125- Pollinator Decline Debate Part II: A Dissenting Voice
10/05/2026 | 3 mins.
Last week we introduced some discussion on bee/pollinator declines. This week, we will discuss a perspective by Jaboury Ghazoul- a professor at ETH Zurich- who argued in a 2005 paper that labelling a pollinator decline crisis was, in fact, premature.
Sources for this episode: TBA
124- Pollinator Decline Debate Part I: Non-Bee Pollinators
26/04/2026 | 2 mins.
Once again adapting a blog post into an episode, we are going to be examining a paper from 2016 which gives a potential new perspective on bee/pollinator declines. It argues that the contribution of non-bee pollinators to pollination services might be greater than we think.
Sources for this episode: TBA
123- Calculating Inbreeding Coefficient
12/04/2026 | 8 mins.
There is a number we use in genetics to represent how inbred a particular individual- e.g.: Charles II of Spain, Ptolemy XIII or Danaerys Targaryen- is. On today's episode, thanks to guidance from a blog post I found very helpful on the subject, we are going to take you through how this number is calculated for some simpler cases.
Sources for this episode: TBA
122- How to Build a Phylogenetic Tree
29/03/2026 | 4 mins.
The term phylogenetic tree often gets bandied about, but how exactly do you construct one? Using three exemplar snake species and the differences in amino acid sequences in a common protein, let's build one together and explore how the process works.
Sources for this episode: TBA
121- Biofilms and Alzheimer's
15/03/2026 | 5 mins.
We're going to be adapting an old Biopedia blog post today and examining how biofilms might be relevant in the generation of Alzheimer's.
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 hypothesis. So come and explore the fascinating world of biology, one episode at a time!
UK