As a kid, all Vincent Lynch wanted to do was hang out by the river near his home, fishing and crabbing and playing in the muck. School, by contrast, was a bore. Then he discovered biology—and never looked back. Today, as an evolutionary biologist at the University at Buffalo, Lynch studies the genomic history of animals both living and extinct to understand everything from why elephants don’t get cancer to why women go into labor. In this episode of Driven to Discover, Lynch talks to host Tom Dinki about what it means to run a “curiosity-driven” lab, why resurrecting extinct species is a bad idea, and how analyzing animal genes could help humans lead longer, healthier lives.

Credits: 
 
Host: Tom Dinki
Guest: Vincent Lynch
Writer/Producer: Laura Silverman
Production and editing by UB Video Production Group 

Coming Dec. 9: Sleep is a basic biological function, so why do so many people struggle with it? Nationally recognized sleep expert Carleara Weiss unpacks the mysteries of why we sleep and what happens when we don’t; discusses her research on the connection between sleep and Alzheimer's disease; and shares her top tips for getting a better night’s rest.