Through science she found her power | PEERing into Science with Dr. Swetha Murthy

Have you ever wondered about the molecules that allow our cells to sense touch? Well, Dr. Swetha Murthy has made it her lab's mission to understand just this. Yet how did she get to be a somatosensory (the science behind our sensations) neuroscientist? Growing up in Bangalore, India, she knew that she had a passion for biology, and with that passion, she directed her career into science. She reminisces about her experiences going down the academic path in India, until she knew she needed to move to America to pursue a career as a scientist, and from there she explored the world of molecular biology and biochemistry, only to end up as a neuroscientist! Using her skills to study the electrical activity of cells paired with her ability to capture the image of proteins (the machines cells use to do their thang) at the atomic level, to understand how the proteins behave. And she specifically studies proteins that change shape in response to a mechanical stimulus, called mechano-sensitive proteins, and our cells use these proteins to sense touch!Anyways, to learn more about her work on how we sense the world around us visit her lab's website at: https://www.murthylab.com/ I hope you enjoy this conversation with Dr. Murthy about her journey to becoming a neuroscientist! And if you have any questions you wish we had asked, or someone you’d like to hear a similar story from, leave a comment below!The PEERing into Science Podcast is made possible by our lovely team of neuroscience graduate students, including Tania Miramontes, Nina Luong, Joseline Medranos, and Juliana Cuartas. Our music is by Aztec Caves: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/artist/0R678ieSUSqhzJOqiE3nXS⁠More information about this episode can be found at ⁠PEERingintosciencepod.⁠figma.site