Sam Telford appears “NOVA Wonders” tonight

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Tick researcher Sam Telford, who advises the Island boards of health on tick pathogens,  will appear on tonight’s episode of “NOVA Wonders: Can We Make Life?” The episode airs at 9 pm EST on WGBH2.

“NOVA Wonders” is a new WGBH series that probes the biggest, most provocative, unanswered questions in science, according to a press release. It is hosted by scientists Talithia Williams, Rana El Kaliouby, and Andre Fenton.

Tonight’s episode is about creating life in the lab. New tools are allowing researchers to use cells to create their own DNA and edit it into existing genomes, according to the release. In this episode, scientists will look at the daring endeavour of bioengineering animals to prevent Lyme disease. Telford is a professor of infectious disease at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, and one of the Island’s tick experts. He’s been studying tick-borne illnesses since he was a Harvard post-graduate on Nantucket, and become a renowned authority on the subject. He began studying on the Island in 1994, and has been coming back regularly ever since, according to an previous article published in The Times.