production by: Amplafy Media