Ep. 96 - Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza - Microbiology, the Amazon, & Stingless Bees

Hey everybody! Episode 96 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza. Rosa is a Peruvian-born and USA/Peru-based chemical biologist, storyteller, conservationist, National Geographic Explorer, and artist. It was a pleasure for me to have Rosa on and talk about her ongoing work in the Peruvian Amazon mapping the microbial life of the boiling river near the jungle city of Pucalpa. I think this is really fascinating work as the microbes that can live in such extreme conditions potentially may give rise to a better understanding of life, lead to new medicines, and help to bring balance to the climate, all issues that Rosa spoke about. Rosa is doing really good work and I think you will gain a lot from her insight and wisdom. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!“Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza is a chemical biologist, storyteller, conservationist, National Geographic Explorer, educator, and award-winning artist. Of Peruvian-Andean and Amazonian descent, Rosa grew up learning about traditional medicine from her grandmother in their backyard’s "natural pharmacy". Inspired to dive deeper, she went onto discovering new antibiotics and green chemistry tools during her PhD. Today, Rosa travels to the most extreme environments in the planet from the Amazon Rainforest to Yellowstone’s acidic, boiling waters searching for the tiniest creatures, from microbes to stingless bees, to create big changes in the world. …Rosa is a compelling storyteller and has participated in international campaigns with National Geographic & Disney on the recycling of common plastics, sustainability in the beauty industry, and the power of water in science. She also appears as an expert narrator in “Secrets in the Jungle”, a new show with the Science Channel. Rosa is the recipient of the 2020 American Chemical Society CAS Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding PhD students and postdoctorate fellow that demonstrate promise as leaders in their fields. Her research has been featured in ABC Studios Tamron Hall, Science Friday “20 Top Stories of 2020”, National Association of Science Writers, ASBMB, National Geographic Magazine and Andina Perú.”To learn more about or contact Rosa and read her full bio, visit her website at: https://www.rosavespinoza.com/If you enjoy the show, it’s a big help if you can share it via social media or word of mouth. And please Subscribe or Follow and if you can go on Apple Podcasts and leave a starred-rating and a short review. This is super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!For more information about me and my upcoming plant medicine retreats with my colleague Merav Artzi, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.orgIntegration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithinYouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerksPayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanikWebsite: https://jasongrechanik.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanikFacebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcastMusic courtesy of: Nuno Moreno (end song). Visit: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/ And Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project (intro song). Visit: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H