Hi reddit! I became a scientist because I wanted to make a difference. I had prepared myself for a life of numbers, statistics and working in a lab. Never did I imagine that I would be travelling to places like Colombia and Kenya, and getting to meet other researchers from around the globe who are also pretty keen to make a difference. But this is exactly what I am doing in my current role as a Newton Fund (http://www.newtonfund.ac.uk/) Postdoc at Rothamsted Research (http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/) . The human population is growing and feeding everyone whilst limiting environmental damage is a huge challenge we face. Key to tackling the problem is understanding and managing soil. Soil is amazing and complex! It has many essential functions, including regulating water flow and water quality; storing carbon so less of it reaches the atmosphere as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide; and supporting above and below ground biodiversity, which includes the plants we rely on for food. I am working in collaboration with scientists at the Centre for Tropical Agriculture (https://ciat.cgiar.org/) in Cali, Colombia and Nairobi, Kenya, to understand how growing different combinations of plants effects soil function in grazed grasslands. This will help us determine the best plant varieties and farming practices to ensure farmers in the tropics grow grass to rear healthy livestock, and produce sufficient nutritious food with less damage to the environment. Read more about my work and find out what life as a globe-trotting soil scientist is like in a recent blog entry (http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/day-life-research-scientist/day-life-dr-claire-horrocks). My fingers are tired now from all the typing so I am going to head off but I have really enjoyed answering all the questions and reading some of the great discussions that have developed. Sorry I couldn’t respond to all the comments I will try to pop back later to answer some more , bye for now. Claire

Hi reddit! After getting my PhD in organic chemistry, the first 27 years of my career were in new drug discovery—the lengthy process (typically 10-15 years) during which a potential drug will go from a lab to your local pharmacy. As you probably know, success in drug discovery is so rare that in a 20 year career, a medicinal chemist has about a 5% chance of discovering something that works. During that time, the antibiotic group I led actually did get something to hospital pharmacies. It was called Tygacil—a novel antibiotic to treat resistant infections. However, it is rarely used because of significant side effects. Yet I am proud of our other accomplishments related to HIV, hepatitis C, and oncology. Though none of these campaigns resulted in an approved drug, the research that we did helped develop the science base that other companies would build on. I am also the author of 25 patents and 35 academic papers, including a chapter on new therapies for hepatitis C in Burger’s Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Discovery and Development, 7th Edition (Wiley, 2010). As the cost of discovery and (especially) development got higher and higher, companies began to consolidate. In 2009, Pfizer bought my former employer (Wyeth) and in 2010 me and tens of thousands of others were laid off. Unless I wanted to leave my family and friends behind, my career in medicinal chemistry was over. However, since most of us do research in multiple disease areas during our careers, we also become experts in the biology and medicine of that field, as well as a variety of other ancillary fields, such as toxicology. So with a broad base of expertise, I embarked on a new career: doing science outreach for the American Council on Science and Health, where we “separate health scares from health threats”, as the Wall Street Journal put it. Now I use my expertise in both chemistry and toxicology to debunk phony chemical scares, which typically arise from environmental groups that benefit by promoting scares about science and medicine - and I also educate people about what really goes on in private sector science. Though the pharmaceutical industry has a bad image, we were dedicated scientists who spent our days trying to find cures or better therapies. We had nothing to do with those ads on television! I loved doing science, and now I love to talk to the public about it. My name is Josh Bloom, I am Senior Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences for the American Council on Science and Health, and you can Ask Me Anything! I’ll be back at 1 pm EST (10 am PST, 6 pm UTC) to answer your questions, ask me anything!

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Hi Reddit, My name is Nick Wareham and I am Director of the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge. My research focuses on the genetic and environmental determinants of type 2 diabetes and the translation of epidemiological knowledge into preventive action. I also served as a guest editor on the PLOS Medicine special issue on Diabetes Prevention. I also wrote the editorial entitled “ ‘The Clinical and Public Health Challenges of Diabetes Prevention: A Search for Sustainable Solutions” in which we discuss how diabetes is driven by rapid economic development and how attempts to deal with a public health problem by clinical approaches to prevention will be unaffordable and unsustainable in many countries. We focus on the need to develop effective and sustainable public health interventions for the prevention of type 2 diabetes that can be implemented in both resource-rich and resource-poor health care systems. I am joined by Fumiaki Imamura and Jenna Panter, two scientists at the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, who also contributed research to the Diabetes Prevention issue of PLOS Medicine. Jenna is a Senior Research Associate in the MRC Epidemiology Unit. Her research focuses on examining patterns and determinants of change in physical activity and evaluating environmental and policy interventions to promote activity. Jenna recently published an article titled ‘Cycling and Diabetes Prevention: Practice-Based Evidence for Public Health Action’ in PLOS Medicine in which the authors discuss the findings from a linked paper by Rasmussen and colleagues on changes in cycling and risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In the article, the authors highlight the need to conduct rigorous evaluations of interventions to promote physical activity which will provide evidence about how researchers can create a genuinely population-based public health strategy for the prevention of diabetes and other chronic diseases. Fumiaki is a Senior Investigator Scientist at the MRC Epidemiology Unit. His research focuses on effects of dietary components and behaviours with a risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Fumiaki recently published a study titled “Effects of Saturated Fat, Polyunsaturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat, and Carbohydrate on Glucose-Insulin Homeostasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Feeding Trials” in PLOS Medicine. I am also a co-author of a study published by the EPIC-InterAct Study in the PLOS Medicine, ““Association of Plasma Phospholipid n-3 and n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids with Type 2 Diabetes: The EPIC-InterAct Case-Cohort Study”. In the two studies based on published trials and the Europe-wide observational investigation, respectively, Fumiaki and colleagues indicate that fat commonly present in vegetable oils is good to reduce the burden of type 2 diabetes in many countries. We will be answering your questions at 1pm ET – Ask Us Anything! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @JennaPanter, @fumimamu and @mrc_epid.

I’m Tina Saey, the molecular biology reporter at Science News magazine. I’m a former scientist turned journalist. I write about things microscopic and molecular like cells and DNA and how they affect human health. I recently discovered my first gray hair. My story addresses what aging is, what can done about it, and whether slowing aging will make people live longer. (https://www.sciencenews.org/node/192081) I’m Laura Sanders. I am an award-winning science journalist who reports on the latest mysteries of the mind and blogs about the science of raising kids. I earned my Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 2008. Convinced that I was missing some exciting science development somewhere, I moved to Science News and began writing about brains in all shapes and forms. My story explores how the brain ages. That’s a huge question, and one that’s still mysterious in lots of ways, but it turns out that there are some interesting parallels between how the brain grows and how it ultimately declines. And some scientists hope that that relationship could ultimately point out ways to slow the mental decline that comes with age. (https://www.sciencenews.org/node/192082) I’m Susan Milius and it took a ridiculously long time to realize what kind of journalist I wanted to be. So after working as a freelance book editor trying to sneak active verbs into a book on the semantics of air passenger transportation, a food writer and some other improbable tasks, I finally realized that there were real careers writing about biology. Best beat in the galaxy! Just in the last few days I have had people tell me that certain lizards have green blood and bones, that the sort of cat-raccoon-looking creatures called binturongs smell like movie popcorn, and that there are bacteria basically fighting with spears. My feature on how the rest of the planet ages (meaning not humans) presents scientists who went to extremes testing whether some animals have found the secret of perpetual youth or whether there’s such a thing as a creaky, frail, elderly roadside weed. (https://www.sciencenews.org/node/192083) We’ll be back at 3 pm ET to answer your questions, ask us anything! *EDIT: Thank you for having us and for the awesome questions. We’ll be checking in throughout the day to see if there are any other questions. *

Hey Reddit–I’m Elaine. I’m a producer for the American Chemical Society’s Reactions YouTube series, where we discuss everyday chemistry. We’ve covered topics ranging from “Is It OK To Pee In The Ocean” to “How Protein Helps To Build Muscle”, with a little cookie science in between. As a member of the Reactions team, I write, animate, narrate, edit, and come up with ideas for our videos. I also manage our Twitter and Facebook pages, which you should go and follow right now. Seriously–you know you want to. I feel compelled to note that I have zero scientific background–my background is entirely in digital media and film. This has definitely created some interesting challenges along the way, but I do consider myself to be a science communicator. One of my favorite parts in the process is taking a scientific concept, breaking it down, and re-structuring it so even middle schoolers can understand how chemistry affects their lives. So ask me anything about animating science – including the production process, how it works, my lack of a science background, and how we develop our topics. You can even ask about our social media efforts or what it’s like living in Brooklyn while our team is based in DC (hint: I might be addicted to slack). I will be back at 12 pm ET (9 am PT) to answer your questions, so ask me anything about animating science–including the production process, how it works, my lack of a science background, how we come up with topics and you can even ask about our social media. Taking a quick break–will be back around 1:30!

Hi Redditors, I’m Pat McCarthy, and I’m looking forward to talking about life as a working astronomer with you! A little about me: I’m best known for my work observing the formation of the earliest galaxies and my study of distant low frequency cosmic radio sources. In the late 1990s, my colleagues and I were among the first to explore the distant universe – galaxies and quasars more than halfway back towards the big bang! I joined the Carnegie Observatories as a Carnegie Fellow in 1988, after completing my PhD at the University of California at Berkeley. In 1991, I received the Hubble Fellowship, during the second year of its program and I joined the faculty at Carnegie in 1993. For more than a decade I worked at Carnegie in an office next to the one used by Einstein during his summer visits to Pasadena and just above Edwin Hubble’s office. I was part of the team that developed the last, and most powerful instrument, to be deployed on the Hubble Space Telescope. This instrument has allowed us to see galaxies when the Universe was only 500 million years old! I am now working to support development of the next generation of giant telescopes on the ground, telescopes that Hubble could only dream of. Today, I lead the team of scientists and engineers building the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), an enormous instrument comprised of seven primary mirror segments—the seven largest mirrors ever made—that will stretch to more than 80 feet across once complete. The GMT will explore the cosmos to observe the first stars in the universe, offering images 10 times sharper than those coming from the Hubble Space Telescope. Since 2008, I’ve served as the head of the non-profit corporation, GMTO, that is charged with carrying out the development, construction and operation of the telescope and related facilities. My day-to-day responsibilities include ensuring that the telescope and its instruments will be able to address the key questions at the forefront of astrophysics in 2020 and beyond. Proof! Edit: 3:55pm EDT That’s all, folks! I’m logging off now. I have had a great time chatting about the Giant Magellan Telescope as well as the state of astronomy. Thanks for all of the interesting and thought-provoking questions. Be sure to follow @GMTelescope and like Giant Magellan Telescope on Facebook to keep up-to-date on future developments. Until next time - Pat

Hi reddit! In series one of Dexter, we learn that signs of Dexter Morgan’s psychopathic behaviour began to appear in childhood. In one flashback, he confesses to killing a neighbour’s dog and to thoughts of escalating to murder. But how do psychopathic traits develop and manifest in reality? My work focuses on emotion processing and empathy in children and adolescents with antisocial behavioural problems. I am interested in emotional development in children with severe and chronic behavioural difficulties, including those with signs of early psychopathic behaviour. I work with young offenders and study children and adolescents in schools. My current work includes ‘The Social Life of a Psychopath’, a project that looks into how people with psychopathic personalities navigate social situations. I am also evaluating an experiment where a school for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties has removed all forms of punishment. I am the Director of the Unit of School and Family Studies in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. I’m really sorry that I have to finish now. My PhD student has just finished a viva, and I must go and find out how it went! Huge thanks to all of you for your interesting questions

Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have to answer your questions today. Thanks to everyone for your fantastic questions! Follow @MIT_alumni, @MITMeche, #MITBetterWorld to continue to get news around our work. +++++++++++++++++ In India, roughly 45 percent of the population is drinking untreated water. In the rural village of Mhasawad, many residents regularly drink water with salinity levels of 1,200 ppm (parts per million), double the levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Water with high salinity levels can cause countless health problems including kidney stones and digestive problems, and taxes the energy grid. But for many, purchasing treated water can cost upwards of 30 percent of one’s monthly salary. At the beginning of this year, we traveled to several rural villages to meet with farmers and villagers to better understand the problem. Back at MIT, we are now developing a cost-effective solar-powered desalination system to provide a safe and affordable source of drinking water. This is not just an engineering problem—we are operating as product designers, ethnographers, social scientists, and machine designers to test our assumptions and build a lasting solution. Ask us anything! Watch the recent video “Water is Life” on our work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLPiIChFMIA Read the recent article “A Quest for Clean Water” published on MIT News: http://news.mit.edu/2016/solar-powered-desalination-clean-water-india-0718 ABOUT US: Amos Winter: I’m an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT as well as an alumnus of MIT. I also am the director of the Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Lab, which focuses on the marriage of mechanical design theory and user-centered product design to create simple, elegant technological solutions for use in highly constrained environments. Natasha Wright: I’m a doctoral candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, a Fellow in the Tata Center for Technology and Design, and an alumna of MIT. My current work focuses on using electrodialysis technology, powered by photovoltaics, to provide clean drinking water in off-grid settings.

Hi Reddit, We are Jessie Abbate, Carmen Lia Murall, and Christian Althaus, infectious disease researchers collaborating between France (Research Institute for Development), Switzerland (University of Bern), and Germany (Max Planck Institute). Collectively, our work focuses on the epidemiology, ecology, and evolution of pathogens, including human viral infections. We recently published a study entitled “Potential Impact of Sexual Transmission on Ebola Virus Epidemiology: Sierra Leone as a Case Study” in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Recent observations show that Ebola virus can remain active and transmissible in sperm for up to 9 months, meaning patients can remain infectious after they recover from the initial symptomatic phase of the disease. We developed a mathematical model to study the potential impact of sexual transmission on the size and duration of Ebola outbreaks such as the 2013-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Using the epidemiological data from Sierra Leone as an example, we found that despite very few additional cases, sexual transmission from survivors could extend the duration of the epidemic substantially, allowing cases to continue popping up throughout 2016 and highlighting the need for care providers to stay alert for this possibility. We will be responding to questions from 1pm EDT (10 am PDT) – Ask Us Anything! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @jessieabbate @cl_murall @c_althaus.

Hi Reddit! I am Darlene Cavalier and I’m a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University’s Center for Engagement and Training, part of the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Helping anyone participate in science drives the work I do and I’ve founded several organizations to further this goal: SciStarter, the citizen science network (https://scistarter.com/); Science Cheerleader (http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/) which playfully challenges stereotypes, inspires young women to consider STEM careers, and encourages participation in citizen science; ECAST, the Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology network (https://ecastnetwork.org/) that combines citizens with experts to improve decision-making in science and technology issues. I’m also a founding Board Member of the Citizen Science Association (https://citizenscienceassociation.org/), a senior advisor at Discover Magazine, a member of the EPA’s National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology, and co-editor/author of the book, The Rightful Place of Science: Citizen Science, published by ASU’s Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes (June 2016). I live in Philadelphia, PA with my husband and our four children. In June 2016, I was part of a ACS Science & the Congress congressional briefing panel (www.acs.org/scicon) along with Andrew Torelli, who ran an AMA on his citizen science topic here shortly after https://redd.it/4o104w Wow! That was fun (and a little stressful trying to keep up! Special thanks to Dr. Rebecca Jordan for weighing in!). I’m happy to stick around until 2:30 to answer more questions and address those I haven’t gotten to yet…. Thanks for joining me! Ask me anything about citizen science including how you could get involved!

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