This Week in Virology, the Podcast About Viruses, the kind that make you sick.

From Microbe TV, this is Twive this week in virology a special episode recorded on

December 5th 2023 I'm Vincent Drachin-Yello and you're listening to the podcast all about viruses.

Today I am in Heidelberg, City in Germany. I'm here to attend the giant virus meeting you'll be hearing a twib from there as well

but I thought while I was here I would stop by and see my guest who is here at the Max Planck Institute

for Medical Research, Matius Fisher.

Welcome to Tewev.

Thank you very much. It's a pleasure having you here.

I have been wanting to have you on Tewh for many years and I thought of having you on it at the Giant Viruses meeting, which is later this week,

but you said you're too busy and you want to be able to focus on the meeting, so we would do it here instead.

Well, since you were coming anyway to Heidelberg before and drive down with us.

So, while I'm here, this is the Institute, and then there is also University of Heidelberg right next to us,

where there is some virology and we'll do a podcast there as well.

But let's start with you, Matias.

Tell us your history.

I know you are originally from Germany, right? So I grew up in a small town in

Bavaria called Passau and then I moved to university in Bayreuth, which is the northern part of Bavaria, and they are studied biochemistry.

So how did you know you wanted to study biochemistry?

Well, I think I got excited late high school the last two years. We had a fantastic biology teacher, so shout out to Mr. Burgl, he's still alive.

He really got me excited in genetics and molecular biology.

And I thought what's the best way to get there,

either biology or biochemistry.

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