Have you ever looked at a human face and wondered: Why are we like this? This week’s guest, Cassy Appelt, has your answers! Her PhD work zooms down to the molecular level to study how teeth and faces evolved together, and the genetic networks that drive their development.

Before she came to be a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine, Cassy completed two (simultaneous!) degrees in Biology and Archaeology. She is also a dedicated teacher and mentor, striving to make science available for everyone. Cassy founded the ASLEEP Initiative (Accessible Scientific Learning & Education Equity Programming), which creates and distributes free resource kits to support grade school science education. Tune in for the science, and stay for the heartfelt witticisms; we hope you enjoy this episode!

See here for The ASLEEP Initiative FaceBook page

See here for some of Cassy’s recent work on genes that drive tooth development