Episode 14: Dr. Philipp Zerbe on Plants' Use of Diverse Chemistry

Tell me something- before you took a literature class, did you enjoy reading just for the sake of it? And now, do you find yourself identifying motifs, classifying steps in the hero’s journey, or internally (or externally, we don’t judge) commenting on how the color of the rug elevates the mood of a certain scene? Well, we’re about to do that to you, only in this case, we’re gonna tell you everything you need to know about maize, and, maybe, strawberries. Have you heard of Terpenoids? Terpe-WHAT?- you may be asking. Well never fear! In this episode we interview Dr. Philipp Zerbe on terpenoids and why they’re such an important area of research. Hosts Roxanne Salkeld and Alejandra Valenzuela talk with Dr. Philipp Zerbe, a German-born plant biologist who currently works at UC Davis. Dr. Zerbe speaks of his research lab's desire to better understand the diversity of chemistry that plants utilize to defend themselves against stress and react to their surroundings. This information can be used to optimize crops