Right Up Your AlgaeExplicit

by Clara Ryan and Emily Dawe

This is a podcast about wildlife, ecology, and the environment. Your co-hosts Emily and Clara are two undergraduate university students who want to help teach our audience about how cool our world is. We take information from peer-reviewed sources and facts about new advancements in the environment and explain it in terms for everyone to understand, We both know how tough good science can be to find and understand. So we mad ... 

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Podcast episodes

  • Season 3

  • Serum Run for Life: Nome Diphtheria Epidemic 100 Years Later.

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    Serum Run for Life: Nome Diphtheria Epidemic 100 Years Later.

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    We're stepping into the time machine and going back 100 years to Nome Alaska. Clara and Emily discuss the serum run for life, sled dogs, and who really deserves some more recognition. Stay tuned for Right Whale Watch, and a brand new bit... dirty birds. Moon, Katherine L., et al. " Comparative genomics of Balto, a famous historic dog, captures lost diversity of 1920s sled dogs." Science 380.6643 (2023): eabn5887. Williams N. Canada apologizes to inuit communities for mass killing of sled sogs decades ago. Reuters. (2024). Aboul-Enein, et al. 2019. The 1925 Diphtheria Antitoxin Run to Nome - Alaska: A Public Health Illustration of Human-Animal Collaboration. J Med Humanit 40: 287–296 E. D. Stokes. 1996. “The Race for Life.” Public Health Reports (1974-), vol. 111, no. 3, pp. 272– 75. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4598014. Sharma, N. C., et al. 2019. Diphtheria (primer). Nature Reviews: Disease Primers, 5: 1 //doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0131-y Issaac. D. Rawlings, 1925. Advice and information for parents and others regarding diphtheria prevention. State Dept. of Public Health. Preston Jones, 2007. Empire’s Edge: American Society in Nome, Alaska, 1898-1934. University of Alaska Press. Annick Opinel, et al. 2013. Commentary: The evolution of methods to assess the effects of treatments, illustrated by the development of treatments for diphtheria, 1825–1918, International Journal of Epidemiology, 42(3): 662–676, https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyr162 Welch, Curtis. 1925. "The diphtheria epidemic at Nome." Journal of the American Medical Association 84.17: 1290-1291. Salisbury Gay, Laney Salisbury. 2003. "The thin white line: in 1925 a deadly diphtheria epidemic swept through icebound Nome, Alaska. The only hope for survival--antitoxin— sat 674 frozen miles away. And there was only one way to get it to Nome in time: by dogsled." National Geographic Adventure 5.6: 78-88. Houdek, Jennifer. 2010. "The serum run of 1925". LitSite Alaska. University of Alaska Anchorage. Coppock, M. 2006. THE RACE TO SAVE NOME. American History, 41, 56-63,8. Jolley D, Douglas KM, 2014. The Effects of Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Vaccination Intentions. PLoS ONE 9(2): e89177. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089177 Ross W. Jamieson. 2017. Local heroes: notes on the highway statues of Colta, Ecuador. International Journal of Heritage Studies 23:9, pages 800-815. Anderson, Rebecca J. 2014. "The Great Dogsled Relay." Pharmacologist: 30. Singleton, R., Holve, S., Groom, A., McMahon, B. J., Santosham, M., Brenneman, G., & O’Brien, K. L. 2009. Impact of immunizations on the disease burden of American Indian and Alaska native children. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 163(5), 446-453.

  • I can bear-ly stop talking about it: Four Paws Viet

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    I can bear-ly stop talking about it: Four Paws Viet

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    In this episode, Clara will discuss her experience at the Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary in Vietnam, which she visited in December. This episode details the story of the Four Paws organization and two species that live in Vietnam. Join us today by listening to the stories of a few furry beasts and how they ended up at the sanctuary. Follow us on Instagram: @rightupyouralgaepodcast References for this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BEARSANCTUARY.NinhBinh/ https://www.animalsasia.org/us/our-work/end-bear-bile-farming/what-is-bear-bile-farming/overview.html Metabolic derangements and reduced survival of bile-extracted Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) - PMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-019-2006-6 https://www.four-paws.org/about-us/four-paws-about-us Vietnam - Wikipedia https://www.bearbiology.org/the-eight-bear-species/ursus-thibetanus-asiatic-black-bear/ https://www.bearbiology.org/the-eight-bear-species/helarctos-malayanus-sun-bear/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/human-bear-zoo-china/

  • Wanna Cuttle? Cuttlefish Mating and the Allure of the Sneaker-male

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    Wanna Cuttle? Cuttlefish Mating and the Allure of the Sneaker-male

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    In this episode, Clara and Emily take a dive into the world of cuttlefish... but Clara spends the first five minutes thinking we're talking about pufferfish. Learn why these marine invertebrates are known as the chameleons of the sea and get a glimpse at their strange mating rituals in this week's episode! Adamo, S. A., & Hanlon, R. T. (1996). Do cuttlefish (Cephalopoda) signal their intentions to conspecifics during agonistic encounters?. Animal Behaviour, 52(1), 73-81. Allen, J. J., Akkaynak, D., Schnell, A. K., & Hanlon, R. T. (2017). Dramatic fighting by male cuttlefish for a female mate. The American Naturalist, 190(1), 144-151. Guo, H., Zhang, D., Wang, L., Li, W., He, P., Näslund, J., & Zhang, X. (2021). Sperm competition in golden cuttlefish Sepia esculenta: The impact of mating order and male size. Aquaculture, 530, 735929. Hall, .K., Hanlon, .R. Principal features of the mating system of a large spawning aggregation of the giant Australian cuttlefish Sepia apama (Mollusca: Cephalopoda). Marine Biology 140, 533–545 (2002). Hanlon, R. T., Ament, S. A., & Gabr, H. (1999). Behavioral aspects of sperm competition in cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis (Sepioidea: Cephalopoda). Marine Biology, 134, 719-728. Hanlon, R., Naud, MJ., Shaw, P. et al. Transient sexual mimicry leads to fertilization. Nature 433, 212 (2005). Hanlon, R. (2007). Cephalopod dynamic camouflage. Current biology, 17(11), R400-R404. Liu, L., Zhang, Y., Hu, X., Lü, Z., Liu, B., Jiang, L. H., & Gong, L. (2019). Multiple paternity assessed in the cuttlefish Sepiella japonica (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) using microsatellite markers. ZooKeys, 880, 33. Mather J. A., & Dickel L., (2017). Cephalopod complex cognition, Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, Vol 16, Pages 131-137, ISSN 2352-1546, Maradonna, F., Pessina, A., Ashouri, G., Notti, E., Chemello, G., Russo, G., ... & Carnevali, O. (2024). First Feeding of Cuttlefish Hatchlings: Pioneering Attempts in Captive Breeding. Animals, 14(13), 1993. Naud M, Hanlon RT, Hall KC, Shaw PW, Havenhand JN (2004) Behavioural and genetic assessment of reproductive success in a spawning aggregation of the Australian giant cuttlefish, Sepia apama. Anim Behav 67:1043–1050 Norman, M. D., Finn, J., & Tregenza, T. (1999). Female impersonation as an alternative reproductive strategy in giant cuttlefish. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 266(1426), 1347-1349. Schnell, A. K., Smith, C. L., Hanlon, R. T., & Harcourt, R. T. (2015). Female receptivity, mating history, and familiarity influence the mating behavior of cuttlefish. Behavioral ecology and sociobiology, 69, 283-292. Wada, T., Takegaki, T., Mori, T., & Natsukari, Y. (2005). Sperm displacement behavior of the cuttlefish Sepia esculenta (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae). Journal of ethology, 23, 85-92. Wada, T., Takegaki T., Mori T., & Natsukari Y. (2010) Sperm removal, ejaculation and their behavioural interaction in male cuttlefish in response to female mating history, Animal Behaviour, Vol 79, Issue 3, Pages 613-619, ISSN 0003-3472, Cephalopod Camouflage: Cells and Organs of the skin https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/cephalopod-camouflage-cells-and-organs-of-the-144048968/#:~:text=Chromatophores%20are%20organs%20that%20are,within%20a%20chromatophore%20nerve%20(Fig.:

  • Biosphere Bulletin 2025: Whales and Bees and Bioplastics Oh My!

    Biosphere Bulletin 2025: Whales and Bees and Bioplastics Oh My!

    The boys are back in town. Clara and Emily are starting off the new year right with a bio-bulletin fresh off of the presses. We're talking new species, bad news for bees, a bioplastic revolutionizing invasive species maintenance, and so much more. Bumblebees winter nesting due to climate: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg17mwnx73o Throw it, burn it, let it heat your home: Greenland’s garbage gets new life: https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/throw-it-burn-it-let-it-heat-your-home-greenlands-garbage-gets-new-life/ Water hyacinth: This alien plant is lethal for the environment. Now it’s being turned into a plastic to regrow forests: https://edition.cnn.com/world/africa/hyacinth-alien-plant-environment-plastic-spc/index.html Peru assessment: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/20/blob-headed-fish-and-amphibious-mouse-among-27-new-species-found-in-thrilling-peru-expedition Rapid Biological Assessment- Conservation International: https://d2iwpl8k086uu2.cloudfront.net/docs/default-source/s3-library/publication-pdfs/ci-alto-mayo-rap-73-report.pdf?sfvrsn=6c30683d_3 North Atlantic Right Whale Updates: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/north-atlantic-right-whale-updates Science breakthrough of the year: https://www.science.org/content/article/scienceadviser-all-breakthroughs-2024-what-topped-science-s-list

  • Season 2

  • We Can't Kelp it! Scotian Shelf Macroalgae and Climate Change

    We Can't Kelp it! Scotian Shelf Macroalgae and Climate Change

    It has been 365 days of Right Up Your Algae! 22 episodes later Clara and Emily are back and ready for a new year of sharing with you, stories and research about our natural world. The gals are taking it back to their roots and talking algae... kelp to be more specific. 1. Alexander-Michael A., et al. (2020). "The response of the northwest Atlantic Ocean to climate change." Journal of Climate 33.2: 405-428. 2. Debernard, J., Sætra, Ø., & Røed, L. P. (2002). Future wind, wave and storm surge climate in the northern North Atlantic. Climate research, 23(1), 39-49. 3. Fredriksen, S., Filbee-Dexter, K., Norderhaug, K.M. et al. (2020). Green gravel: a novel restoration tool to combat kelp forest decline. Sci Rep 10, 3983. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60553-x 4. Hatcher, B. G., Chapman, A. O., & Mann, K. H. (1977). An annual carbon budget for the kelp Laminaria longicruris. Marine Biology, 44, 85-96. 5. Johnson, C. R., & Mann, K. H. (1988). Diversity, patterns of adaptation, and stability of Nova Scotian kelp beds. Ecological Monographs, 58(2), 129-154. 6. Donovan Moira. (2023). Why scientists are looking to landscaping gravel to help restore Nova Scotia's kelp, CBC. 7. Khan, Amina H., et al. (2018). "The effect of global climate change on the future distribution of economically important macroalgae (seaweeds) in the northwest Atlantic." Facets 3.1: 275-286. 8. Krause-Jensen, D., & Duarte, C. M. (2016). Substantial role of macroalgae in marine carbon sequestration. Nature Geoscience, 9(10), 737-742. 9. Merzouk, A., & Johnson, L. E. (2011). Kelp distribution in the northwest Atlantic Ocean under a changing climate. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 400(1-2), 90-98. 10. Wilson, K. L., Skinner, M. A., & Lotze, H. K. (2019). Projected 21st‐century distribution of canopy‐forming seaweeds in the Northwest Atlantic with climate change. Diversity and Distributions, 25(4), 582-602. 11. Wright, L. S., Pessarrodona, A., & Foggo, A. (2022). Climate‐driven shifts in kelp forest composition reduce carbon sequestration potential. Global Change Biology, 28(18), 5514-5531.