We live in a microbial world. From our own gut to the corals in the ocean, microbes are key players in the existence of so many organisms. Did you know that corals are not just single organisms, but exist in symbiosis with millions of single celled algae? This symbiosis is currently threatened by global warming and climate change, resulting in a process you may be familiar with, called coral bleaching. This week, we spoke with Dr. Viriginia Weis about her timely and fascinating research on the topic of symbiosis between corals and algae. INSITE Vision: Inspire an inclusive and diverse int ..read more

Life finds a way. Even in the face of incredible pressure from other organisms, climate change, and pollution, species still find ways of persisting. Sometimes this pressure is too much, and populations go extinct. Why are some species able to survive, and others able to persist? How much pressure is too much pressure? And can species find ways to survive through their interactions with other species? We dive into all of these pressing questions and more with our guest this week, Dr. Diane Campbell, a distinguished professor from the University of California - Irvine. This is Radiobio ..read more

Imagine you're a squid, yeah okay its weird but just imagine it, you are a squid swimming at night. It's a dark night except for the light from the moon, and there is a predator roaming around looking for its dinner. Now imagine you are a squid who can camouflage yourself to match the light from the moon and the stars so your shadow disappears. You trick the predator while you go on your way looking for your own dinner. Seems kind of magical right? Well that's exactly what bobtail squids do, except they get help from their bacterial friends. Today on RadioBio we talk with Dr. Michelle Nishigui ..read more

We are still discovering the mysteries of the brain and one way to do that is to use tools such as computers. On this episodes of RadioBio, we speak with Dr. Kanaka Rajan, a computational neuroscientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ..read more

Have you ever thought about the soil beneath your feet? Let's take it one step further... have you ever thought about everything that lives in the soil beneath your feet? Well, prepare yourself, because this week we interview Dr. Lauren Hale, a researcher from the US Department of Agriculture, the USDA,  about her research on the soil microbiome. Dr. Hale talks about soil health, nutrient cycling, and the cutting edge of  research on the microbial world living underneath our feet. This is Radiobio ..read more

Ants, they are everywhere if you look for them! Ants engage in all the things that we associate with our own society, like farming and policing, and have complex social structures. This week on Radiobio, we talk to Dr. Ehab Abouheif, a professor from McGill University, about his research on cooperation in ants and the microbes that exist in symbiosis with them. This is RadioBio. link to nature paper:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2653-6 link to deborah gordon: https://soundcloud.com/user-386034408/radiobio-interviews-dr-deborah-gordon?si=49cba8aa279942e9beec58588e983a24&utm_sour ..read more

This week on RadioBio, we explore insect wings. Did you know insect wings are more than just beautiful appendages? They are a part of an amazing circulatory network. We discuss the biomechanics of insect wings and what makes them so amazing with Dr. Mary Salcedo, a postdoc at Virginia Tech. Link to Dr. Salcedo's Review: https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icaa124 Link to Dr. Salcedo's Website: https://www.maryksalcedo.com ..read more

What if I were to tell you that you had hundreds, if not thousands of microbes living on you hands, you would probably respond with ewwwwww...gross and immediately want to sanitize or wash our hands. If I were to tell you that not all of them are bad, but rather most of them are good, you might still be skeptical. Let’s take it one step further. What if I told you that we can use naturally occurring bacteria as a form of pest control. Wild right! One of these bacteria is Wolbachia. Wolbachia affects the reproductive system in certain insects and can make them sterile. The cool part is that Wol ..read more

Bats are vital for maintaining balance in the ecosystems they are a part of: Bats keep insect populations in check, pollinate flowers, and disperse seeds. Bats are also an incredibly diverse group of species that come in all shapes and sizes! Did you know, that if you randomly picked a mammal, you would have a one in five chance of picking a bat? Today we have Dr. Alexa Sadier with us to talk about what studying bats can teach us about evolution ..read more

Imagine the world 430,000 years ago. What were our ancestors like? What if there was a population of people that no one ever knew about? Can we unravel the mystery of our history? Now imagine, your garden at home is full of aphids. Did you go buy some ladybugs at your local home depot? Have you ever thought where those ladybugs came from or what happens after they leave? Now these two situations may seem very different but they have one common theme. They both have questions that can be studied using population genomics. This week on RadioBio we talk about popgen, ancient humans, ladybugs and ..read more