Right Up Your Algae – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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.

Emily is talking about whales again. Listen in to learn about one of the most endangered species on earth, what is being done, and some controversies surrounding it. The North Atlantic Right Whale is a struggling species, this episode dives into the reasons for their status, and the most recent information on this year's calves.

Endangered North Atlantic right whale injured by Canadian tracking tag, scientists say: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/north-atlantic-right-whale-injured-by-canadian-tag-1.7006911

NOAA North Atlantic Right Whale: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale

NOAA North Atlantic Right Whale Updates: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/north-atlantic-right-whale-updates#:~:text=On%20April%209%2C%202024%2C%20a,Cod%20Bay%20in%20March%202024.

Action Plan: https://wildlife-species.az.ec.gc.ca/species-risk-registry/virtual_sara/files//plans/Ap-Bnan-Narw-v01-2021Mar-Eng.pdf

Population comparison of right whale body condition reveals poor state of the North Atlantic right whale: https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v640/p1-16/

Fishermen allowed to fish close to shore in Gulf of St. Lawrence after right whale sighting: https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/fishermen-allowed-to-fish-close-to-shore-in-gulf-of-st-lawrence-after-right-whale-sighting-1.6897724

Let us close this ever-important month off with a spotlight on black conservationists that inspire us. This episode gives a short history of black people's place in North American and African conservation and hopes to give recognition to some incredible people who are helping change the world.

Black Myths Podcast

PBS podcasts

Meet the Black Mambas, South Africa’s all-female anti-poaching unit: https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2021/03/meet-the-black-mambas-south-africas-all-female-anti-poaching-unit

Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit: https://www.helpingrhinos.org/black-mambas/

Painted Dog Conservation: https://www.tusk.org/projects/painted-dog-conservation/

Conservation and wildlife: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199846733/obo-9780199846733-0022.xml

Conserving while black: https://www.fws.gov/story/conserving-while-black-breaking-down-barriers-conservation-community

Brown Girl Outdoor World: https://browngirloutdoorworld.com/partners-2/

The Manatee Man: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/podcast/meet-the-manatee-man/

In this week's episode, Emily and Clara look at some recent discoveries in the science world. Learn about topics ranging from mining waste to White Rhino IVF practices to why it seems like birds don't want you to sleep in.

Follow us on Instagram @rightupyouralgaepodcast

Email us with any recommendations @ ruyapodcast@outlook.com

Find our resources:

 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00264-9#ref-CR1

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/12/18/opinion/digging-deep-healthy-soil-farming

https://www.edenseven.co.uk/what-does-a-tonne-of-co2-look-like#:~:text=Translating%20CO2%20into%20activities&text=For%20example%2C%20one%20tonne%20of,500%20litres%20of%20Diesel%20consumed

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00071-2#ref-CR4

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2745.14145?_ga=2.238070528.14054478.1707235110-2080811654.1707235110

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68064432

This week Clara and Emily travel to the lush nation of Columbia! In this beautiful country you'll find ugly river dolphins, condors, manatees and... cocaine hippos? Introduced by Pablo Escobar is the Columbian hippo, the worlds largest invasive species. Listen along to learn the difficulties of castrating a hippo, a strange take on rewilding, and why you shouldn't eat hippo meat.

A Case for Hippos in Columbia: file:///C:/Users/emily/Downloads/TheCaseForHipposinColombia.pdf

Colombian Hippos and Species Management: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/12/2/29#B30-laws-12-00029

Removing Pablo Escobar’s hippos from Colombia to cost $3.5m: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/30/removing-pablo-escobars-hippos-from-colombia-to-cost-3-5m#:~:text=Scientists%20warn%20the%20hippos%20do,animals%20a%20toxic%20invasive%20species.

Pablo Escobar: Why scientists want to kill Colombia's hippos: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56011594

In Colombia, Escobar’s hippos spawn another problem: Wildlife trafficking: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/in-colombia-escobars-hippos-spawn-another-problem-wildlife-trafficking/

Animalista, Narco-Cultural, Conservacionista. Visions of Nature Around the Case of Hippos in Colombia: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12304-023-09541-y

Pablo Escobar's "cocaine hippos" won't stop multiplying. Colombia wants to move dozens of them out of the country: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pablo-escobar-cocaine-hippos-colombia-wants-to-transfer-dozens-populaion-control/

Pablo Escobar's feral hippos face cull in Colombia: https://www.bbc.com/news/67306304

Rapid population growth and high management costs have created a narrow window for control of introduced hippos in Colombia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10106455/

Clara and Emily are taking root this year on new and interesting topics. Your favourite podcasters are back and here to share the wonders of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF), their fascinating punishment-reward relationship with plants, and how the agricultural industry can benefit from these fungi.

Mechanisms underlying beneficial plant-fungus interactions in mycorrhizal symbiosis - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Hyphopodium-adhesion-to-the-root-epidermis-in-arbuscular-mycorrhizas-A-top-view-of-the_fig2_47545096 [accessed 13 Jan, 2024]

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro1987

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02904#:~:text=For%20hyphal%20length%20in%20soil,strain%20with%200.8%20%CE%BCm2.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227672792_Brundrett_M_C_-_Coevolution_of_roots_and_mycorrhizas_of_land_plants_New_Phytologist?enrichId=rgreq-cb7693a731a3aa68d3bf2396eafc2e93-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNzY3Mjc5MjtBUzo1NTQyNjM4NzgwOTQ4NDhAMTUwOTE1ODIxNDU4MQ%3D%3D&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00344-014-9414-4

Shalaby AM and Hanna MM (1998). Preliminary studies on interactions between VA mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae, Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Pseudomonas syringae in soybean plants. Acta Microbiol Pol 47:385 – 391.

The November 2023 edition of Biosphere Bulletin! Your trusty hosts discuss carbon neutrality, an elephant mystery being solved, and so much more in this week's episode of Right up your Algae. To let us know your thoughts or to suggest an episode topic email ruyapodcast@outlook.com

A singular shark bitter taste receptor provides insights into the evolution of bitter taste perception. 10.1073/pnas.2310347120

Evolution of taste: Early sharks were able to perceive bitter substances: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231113155215.htm

Conservation successes and challenges for wide-ranging sharks and rays: https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2216891120

B.C., Ottawa, First Nations announce conservation agreement: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nature-agreement-bc-ottawa-1-billion-conservation-1.7017562

One solution to the plastic crisis may lie in bugs' bellies: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/11/17/plastic-eating-bugs-recycling-pollution/

Africa’s first carbon-removal plant stokes questions about responsible climate solutions: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/africas-first-carbon-removal-plant-stokes-questions-responsible-climat-rcna117590

Radiation, and freezing, and drought oh my! Tardigrades are resistant to all this and more. Emily shows Clara the weird and wacky side of scientific studies including one that shot tardigrades out of a gun. To learn about the only animal that can (BEAR-ly) survive in space, make sure to listen to this week's episode of right up your algae.

Tardigrades as a potential model organism in space research: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ast.2006.0088

New species of water bear uses fluorescent “shield” to survive lethal UV radiation:

https://www.science.org/content/article/new-species-water-bear-uses-fluorescent-shield-survive-lethal-uv-radiation

University of Florida Entomology and Nematology

https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/tardigrade.html

Tardigrade Survival Limits in High-Speed Impacts—Implications for Panspermia and Collection of Samples from Plumes Emitted by Ice Worlds

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ast.2020.2405

Recovery and reproduction of an Antarctic tardigrade retrieved from a moss sample frozen for over 30 years

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0011224015300134

Tardigrade survive exposure to space in low Earth orbit

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(08)00805-1.pdf

Survival in extreme environments – on the current knowledge of adaptations in tardigrades

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02252.x?casa_token=2d-MxR8xW0oAAAAA%3A-plyMfNz54ueBgpYNyu5CskClFbYk5RsSKht-Fzhx0a-w91sbiGTbU9NdJW68ib2MWwbsY8dmw_AmBsr

Clara tells Emily what the heck Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats are, goes into some of the uses of the gene editing technique, and discusses some of the controversy surrounding CRISPR worldwide.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6342697/

https://www.synthego.com/blog/gene-editing-nobel-prize#charpentier-and-doudna-win-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-for-developing-crispr-technology

https://www.jax.org/personalized-medicine/precision-medicine-and-you/what-is-crispr

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/

https://www.synthego.com/blog/crispr-applications

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1258096

https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Eugenics-and-Scientific-Racism#:~:text=Eugenicists%20worldwide%20believed%20that%20they,by%20them%20to%20be%20unfit.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10182114/#:~:text=Accordingly%2C%20it%20is%20important%20to,target%20sites%20(Han%20et%20al.

https://molecular-cancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12943-021-01487-4

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8073294/#:~:text=Since%20the%20first%20use%20of,%2C%20quality%2C%20and%20stress%20resistance.