Big Biology

The cost of correctness (Ep 151) 02.07.2026 48λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comWhat have so many influential scientists been at some time been ridiculed and disbelieved by their peers or institutions? What reforms could foster bolder and more innovative science?In this episode we talk with Matt Kaplan, a science correspondent at The Economist and author, about his most recent book I Told You So! Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exil…

Hormones gone wild (Ep 150) 04.06.2026 1ώ 20λ

How do hormones help animals cope with stress, seasons, and climate change? What is allostasis?In this episode, our guest is John Wingfield, Emeritus Professor of Physiology and Behavior, at the University of California, Davis. John helped develop many fundamental hypotheses in the field of endocrinology through his work on wild bird populations, in particular the white-crowned sparrow. Fran Bonier, a former PhD student of John’s and now Professor of Biology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, also joined us for the chat.We talk with John about how he got interested in understanding wildlife endocrinology, and discuss how he helped formulate the “challenge hypothesis”, “emergency life history hypothesis”, and the concept of “allostasis”. And at the end, John gives some advice to early career researchers, based on his experience as the head of the Biology Directorate at the National Science Foundation.Cover art by Brianna Longo. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigbiology.substack.com/subscribe

Invasion of the ecosystem snatchers (Ep 149) 14.05.2026 35λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow do you experimentally test theories of island biogeography? Who were the Tallahassee Mafia? Why do some introduced species become invasive and reshape ecosystems?On this episode, we bring you a live recorded conversation we had with Daniel (Dan) Simberloff at the Laurel Theater in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dan Simberloff is the Nancy Gore Hunger Chair o…

The Voracious Ctenophore and the Silent Sea (Ep 148) 23.04.2026 30λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow is climate change affecting the movements of small predators in the sea? How do diatoms affect ocean carbon cycling? How do Cassiopea jellyfish act like ecosystem engineers?On this episode, we bring you a live conversation from the recent University of South Florida Climate Teach-In where Marty interviewed his colleague, Associate Professor from the…

The Genetics of Vice (Ep 147) 02.04.2026 51λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comWhat role do genes play in complex human behaviors? If behavior is largely shaped by a combination of experience and luck, how should we rethink blame, punishment, and forgiveness?In this episode, we talk with Kathryn Paige Harden, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she leads the Developmental Behavior Genetics lab and…

Evolution at the speed of life (Ep 145) 12.02.2026 32λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comWhat are eco‑evolutionary dynamics and how can we study them in the wild? Why do some fish evolve placentas?In this episode, we talk with David Reznick, Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of California, Riverside. David has spent much of his career studying Trinidadian guppies to understand adaptation in the wild. In our conversation, …

Heart of gold (Ep 144) 22.01.2026 32λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow are camera traps used in the conservation of cryptic species such as the African golden cat? How can local communities be engaged to foster the success of conservation?In this episode, we talk with Mwezi Mugerwa, winner of the 2025 Indianapolis Prize Emerging Conservationist, a National Geographic Explorer, and President of the Society for Conservat…

The Vital Question: The Chemistry of Early Life 01.01.2026 1ώ 2λ

How did life originate on Earth? Why is it that eukaryotes but not bacteria or archaea evolved large size and complicated body forms? How likely is that life has arisen independently elsewhere in the universe?On this episode, we talk with Nick Lane, a biochemist and professor at University College London, about his 2015 book The Vital Question. Nick argues that protolife arose in alkaline hydrothermal vents deep in the early Earth’s oceans. The key early event was the evolution of metabolism powered by proton gradients. In other words, metabolism came first, and all of the rest of traits we think of as universal to life -- DNA, RNA, proteins, transcription, and translation -- came later. He also invokes an energetic perspective on the origin of eukaryotes, arguing that the acquisition of mitochondria distributed energy production through the cell volume, provided vastly more energy per gene, and allowed the dramatic expansion of eukaryotic genomes that in turn support the astonishing diversity of eukaryotic forms we see today.This episode was originally aired in October 2020. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigbiology.substack.com/subscribe

From Steppe to Stable (Ep 143) 11.12.2025 38λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow and when did humans domesticate the horse? How did horses shape our language, culture, and history?On this episode, we talk with Dr. Ludovic Orlando, a research director for the French National Center for Scientific Research and founding director of the Centre for Anthropobiology & Genomics of Toulouse. Ludovic is also the author of the new book Hor…

Doctors by Nature (Ep 142) 20.11.2025 30λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow do animals use medication and can humans learn from them? What are the evolutionary consequences of animal self-medication?In this episode, we talk with Jaap de Roode, the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Biology at Emory University and author of the book Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves. Jaap’s research on monar…

Vulnerability in science and in genomes (Ep 141) 30.10.2025 1ώ 24λ

What impact has the Trump administration had on biology and the scientific community? How do scientists study genomic adaptation and vulnerability?On this episode we talk with Dr. Katie Lotterhos, Associate Professor in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at Northeastern University. Katie is also the Secretary for the American Society of Naturalists, and she helped to coordinate and implement a survey of scientists to understand the impacts of the Trump administration’s policies on ecology, evolution, marine science and environmental science. In the first half of the episode, we talk with Katie about carrying out this survey, discuss some of the main themes of the results, and how the results can be used in the future. Then, we talk about Katie’s research where she uses oysters as a study system to understand the genomic basis of local adaptation and genomic vulnerability of populations to environmental change.Cover art by Brianna Longo. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigbiology.substack.com/subscribe

Biology outside the box (Ep 140) 09.10.2025 30λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comWhat’s the value of risk-taking in research? How is studying the mechanisms of transgenerational inheritance in C. elegans unorthodox and insightful? How can AI help improve aspects of biology, namely the peer review process?In this episode, we talk with Oded Rechavi, professor in the Faculty of Life Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel …

Evolution across scales (Ep 139) 17.09.2025 35λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow do non-adaptive processes shape biological diversity and complexity? What is effective population size and what important role does it play in evolution?On this episode of Big Biology, we talk with Dr Mike Lynch, Regents Professor and the Director of the Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution at Arizona State University. We talk with Mike abou…

The Origin of Us: Human Evolution 04.09.2025 1ώ

Where, when, and how did Homo sapiens appear? What do we know about the complex set of ancestral hominins that preceded us? How recently did other hominin lineages live and what happened to them?On this episode, we talk with Kate Wong, a senior editor at Scientific American, about her article, The Origin of Us. Our understanding of hominin evolution over the past several million years has been transformed by exciting new fossil finds and new DNA sequence data. We talk with Kate about the biggest news, the luxuriant evolutionary bush from which our ancestors emerged in Africa, and her favorite fossil species.Find more articles from Kate here: Stories by Kate WongCover Art by Brianna Longo This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigbiology.substack.com/subscribe

Covid Conversations (Ep 138) 14.08.2025 46λ

What can we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic, and how do we apply that knowledge moving forward?On this special episode of Big Biology, we’re bringing you the highlights from a conference called “Covid Conversations,” which was hosted at the University of South Florida last December. The event brought together scientists, public health experts, medical doctors, historians, students, philosophers, and community leaders—for one big, open conversation about COVID-19. The episode shares the different perspectives these speakers had on the virus, the pandemic response, and our future preparedness to disease.This episode is hosted by Caroline Merriman, a Big Biology intern and a research fellow with the Association of Public Health Laboratories program, and Kailey McCain, a PhD student in Marty’s lab at USF and a former Big Biology intern.Cover art by Keating Shahmehri This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigbiology.substack.com/subscribe

Student Spotlight: Finding passion in science communication and advocacy (Ep 137) 24.07.2025 35λ

How can grad students advocate for science policy? How can science communication make research more accessible and inclusive?On this episode of Big Biology, we bring back our “Student Spotlight” segment. We talk with JP Flores, a PhD student studying bioinformatics and computational biology at UNC Chapel Hill. JP does more than just research, he is also deeply engaged in science communication and hosts the award-winning podcast From where does it STEM? He has also worked in science policy as an intern at the NIH and is part of the Science Policy and Advocacy Group at UNC. Earlier this year, JP helped to organize the Stand Up for Science 2025 protest and as a result of the movement, co-founded the non-profit Science for Good. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigbiology.substack.com/subscribe

The call of the wild (Ep 136) 03.07.2025 32λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comWhat role does media play in conservation efforts and inspiring future generations of scientists? How can science communication make scientific knowledge accessible to the public, especially for communities underrepresented in science?On this episode, we talk with Dr Rae Wynn-Grant a researcher at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management …

Not all heroes have spines (Ep 135) 12.06.2025 32λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comWhat biological "superpowers" do marine invertebrates possess? What challenges do they face and will their resilience protect them from anthropogenic change?On this episode, we talk with Drew Harvell, Professor Emerita of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, Affiliate Faculty at the University of Washington, former Science Envoy for O…

#SaveNSF (Episode 134) 22.05.2025 53λ

Why is the National Science Foundation important? What is the potential impact of the proposed budget cut to the NSF? How can we stand up for federally-funded science in the US?In this episode, we talk with Bill Zamer and Sam Scheiner, two former BIO program officers at the NSF. Much of the conversation focuses on the recently proposed 56% budget cut to the NSF and what the impacts of such a spending cut would be on science in the US. We discuss how the NSF came to be, the proposal selection process, and some of the scientific breakthroughs that have come out of the NSF-supported basic research. The episode also has suggestions of how to show your support for the NSF including calling your representatives, talking about the importance of the NSF and sharing this episode widely, and taking action suggested by the coalition SaveNSF. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigbiology.substack.com/subscribe

Microplastics, macro-problems (Ep 133) 01.05.2025 28λ

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comWhat are microplastics and why are they an issue for the environment? How can global policy address plastic pollution?On this episode, we talk with Martin Wagner, a Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. We talk with Martin about the potential harms of microplastics and plastic-derived chemicals to our health and the health of natural ecosystems. We also discuss Martin’s work as part of the International Negotiating Committee set up to produce the UN plastics treaty, a global agreement that outlines steps and timelines for the production and use of plastics.Cover art by Keating Shahmehri