Big Biology | A Science Podcast

Meet our most recent guest host, Dr. Fran Bonier.

Dan Simberloff is perhaps best known for his work that is foundational to the field of invasion biology. He recently wrote the book “Ecological Explosions: The History of Biological Invasions and Invasion Science”, which explores the history and evolution of the field. 📖

Pop Quiz ⭐ Test your knowledge of our most recent episode with Dan Simberloff!

Our recent guest Dan Simberloff discussed an early experiment he did to test some of the predictions of island biogeography theory. To do so, Dan and his collaborators had to find a way to wipe out all of the arthropod species on some small islands in Florida. 🏝️

Guest Dan Simberloff talks about the allegations that he was part of the “Tallahassee mafia”. He explains that this term was coined by a writer at Science to label the group comprised of Dan, Don Strong, Fran James, Larry Abele and their students at Florida State.

Get to know our most recent guest, Daniel Simberloff! In our most recent episode, “Invasion of the Ecosystem Snatchers”, we dive into island biogeography, the Tallahassee mafia, and why certain species become invasive and reshape ecosystems. Tune in today!

Big Biology guest Brad Gemmell talks about a key feature of his research—the fact that many marine organisms are very small, at least at some point in their lives. 🔍 🔬

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Our recent episode with Brad Gemmell was a deep dive🪼 Comb Jellyfish/Ctenophora are are the largest animals to swim using cillia, and are known for their voracious appetites. To learn more about Comb Jellyfish, check out our latest episode!

Big Biology guest Brad Gemmell talks about how Cassiopeia jellyfish act like ecosystem engineers in the mangrove ecosystems around Tampa Bay. They filter sediments from the water and oxygenate these ecosystems that often become depleted of oxygen. 🪼

In our recent episode, Brad Gemmell explains how ctneophores act like the “lions of the ocean”. 🦁 🌊 Ctenophores are these prolific predators that eat tiny prey animals almost constantly, on average 35-50 prey items an hour!

Pop Quiz! Ready to test your knowledge of our most recent episode with Brad Gemmell?

In Original Sin, Dr. Harden explores the relationship between control, blame, and biology. Addressing the uneasy space where human biology meets behavior, Harden calls us to reexamine our views of accountability, punishment, and forgiveness. #scicomm #biology #science #bigbiology

Meet our most recent guest, Brad Gemmell! Brad is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida. His research specializes in aquatic locomotion, behavioral ecology of marine organisms, and large-scale ecosystem processes. Tune in to our upcoming episode for more!

In our recent episode, guest Paige Harden describes how we might think about moral responsibility to one another as humans who live together in a community. This is a core element of her new book “Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, the Problem of Blame, and the Future of Forgiveness”.

Recent Big Biology guest Paige Harden @kph3k.bsky.social talks more about her book “Original Sin: On The Genetics of Vice, The Problem of Blame, and The Future of Forgiveness.” 📖 #science #scicomm #sciencecommunication #podcast #bigbiology

Meet our recent guest, Paige Harden! In, The Genetics of Vice (ep. 147) we dice into what roles shape complex human behavior? And if behavior is largely shaped by a combination of experience and luck, how should we rethink blame, punishment, and forgiveness? @kph3k.bsky.social

Big ideas are better shared! Save with a group subscription, available now on substack. #biology #scicomm #evolution #podcast

Nachum Ulanovsky says to understand how to study how an animal thinks, we need to try to understand what its like to be in its head (or wings) 🐭 🦇 By learning about the sensory world of a study species, scientists can better design more naturalistic studies.

On our recent episode, guest Nachum Ulanovsky talks about how neuroscience can learn from ecology and from the environment animals experience in the wild to design more naturalistic experiments.

Meet our most recent guest: Nachum Ulanovsky! Tune into our most recent episode “Neuroscience, naturally” to learn more about how neuroscience can be more naturalistic and lessons that can be taken from behavioral ecology and evolution. #bio #neuroscience #evolution #scicomm #biology

Meet our most recent guest, David Reznick.

In our latest episode, guest Mwezi Mugerwa talks about why the communities living near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park didn’t initially trust conservatio. These communities saw people coming to the forest for the first time, cutting off their access, and saying it was in the name of “conservation”

In this clip from an Indianapolis Prize video, recent guest of Big Biology Mwezi "Badru" Mugerwa describes a conservation program to reduce bush meat hunting and help protect the African golden cat. 🐱

Pop Quiz 🌟 Test your knowledge! To learn more about the African Golden Cat tune in to our newest episode! #biology #science #scicomm #evolution #conservation

Meet our most recent guest, Mwezi Mugerwa!

Big Biology guest Ludovic Orlando talks about the first time horses were domesticated. The Botai people were hunter gatherers who started to keep captive horses. He says this choice was likely due to environmental conditions that made the horse population smaller in the area where the Botai hunted.

Have you watched our most recent episode? Test your knowledge with a pop quiz! 🌟

Meet our most recent guest: Ludovic Orlando! 🌟

Jaap de Roode is concerned that the biodiversity and climate crises might rob the world of the pharmacy and pharmacists in nature. He draws on the words of Jane Goodall to give some hope that we can all do something to make a change and help protect nature’s doctors. 🐻 🐵 🦋 🩺

From parasite-fighting plants to behavior that prevents infection, animals use astonishing strategies to stay healthy. Doctors by Nature by Jaap de Roode, explores self-medication across the animal kingdom. Get your copy today!

Check out Virulent Vortex, a podcast hosted by recent guest Jaap de Roode. The podcast explores infectious diseases across scales from molecules and pathogens to populations and their pandemics! #biology #scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #biology #evolution

What can we learn from animals when it comes to medication? 💊 🌿 Recent Big Biology guest Jaap de Roode says we could follow their lead in using mixes of chemicals for medication, which may help prevent the evolution of antibiotic or antiviral resistance! 🦠 🧫

Big Biology guest Jaap de Roode talks about the focus of his book “Doctors by Nature”. He chose to write about medication in animals, when animals use of chemicals from outside of their bodies, which may result in side effects just as human medication has. 💊 🌿

Have you watched our newest episode? Take this pop quiz to test your knowledge! To hear more about how animals use medication and what humans can learn from animal self-medication, check out episode 142 “Doctors By Nature” with Dr. Jaap de Roode!

Meet our most recent guest, Jaap de Roode, a Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Biology at Emory University, where he is director of the Infectious Diseases Across Scales Training Program. #science #scicomm #sciencecommunication #biology

Dr. Katie Lotterhos (@drk-lo.bsky.social) talks about the potential and pitfalls of using genomic offsets to forecast species vulnerability. 🧬

Can feedback on your manuscript take minutes? That’s the idea behind qed science, an AI platform lets scientists upload manuscripts and receive instant, transparent feedback. Qed also announced a partnership with BioRxiv, connecting preprints to real-time review. @odedrechavi.bsky.social

When asked what was about the overall results from the Impacts on Science survey, Big Biology guest Katie Lotterhos @drk-lo.bsky.social concluded: “We really need freedom for science to work.” 🔬 🧪 🧬

🌟 Substack Giveaway 🌟 Help us get to our goal of 500 paid subscribers on Substack! For every 20 new paid subscribers, we’re giving away a t-shirt or poster to one randomly selected paid subscriber!

Episode 141: Vulnerability in Science and in Genomes Cover Art! 🌟 Tune in to our newest episode to hear from Dr. katie Lotterhos as she talks federal funding cuts on science. Stay tuned to take a deeper dive into population structure, genomic adaptation, and vulnerability!

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Could brain invading parasites be re-engineered to deliver helpful molecules into neurons? Get to know more about Oded’s work in our new episode: bigbiology.substack.com/p/biology-ou...

Oded Rechavi thinks that a fear of failure is holding scientists back. Helping science students to embrace mistakes can help them more creative. 🔬 🌟

Meet our most recent guest, Dr. Oded Rechavi. ✨ Tune into our newest episode to hear more about his groundbreaking work and his newest venture, q.e.d, and AI platform built for scientists

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Dr Mike Lynch talks about some of reasons he wrote his most recent book “Evolutionary Cell Biology: The Origins of Cellular Architecture”. 🦠 🔬

🌟Test your knowledge with this pop quiz🌟 Take a deeper dive by listening to our newest episode with Dr. Mike Lynch, out now!

Do you want more Big Biology in your life? Sign up for our Substack as a paying subscriber!🤩 You’ll get access to behind the scenes audio like this clip from our hosts reflecting on their conversation with Mike Lynch. #scicomm #science #sciencecommunication #biology #bigbiology #substack

Ep. 139 “Evolution Across Scales” with Dr. Mike Lynch is out now!

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🌟Substack Giveaway🌟 Help us get to our goal of 500 paid subscribers on Substack! For every 20 new paid subscribers, we’re giving away a t-shirt or poster to one randomly selected paid subscriber! Subscribe to the Big Biology podcast on Substack today!

Meet the guest on our upcoming episode: Mike Lynch. 🌟 Mike is a geneticist and is the Director of the Biodesign Institute for Mechanisms of Evolution at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. He is also the author of four books. Learn more about Mike and his research in our upcoming episode.

Big Biology Wrapped - Season 7!✨✨ Subscribe to our Substack today for all season 8 content!

Were Homo Sapiens special, lucky, or both? In our newest episode Kate Wong, science writer and senior editor for Scientific American digs into the origins of humans, evidence of language, the history of tool use and more! @katewong.bsky.social

Meet our most recent guest, Kate Wong! ✨ Kate is a science writer and senior science editor for Scientific American. She has been covering human origins and evolution for over 25 years. Hear more about her work in our newest episode!