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PODCAST

Biopedia

Vince"s Podcasts

Biology is a fascinating subject which is well worth exploring. Its scope stretches from individual DNA strands and viruses to blue whales, metapopulations and the biosphere. We will shine the spotlight on a different biological concept in every episode. Topics I"ve covered in the past include the origins of cell theory, Dollo"s law and the Anthropocene; however, there is still plenty more to discover. Our focus will range from the very smallest scales to the very largest; from virions to the Gaia

science life sciences

All Episodes

00:05:20

32- Trisomies and Non-Disjunction

Biopedia ·

2021/05/16

Usually, we get two copies of each chromosome. However, the finely tuned process of meiosis and fertilisation can go awry such that a new zygote ends up with three copies. Depending on the chromosome, this can have serious consequences... Sources for this episode: 1) For an explanation of non-disjunction which I found helpful when I was at sixth form, see: Amoeba Sisters, YouTube (2017), Meiosis (Updated) (online) [Accessed 25/03/2021]. 2) Xu, X., Zhang, X., Han, J.-W., Adamu, Y. and Zhang, B

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00:05:15

31- Choanoflagellates

Biopedia ·

2021/05/09

We often think about animals as an insular group. However, as with any genetic grouping, animals do have close relatives. On the show today, we discuss choanoflagellates- considered the closest relatives to animals today, and possibly a good candidate for what the common ancestor of all animals would have looked like. Sources for this episode: 1) Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global

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00:03:32

30- Measures of Diversity

Biopedia ·

2021/05/02

Biodiversity is often mentioned as one concept in popular culture. However, it can be split into different components depending on who you ask. Today, we're going to explore two different ways of chopping biodiversity up. Sources for this episode: 1) Cain, M. L., Bowman, W. D. and Hacker, S. D. (2011), Ecology (2nd edition). Sunderland: Sinauer Associates Ltd. 2) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Gamma diversity (online) [Accessed 06/03/2021]. There are ways of working out biodiversity

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00:04:47

29- Sympatric Speciation

Biopedia ·

2021/04/25

This week, we're going to discuss sympatric speciation- the counterpart to allopatric speciation where no physical barrier is needed. Sources for this episode: 1) Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition), Harlow, Pearson Education Limited. 2) Thain, M., and Hickman, M. (2014), The Penguin Dictionary of Biology, 11th edition. London: Penguin Publishing Group. 3) Author unknown,

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00:04:26

Bonus- William Darwin's Development

Biopedia ·

2021/04/24

Bonus episode! Today, I'm going to focus on a less well-known story from the Darwin family. Specifically, let's look at William Erasmus Darwin, the eldest child of the family. In 1877, Darwin published an article about his observations of William's development. Sources for this episode: 1) Darwin, C. R. (1877), A biographical sketch of an infant. Scientific American Supplement 86: 1373- 1374 (online). Available at: Internet Archive [Accessed 25/03/2021]. 2) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown),

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00:04:55

28- Speciation and the Great Wall of China

Biopedia ·

2021/04/18

The Great Wall of China is one of the most imposing monuments humanity has ever created- after all, it's not for nothing that the claim goes around that you can see it from space. However, it's not just an effective barrier for humans. In fact, a 2003 study indicates that it's causing speciation in the region... Sources for this episode: 1) Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition),

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00:06:00

27- Twin Types

Biopedia ·

2021/04/11

We're always taught that twins can either be identical or non-identical. But what is the basis for this? And is there ever a situation where twin type is not quite so binary? Sources for this episode: 1) Davis, N., the Guardian (2019), Scientists stunned by discovery of 'semi-identical' twins (online) [Accessed 07/02/2021]. 2) Author unknown, BBC (2019), Semi-identical twins 'identified for only the second time' (online) [Accessed 07/02/2021]. 3) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Twin

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00:05:07

26- The Anthropocene

Biopedia ·

2021/04/03

The term 'Anthropocene' (roughly translated as 'Age of Man') is a term that is sometimes thrown about on the radio or in science. But what is it exactly? As we'll see today, the concept itself is relatively simpler, but nailing down the specifics is somewhat harder than it seems... Sources for this episode: 1) Ashley, S., National Trust (date unknown), What is the Anthropocene? (online) [Accessed 30/01/2021]. 2) Author unknown, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020), Anthropocene Epoch (online) [Accessed

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00:04:26

25- Dollo's Law

Biopedia ·

2021/03/28

Science has to change with the evidence if it is to be trusted. One example of this comes with Dollo's Law, named after the French Belgian biologist Louis Dollo. His original theory was that evolution would never, under any circumstances, retrace its path. However, as we're going to see on the podcast today, that isn't always the case. With new evidence came the need for a revamp of Dollo's Law... Sources for this episode: 1) The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2018), Peppered moth (online)

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00:03:44

24- Rewind: Dominant and Recessive

Biopedia ·

2021/03/21

In our third Rewind episode, I'm going to go back over the concept of dominant vs. recessive as a mechanism of genetic inheritance, which I've touched upon before but not really in any great detail. Sources for this episode: 1) Fullick A., Locke, J. and Bircher, P. (2015), A Level Biology for OCR A. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2) Thain, M., and Hickman, M. (2014), The Penguin Dictionary of Biology, 11th edition. London: Penguin Publishing Group. 3) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Eye

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00:05:29

23- How Many Species?

Biopedia ·

2021/03/14

This episode is really going to do what it says on the tin- discuss the question of how many species there are in the world. This might seem a simple question, but a simple answer has eluded the scientific community for some years now. On the show today, I'm going to go through some of the methods past research has used to answer this question and what figures they came up with. Sources for this episode: 1) Latty, T. and Lee, T., 'Phys.org' (2019), How many species on Earth? A simple question that's

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00:02:07

Introducing- After Alexander

Biopedia ·

2021/03/07

Hi everyone, just a quick plug for my other show- After Alexander. This is a history podcast where we examine what happened between Alexander the Great's death in 323 and the destruction of the last of the Hellenistic kingdoms by the Romans and Parthians. Specifically, it focuses on the Seleucid dynasty, descended from Seleucus I Nicator and eventually rulers over most of Alexander's old empire in their glory days. If that sounds like it might be for you, feel free to head over and join us! Regular

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00:04:17

22- The Central Indo-Pacific

Biopedia ·

2021/02/28

The Central Indo-Pacific (or CIP if you're stuck for time) is a highly diverse region of the ocean. But how did it get to be this way? It's this question which is the topic for today's episode. Sources for this episode: 1) Ivany, L. C., Patterson, W. P. and Lohmann, K. C. (2000), Cooler winters as a possible cause of mass extinctions at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. Nature 407: 887- 890. 2) Jones, K. R., Klein, C. J., Halpern, B. S., Venter, O., Grantham, H., Kuempel, C. D., Shumway, N.,

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00:05:25

21- The Black Queen Hypothesis

Biopedia ·

2021/02/21

Building on our discussion of the Red Queen hypothesis last week, we're going to go through a theorem which is similarly chess-themed but goes against our hypothesis from episode 20. This theory holds that, rather than continual evolution being necessary for a species to survive, natural selection can sometimes allow genes to be lost from the gene pool. Sources for this episode: 1) Allen, R. C., Popat, R., Diggle, S. P. and Brown, S. P. (2014), Targeting virulence: can we make evolution-proof drugs

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00:02:57

20- The Red Queen Hypothesis

Biopedia ·

2021/02/14

This week, I'm going to discuss the Red Queen Hypothesis, which sounds intimidating but is actually rather straightforward. Not only is it an evolutionary theory, but it's also a reminder that biologists really like finding obscure reasons to name things... Sources for this episode: 1) Scoville, H., ThoughtCo (updated 2019), What Is the Red Queen Hypothesis? (online) [Accessed 14/01/2021]. 2) Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2004), The Penguin Dictionary of Biology (11th edition). London: Penguin Books

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00:05:41

Darwin Day 2021- The Children of Darwin

Biopedia ·

2021/02/12

Happy Darwin Day! On the anniversary of Darwin’s birthday on 12th February 1809, I thought it would be fun to release a special episode covering some aspect of Darwin’s life or theories. Today, we’re going to discuss the health of Darwin’s children and of Darwin’s immediate family. Sources for this episode: 1) Hayman, J., Álvarez, G., Ceballos, F. C. and Berra, T. M. (2017), The illnesses of Charles Darwin and his children: a lesson in consanguinity. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 121:

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00:05:44

19- How Evolution Works

Biopedia ·

2021/02/07

This week, I’m going to do something a little different and talk through a process we hear a lot about, but which isn’t often discussed as a process outside biology classrooms very much- evolution. This episode will be a little different from my usual, as it’s mainly going to be me talking rather than drawing on sources. Instead, this discussion is going to be based on my biological education so far.

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00:04:09

18- Apoptosis

Biopedia ·

2021/01/31

Apoptosis is the phenomenon by which cells commit suicide in an orderly and programmed fashion. But why is it important? And what happens if it goes wrong? Today, we're just going to introduce the topic briefly and give some examples of why it is biologically useful. Sources for this episode: 1) Alberts, Johnson, Lewis, Raff, Roberts, and Walter (2008), Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition. Abingdon: Garland Science, ‘Taylor and Francis Group LLC’. 2) Thain, M., and Hickman, M. (2014), The

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00:03:26

17- How To Make An Eye Colour

Biopedia ·

2021/01/24

Eye colour is one of the first examples of genetic inheritance talked about in schools across the country. But what is it that these genes really do? What causes eye colour from a functional perspective? As we'll see on the podcast today, it's all to do with the pigment melanin... Sources for this episode: 1) Alberts, Johnson, Lewis Raff, Roberts, and Walter (2008), Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition. Abingdon: Garland Science, Taylor and Francis Group LLC. 2) Sturm, R. A. and Frudakis, T

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00:03:51

16- Assortative Mating

Biopedia ·

2021/01/17

Assortative mating is essentially the recognition that theory isn’t always perfect and that, however desperately biologists might want some simplicity in the world, organisms don’t just encounter each other like gas molecules- it’s not a random process. In fact, it can even give evolution a helping hand… Sources for this episode: 1) Nishi, A., Alexander, M., Fowler, J. H. and Christakis, N. A. (2020), Assortative mating at loci under recent natural selection in humans. BioSystems 187 (2020) 104040

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