Tiny Matters

Why does your brain sometimes react to a stressful meeting or traffic jam like you’re being hunted by a lion on the savannah? In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the evolutionary roots of anxiety, why our internal alarm system sometimes misfires, and how treatments can help some people. Then paleontologist and author Riley Black joins the show to talk about her new book Tyrant Lizard Queen: The Love, Life, and Terror of Earth’s Greatest Carnivore. She shares why T. rex is a much more complicated dinosaur than the movie monster we’re used to seeing. We hear about how T. rex grew, hunted, weathered dramatic environmental changes, and fit into her ecosystem.
Related episodes you may enjoy:
Decoding dinosaur colors and the failure of postpartum care: Tiny Show and Tell Us #57
Treating Depression: Then versus now and the SSRI debate
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For decades, coal miners relied on canaries to warn them about deadly carbon monoxide underground. Canaries were retired from that work at the end of the 20th century, but today scientists still rely on certain organisms, referred to as sentinels, to reveal hidden environmental threats. In this episode, we trace the history of the canary in the coal mine to today and explore how researchers use songbirds, mussels, and oysters to monitor mercury, industrial pollution, and other contaminants that can linger in ecosystems for generations.
NOAA's Mussel Watch program is celebrating 40 years! Learn more here: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/a-legacy-of-coastal-health-celebrating-40-years-of-noaas-national-mussel-watch-program/
Related episodes you may enjoy:
How do you save a species?: Breakthroughs from cheetahs, red wolves, and 'spicy' toads
Deep sea mining: Environmental uncertainty, ‘Law of the Sea,’ and shark potatoes
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In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, a listener asks why maternal mortality rates in countries like the U.S. and Canada have risen while many other wealthy nations have seen them plateau or even decrease. We talk about postpartum health, racial disparities, access to care, and why support after birth can be just as important as care during pregnancy and delivery. Then we switch gears and discuss how we know the colors of some dinosaurs. The answer lies in tiny fossilized structures called melanosomes, which allowed researchers to reconstruct some of the colors of dinosaurs.
Related episodes you may enjoy:
The Mothers of Gynecology: The centuries that led to today’s Black maternal mortality crisis
Dinosaur Fossils: Inspiring Jurassic Park and helping us predict Earth's future
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Cheetahs carry the genetic scars of an Ice Age bottleneck, red wolves are so rare that every egg matters, and harlequin frogs need their natural toxins restored before they can thrive in the wild again. But avoiding extinction requires far more than protecting habitat alone. In this episode, we talk with scientists at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute to explore cutting-edge science helping these animals not just survive but thrive, including innovative reproductive technologies like ‘ovary-on-a-chip.’
Similar episodes you may enjoy:
Extinction: Rethinking the dodo's demise, and could a supervolcano threaten humanity's future?
What is de-extinction, really? Conservation, genetics, and lessons from 'dire wolves'
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In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we first discuss funnel-web spiders, who are among the most venomous spiders on Earth. Maybe somewhat paradoxically, their toxins are being studied to treat human disease and chronic pain. Then we talk with historian Claire Aubin about J. Willard Gibbs’ grave at Yale, where she’s a professor. Gibbs was a quiet scientific genius whose work transformed chemistry. He was also seemingly a very cool dude, and today his gravesite is decorated by students seeking good luck before exams.
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A transcript and references for this episode can be found at acs.org/tinymatters.
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