Tiny Living Beings is a weekly podcast where listeners get to know a scientist, a weird microorganism they like, and why they think it’s interesting. Our planet is full of billions of different microscopic organisms, most of which are still unknown to science. The ones we do know are diverse and strange. Microbiology knowledge is often gatekept by scientists who discuss this information in exclusive professional circles, but ...
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Dr. Ursula Goodenough has a scientific career that spans six decades, numerous accolades, and is a writer of both textbook and popular science books. But her crowning achievement is being a guest on this podcast. This week, Ursula and I have a conversation that covers topics like algal research, work-life balance, science communication and story telling, life-changing microscopy finds, why sex is so prevalent in nature, and relatedly--Richard Gere. We also discuss her book, The Sacred Depths of Nature, and what it means to be of the religious naturalist orientation. I highly recommend this book as a thought-provoking, yet easy-to-read history of life and evolution and our personal connections to the great mysteries of the universe.Ursula Goodenough is a professor emerita at Washington University in St. Louis, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a best-selling author. She now resides in Martha's Vineyard where she spends a lot of time with her children and grandchildren.To learn more about Ursula and her book The Sacred Depths of Nature and, click here. The second edition was recently published.For more about religious naturalism, click here. You can also sign up for a monthly newsletter from the Religious Naturalist Association here. And here is a piece in NPR written by Ursula. For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram, @CouchMicroscopy on Twitter, or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch!Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites.The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution.
Choanoflagellates are unicellular protists but they also happen to be the closest living relatives to animals. This week, David Booth discusses what choanoflagellates are, where you can find them, and the connection to animal evolution. He also talks about how these microbes are interesting in their own right, impacting whole food webs and ecosytems and interacting with bacteria. We talk about the fossil record and cover a bunch of major evolutionary transitions and how microbial life was the precursor to the kingdoms of organisms we're most familiar with today.Dr. David Booth, PhD, is an assistant professor at University of California San Francisco. His lab investigates the ecological interactions and cell fate of choanoflagellates. You can follow him on Twitter (@dsboothacosta), Instagram (@bioboothlab) or find his work on his lab website or on Google Scholar.For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram, @CouchMicroscopy on Twitter, or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch!Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites.
Do you ever walk past an old building or a tree or a big rock and notice splotchy green or orange or yellow blobs growing all over it? Well, these are probably lichens! Lichens aren't plants and they aren't even technically just fungi. They are actually many organisms living together and functioning as one unit. These "composite" organisms are fungi with symbiotic algae or cyanobacteria living inside them, providing them with sugars produced by photosynthesis. On this episode, Dennis Waters explains what lichens are, why we see them everywhere, what they do, and even what they taste like! We cover topics from symbiosis, to climate change to lichens living in space, suspended outside of the International Space Station. Dr. Dennis Waters, PhD is a lichenologist and is currently a visiting scientist at the Chrysler Herbarium at Rutgers University. He is also an author and his book "Behavior and Culture in One Dimension: Sequences, Affordances, and the Evolution of Complexity" is available here or on his website.Dennis has also provided some links to resources if you want to learn more about lichens:North American Lichen Checklist Database of Lichens in North American Herbaria Catalog of research papers on lichens Some helpful books: Urban Lichens (this is the one I have), Lichens of North America, Delmarva Lichens: An Illustrated Manual, Field Guide to the Lichens of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Common Lichens of Northeastern North America, and The Macrolichens of New England Some images: source 1, source 2, source 3 Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites.
Is fungi everywhere? Is it on our eyeballs and in our nose hairs? Yes, yes, and yes! This week I talk to Dr. Kristen aka Kaydubs about fungi in general and forest fungi in particular. We discuss what these organisms are made of, why they're only now being studied in depth, and the devastating outcomes of American chestnut blight. We also talk about how to become a master naturalist and why it's okay to be weird and/or join a mushroom club! Dr. Kristen, PhD is a plant pathologist and an amazing science communicator. You can follow her on instagram: @kaydubsthehikingscientist. I highly recommend following this account (it is hands down my favorite) because you will learn so much about all the organisms in the forest, from trees to insects to lichens. Lots of cool hiking info and adorable cat content as well. Also, here's a link to Kristen's linktree. And here are links to the lists of North American mushroom societies and American native plant societies. Sorry people on other continents! I'm tired and this episode comes out in an hour and I didn't have time to look up your societies. For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram, @CouchMicroscopy on Twitter, or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites. While some of the content on this podcast may be relevant to human or veterinary medicine, this information is not medical advice. The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution.
Tardigrades aka water bears aka moss piglets are extremely popular! This is due to their tolerance of harsh environments and because of their perceived "cuteness". This week, I speak with Chloé Savard (@tardibabe) about what tardigrades are, what it actually means to "survive" in extreme conditions, and how to find them in nature. We also talk quite a bit about some of the tardigrade misinformation that's constantly circulating that paints these animals as indestructible or even immortal. Chloé uses her expertise on these charismatic microscopic animals to help debunk some strange clickbait claims. We had a lot of fun on this episode and if you have an interest in getting started with hobby microscopy, this is definitely a good episode to listen to! Chloé Savard is a microbiology student and social media sensation. You can follow her work on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. She is also launching a website soon that will be selling prints so stay tuned! Here is a great article she wrote about how to find and image tardigrades! https://moticmicroscopes.com/blogs/articles/tardigrades-waterbears For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram, @CouchMicroscopy on Twitter, or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites. While some of the content on this podcast may be relevant to human or veterinary medicine, this information is not medical advice. The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution.