Explore every episode of the podcast Tiny Living Beings
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introducing the Fire Amoeba - with Angela Oliverio and Beryl Rappaport | 22 Dec 2025 | 01:04:56 | |
Eukaryotes are "complex" organisms with nuclei and membrane-bound organelles: plants, animals, fungi, and protists. Protists include many understudied lineages of fascinating organisms that challenge our understanding of cell biology, and so many protist species remain undiscovered. This week Dr. Angela Oliverio and Beryl Rappaport come on the podcast to discuss a new amoeba species called Incendiamoeba cascadensis that lives and reproduces at the highest temperature ever described for a eukaryote, earning the title of "fire amoeba". Angela and Beryl take us through their research and discovery process, highlighting the collaborative nature of their groundbreaking work. You can read about the structure, function, behavior, and genome of I. cascadensis in their recent preprint. On the episode, we discuss what this amoeba looks like, how it moves, its relatives, the volcanic lake it was found in, and current hypotheses for how it is able to survive in such hot temperatures. Angela explains how studying a novel species like this can leave us with more questions than answers which means that there is more exciting work to come!Ā
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! | |||
| Parasites in our pets' poop - with Ben Alverson | 26 May 2025 | 01:00:04 | |
Microbes are everywhere, including inside our pets! This week, Ben Alverson comes on to give us a crash course in veterinary parasitology. He discusses the variety of worms and protists that can live inside mammals and cause problems ranging from being a mild nuisance to causing death. We talk about the different types of animals that get tested for these parasites including cats and dogs, zoo animals like big cats, and farm animals. Ben does a great job explaining how diagnoses are made from examining poop samples, what that process looks like, how identifications of different eggs and and parasites are made using microscopy, and treatment options. This episode showcases a non-academic career path in microbiology that's absolutely fascinating! (But it is not for the squeamish!) Ben Alverson is a microbiologist with experience in the veterinary field. He runs the brilliant Instagram account @veterinary_parasitology_ where he posts photos of ova (eggs) and parasites found in his work. I HIGHLY recommend following him! You can also find him on Twitter. Resources from this episode:
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution or funder. | |||
| Choanoflagellates and animal evolution - with David Booth | 17 Apr 2023 | 00:54:20 | |
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. | |||
| Getting to know lichens - with Dennis Waters | 10 Apr 2023 | 00:46:23 | |
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:
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| Fungi are everywhere - with Kaydubs the hiking scientist | 20 Mar 2023 | 00:55:38 | |
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. | |||
| Tardigrade takedown - with ChloƩ Savard | 13 Mar 2023 | 00:43:40 | |
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 ChloƩ 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. ChloƩ 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! ChloƩ 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. | |||
| The gut microbiome - with Haley Hallowell | 27 Feb 2023 | 00:58:39 | |
What are the microbes in our gut up to? And how does their life affect our lives? This week, Dr. Haley Hallowell teaches us all about the gut microbiome and virome, that is, how microbes and viruses inside us affect each other and our own health! We also play a game on this episode where I make some bold claims that have gained traction on social media recently-some true, some ridiculous, some in between-and Haley becomes a professional myth-buster, using the latest science of course. Make sure to listen to the end because this episode wraps up with the two of us trying to figure out how much poop can fit in the human body. Dr. Haley Hallowell, PhD is a postdoctoral researcher in the Suez lab at Johns Hopkins University where she studies how bacteriophages influence the microbiome and how the host immune system responds to these viruses. She is also a fabulous science communicator and you can follow her on Twitter and TikTok, where she sets the record straight on pseudoscientific health claims about the gut. Her videos are amazing! Definitely follow her! Some resources we discuss on the episode for getting trustworthy scientific information: Pubmed, Nature, Elisabeth Bik's Microbiome Digest. Some papers Haley mentions:
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. | |||
| Polar microbes - with Jaz Millar | 20 Feb 2023 | 00:51:52 | |
Did you know there are microbes living in holes in glaciers? What are they doing there and what can we learn from them? Quite a lot actually! This week, Dr. Jaz Millar and I talk all about cryoconite holes which house polar microbial communities, how they're forms, and what they tell us about the past, present, and future conditions of life on Earth. We also learn that when a topic related to something unmicrobial like gasp animals gasp comes up, I'm totally clueless. Jaz tells us the harrowing tale of how they were stranded in Antarctica during the initial Covid-19 lockdowns, what it's like to work in vulnerable polar locations, and how issues of science impact indigenous communities around the world. Dr. Jaz Millar, PhD is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bristol with expertise in microbiology, molecular biology, and extremophiles. You can follow them on Twitter: @JazzedUpScience and Instagram: @jazzedupscience. Here are some links to more Jaz-related cool science stuff: 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. | |||
| The Great Oxygenation Event - With John Encarnacion | 13 Feb 2023 | 00:43:53 | |
How do we know what the Earth was like billions of years ago? And where did all the oxygen come from? Spoiler alert: it's microbes! This week I speak with Dr. John Encarnacion about the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE) that changed our planet forever and is the reason we breathe today. We talk about the detective work of geologists and the evidence found in rocks that teaches us about ancient biological and geological processes! Dr. John Encarnacion, PhD is a professor at Saint Louis University where he studies plate tectonics and hard rock geology. You can learn more about his work on his website and read his publications on Google Scholar. He is also an amazing science communicator and you can follow his fun geology page on Instagram: @a_geologist. 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. | |||
| Hobby microscopy - with Lena Struwe | 06 Feb 2023 | 00:42:25 | |
How can you get started with hobby microscopy? What products and practices do we recommend? Why do we have a conflict with the Unicode emoji consortium? And what on earth is a vinegar eel??? Find out all these things and more on this week's episode where I talk to Dr. Lena Struwe about our shared love of microscopy, answer questions from instagram followers, and cover topics that range from iNaturalist to community science to why I refuse to swim in a pond. Dr. Lena Struwe, PhD, FLS is a professor at Rutgers University whose research focuses on plant evolutionary biology and systematics. She is the director of the Chrysler Herbarium and runs the Botanical Accuracy blog and Facebook group. You can follow her publications here We discuss these specific resources on this episode:
Lastly, Lena put together an AMAZING list of other online and in print resources that was too large to fit in the show notes, but you can access it here. This list includes both guides for identifying different types of microorganisms and links to different online communities to join to learn more about microscopy and cataloging organisms or to post your findings. 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. | |||
| Hot springs archaea - with Arthur Charles-Orszag | 30 Jan 2023 | 00:49:44 | |
Why don't we ever talk about archaea? What can we learn from this domain of life? Why would someone want to cook a chicken in a Yellowstone National Park geyser? Find out about these things and more on this week's TLB episode. Dr. Arthur Charles-Orszag is here to teach us about Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, a sulfur-oxidizing archaeon that lives in super hot and acidic environments. We discuss Arthur's work studying DNA segregation in this microbe and we also unpack many common misconceptions about Archaea as a domain of life. Dr. Arthur Charles-Orszag, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow in the Mullins Lab at University of California-San Francisco. You can find his work on ResearchGate and follow on Twitter: @A_CharlesOrszag. Arthur is also heavily involved with Archaea Power Hour. You are encouraged to sign up for the e-mail list and/or the Slack channel on archaea.page. 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. | |||
| Genetic engineering of algae - with Kyle Lauersen | 16 Jan 2023 | 00:59:10 | |
What can we get algae to do for us (other than be beautiful and produce half of our oxygen)? How can we engineer different algae to create products and services we need? And what do algae SMELL like? Which smell like feet and which smell like "milky grass"? Dr. Kyle Lauersen is on this week's episode answering these questions and more! He explains all about his research on algal biotechnology and how we can engineer these tiny green cells to produce chemical products that are useful to us and clean up industrial and other aquatic waste. From aquaculture feeds, to perfumes, to ice creams without freezer burn, the little machines that are algal cells can do some amazing things! (We also take some time to discuss the Cyanidiophyceae red algae which are near and dear to my heart.) Dr. Kyle Lauersen, PhD is an assistant professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). There he runs a lab that focuses on synthetic biology and metabolic engineering of various types of algae. You can follow his work on his lab's website, GoogleScholar, ResearchGate, and on Twitter: @KyleLauersen. 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. | |||
| Is science political? - with Kevin Bird | 05 May 2025 | 01:29:46 | |
American science has been under attack since this Trump administration began. Tens of thousands of scientists and federal workers have lost their jobs and the effects are starting to permeate through society. This week I have Dr. Kevin Bird on to explain the events of the last 3 months, how science is funded in the United States, why it is being attacked so aggressively, and the ideologies behind these attacks. He also gives us a history lesson on movements of the past that sought to protect the scientific enterprise. It is really important to protect science. Publicly-funded research benefits us all! (Also, sorry for the choppy editing on this episode; I wanted to get this one out quickly!) Kevin is a NSF Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UC Davis studying the evolutionary impact of structural variation in plant genomes. He also researches scientific racism and posts lots of interesting stuff on his Bluesky account. You can also learn more about his work on his website or Google Scholar page. Here are some articles Kevin recommends:
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution or funding agency. | |||
| Glaucophyte algae - with Debashish Bhattacharya | 09 Jan 2023 | 00:42:58 | |
What the heck are glaucophyte algae? And where are they found? Spoiler alert: everywhere and nowhere. This week, Prof. Debashish Bhattacharya talks about Glaucophyta, one of the most ancient photosynthetic eukaryotic lineages on the planet and why they are great models for understanding evolution and endosymbiosis (a process introduced in last week's episode). He focuses on Cyanophora paradoxa, the most well-studied glaucophyte, what we can learn from this organism and its ancient origins, why few have studied the glaucophytes, and why it's important to explore our planet's biodiversity. Dr. Debashish Bhattacharya, PhD is a distinguished professor in the department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers University. He runs a research program that focuses heavily on genomics and evolution and has worked on organisms including red seaweeds, red algal extremophiles, green algae, Paulinella, dinoflagellates, coral reefs, and sub-par postdocs. Debashish was the recipient of the 2022 Miescher-Ishida prize for endosymbiosis. He is also passionate about science communication and has produced award-wining short films describing his lab's research and its impacts that can be found on YouTube. You can follow his work on his website, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, or on Twitter. Links to things mentioned in this episode:
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. | |||
| Photosynthetic amoeba - with Arwa Gabr | 02 Jan 2023 | 00:42:24 | |
"Photosynthesis is very important if you care about breathing." Half of the oxygen on the planet is produced by microbes. Dr. Awra Gabr talks about the photosynthetic Paulinella lineage of rhizarian amoebas that represent an independent acquisition of a photosynthetic organelle in eukaryotic cells. This is HUGE because this kind of event has only successfully occurred two other times in the four billions year history of life on Earth. We talk about the ins and outs of this process, why Paulinella is the most annoying organism to work with with, and I explain why half of the episodes of this podcast have been about amoebas. Dr. Arwa Gabr, Ph.D. is a graduate of the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics program at Rutgers University. You can follow her on LinkedIn and find her publications on ResearchGate. In the intro of this episode I give a kind of convoluted explanation of amoebas. Here is a link to an open access paper from 2019 about how eukaryotic life is classified. There have been other papers in the three years since that have added to this field but I like this one because Figure 2 is a great illustration of the eukaryotic tree of life and you can see where the Discoba (Percolozoa), Rhizarians, and Amoebozoa all fit (as it currently stands). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.031 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. | |||
| Cassava viruses - with Alvin Crespo | 26 Dec 2022 | 00:42:24 | |
As a society we have (rightly) spent soooo much time talking and thinking about SARS-CoV-2 but what about the billions of other viruses out there, most of which don't infect humans? This week evolutionary virologist Alvin Crespo talks about cassava mosaic begomoviruses which infect cassava plants, a food crop that is the main source of carbohydrates for the people of sub-Saharan Africa. We talk about where this virus came from, where all viruses may come from, and we also tackle topics related to 'parachute science', the scientific method and its limitations, and whether or not I am a generally ignorant person. It was fascinating learning about plant epidemics but sad to learn about the devastation they cause. However, as Alvin says during our conversation, we can learn a lot from these outbreaks which can hopefully prepare us for emergent plant viruses of the future. Alvin Crespo is a PhD candidate in the Ecology and Evolution program at Rutgers University in the Duffy lab. You can follow him on Twitter: @alvincrespo2 or read his published work on Google Scholar. Here are some links to things we mentioned in the episode:
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 microbes transforming our food system - with David Zilber | 19 Dec 2022 | 01:07:07 | |
Did you know that one third of the food we eat is transformed by microbes? Why did people start eating sauerkraut? Will veggie burgers ever taste better? Is humanity doomed??? We answer these questions and more on this episode of TLB. Bacteria and many fungi may be invisible to the naked eye but their impact is all around us and is especially important when it comes to food. Chef, author, food scientist, fermenter, and TV personality David Zilber talks about the past, present, and future of fermentation and why fermented foods taste so good, are a healthy choice, and are a powerful weapon in the fight for a sustainable future. He lays out the rough path ahead for human society when it comes to reworking some of our most prevalent structures (e.g., capitalism, globalism, the non-local nature of food production) but leaves us with a message of hope. This episode is also a must-listen if you want the tea (or should I say red wine) on Top Chef Canada season 10. David Zilber is the head of fermented food research and development at Chr. Hansen, a bioscience company based in Denmark. He is a former chef and head of the fermentation lab at Noma which has three Michelin stars and is commonly referred to as the "best restaurant in the world". David is also New York Times bestselling author of The Noma Guide to Fermentation (which I highly recommend) that has revolutionized how home and professional chefs around the world incorporate fermentation practices into their cooking, and he is currently a judge on Top Chef Canada. To follow his work and impeccable book recs on social media, find him on Instagram: @david_zilber. I also want to link "The Entropy of a Carrot" which was mentioned; definitely worth reading. 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. | |||
| Slime molds - with Kyle David | 12 Dec 2022 | 00:35:31 | |
What do some amoebozoans and the urban planners of Tokyo have in common? And who is smarter? What even is intelligence? Find out by learning about Physarum polycephalum, a slime mold (aka "slimy guy") you could find on a walk in the woods. Scientist Kyle David talks about the lifestyle and weird features of P. polycephalum and how, even when it's meters long and wrapping itself around trees, it's really still only one single cell. We also talk about human vs. non-human intelligence, how this amoeba defies the human-created and often nebulous paradigms of "biological sex", and what we can learn from the formidable microbes around us. Dr. Kyle T. David, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow in the Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University, who has studied the evolution of many organisms, from yeasts to frogs! To follow his work, check out his Google Scholar page or follow him on Twitter: @KyleTheDavid, where he regularly goes viral for posting weird science stuff. Here are some links to studies referenced in this episode if you're interested in further reading: 1. https://www.nature.com/articles/35035159 2. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.0912198107 3. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1215037109 4. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2016.0446#d4543081e1 5. https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.018101 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. | |||
| Leptospira bacteria - with Kyra Hartog | 05 Dec 2022 | 00:39:54 | |
If you have a dog, you'll want to listen to this one! Leptospira is a genus of spirochete bacteria that can infect many different mammals, from rats to rhinos. Veterinarian Kyra Hartog talks about what Leptospira do in nature and why some animals get Leptospirosis and others do not. She also describes symptoms and treatments and gives advice on how to keep your dogs safe! We also go on a rant about outdoor cats' impact on wildlife that you won't want to miss. Dr. Kyra Hartog, DVM is a veterinarian at a cat and dog clinic in St. Pete, Florida. To follow her work, find her on Instagram: @dr_kyra_h and Twitter: @kyra_hartog. If you want to follow Murray, my cat son (who has been officially diagnosed as extremely cute), his instagram is: @furry_purry_murray. 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. | |||
| Deadly amoeba - with Seth Bromagen | 28 Nov 2022 | 00:39:19 | |
Naegleria fowleri is a Percolozoan flagellate protist known as the "brain-eating amoeba". While fatal to humans, this microbe doesn't have a sinister motive. In fact, as Dr. Bromagen explains, infecting humans has no benefit to the amoeba and will be fatal to it as well as the infected human. In this episode we discuss the ecology, natural history, and pathogenicity of Naegleria fowleri and then things get existential... Dr. Seth Bromagen, PhD is a parasitologist and assistant professor of zoology at Kentucky Wesleyan College. To follow his work, find him on Twitter: @seth_bromagen or check out his website: www.bromagenparasitology.com. He also has a fascinating background which can be read here. For further reading on preventing Naegleria fowleri infections and why knowledge and education is key to preventing future infections, visit www.amoeba-season.com. 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. | |||
| Tiny Living Beings: Trailer | 26 Nov 2022 | 00:02:34 | |
"The world shimmers, a pointillist landscape made of tiny living beings." -Lynn Margulis 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 mostly discuss this information among themselves in professional circles, but more of these topics need to be shared with the public! Content is geared toward all ages and backgrounds, anyone who is scientifically curious. 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 some merch! Intro music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power. Outro music is "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. | |||
| The Diatom Detective - with Kirstie Scott | 14 Apr 2025 | 00:57:39 | |
If you tuned in last week, you'll know that diatoms produce one quarter of the air we breathe (and they produced this podcast's logo), but did you know that they can also be used to solve crimes???! Rather than spoiling too much by writing a long caption here, you should just press play to hear from Dr. Kirstie Scott, a forensic diatomist and one of the most interesting people I've spoken with. In this episode we discuss how certain environments have certain cells and how these cells can travel on clothes and in bodies. We also talk about different types of evidence, testifying in court, and many ways in which trace signatures of organisms in the environment can be used in to answer diverse research questions. If you like Dexter or Bones or true crime, this episode is for you! Kirstie is a senior lecturer in forensic bioscience at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK where she specializes in diatom analysis. You can find her on Linkedin, Google Scholar, X, and Bluesky. Here are some resources Kirstie recommends:
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution. | |||
| Diatoms and dinoflagellates and dinotoms, oh my! - with Brittany Sprecher | 07 Apr 2025 | 01:00:06 | |
Diatoms are beautiful (and weird). Dinoflagellates are weird (and beautiful). They are completely different organisms but both are protists that can both support whole ecosystems or cause devastating environmental hazards. However, only one of them inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make his famous movie, The Birds (listen to find out which). Both organisms can produce oxygen to help us breathe, and diatoms alone produce over 20% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. And sometimes dinoflagellates will ingest diatoms and use their innards to steal photosynthesis, creating a new type of organism called a "dinotom"! That was a very chaotic group of sentences but luckily this week we have Dr. Brittany Sprecher on the podcast who is an expert at diatoms, dinoflagellates, AND dinotoms. What a combo! We discuss a lot on this episode and you will come away learning all about the amazing research going on with these funky microbes. Brittany Sprecher is a postdoctoral researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. You can follow her work on Google Scholar. Here are some links Brittany recommends to learn more about these protists:
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution. | |||
| Sharks of the plankton - with Matt Johnson | 31 Mar 2025 | 01:09:52 | |
Did you know that some organisms, from protists to sea slugs, steal photosynthesis? This week Dr. Matt Johnson is on the podcast to talk about his work on kleptoplasty, the process by which organisms steal plastids (photosynthetic organelles) from other organisms to become photosynthetic. These special cells with stolen plastids are mixotrophs, that is, they can both eat food and produce their own from solar energy. Matt discusses why kleptoplasty and mixotrophy are special processes that aren't as rare as we might think and how they affect the ocean and planet. He also talks about ciliates, a very enigmatic group of protists that he uses to study mixotrophy. And listen all the way through for a crash course on the Grateful Dead! Matt is an associate scientist with tenure at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. You can follow his work on his Google Scholar page or website. To learn more about ciliates, other protists, and kleptoplasty:
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution. | |||
| Urine for a treat - with Owen Hale | 24 Mar 2025 | 01:08:31 | |
Newsflash! Urine is not sterile! This week we have Owen Hale on the podcast to talk about the urinary tract microbiome, which is really understudied. We discuss which bacteria live inside us, what they do, why so many people get UTIs, and what urinary tract bacteria can tell us about evolution more broadly. Owen also points out that because UTIs affect women so frequently, this is one of the few systems in biomedical science where females have been studied more than men, and what we can learn from these types of studies. He also explains why UTIs are political and some surprising results from his own research. Owen is a PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University. You can follow his work on X (@owenmicro) or Google Scholar. Here are some resources relevant to this episode:
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution. | |||
| Where did plants come from? - with Blair Young | 17 Mar 2025 | 01:00:02 | |
Bryophytes are an ancient group of plants that include hornworts, liverworts, and mosses. They are the evolutionary link between land plants and the green algal ancestors that plants evolved from. But bryophytes are also really interesting in their own right and they are very understudied so it is lucky that I got to chat with an expert bryologist! This week, Blair Young discusses what bryophytes look like, where to find them, and why we study them. Blair is a PhD student at Rutgers University in the Struwe lab. She is also the assistant curator at the Chrysler herbarium and a field surveyor for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. You can follow her on instagram (@polarblairx). If bryophytes are interesting to you, check out these useful resources Blair has provided that will help you get started exploring these unusual plants!
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! | |||
| 4.5 billion years of Earth history in one hour - with Bolton Howes | 10 Mar 2025 | 01:21:13 | |
Did you know the continents move at the same rate as your fingernails grow? Welcome BACK to Tiny Living Beings after a couple years off! For the first episode of the new season, I have Dr. Bolton Howes on to give a geologist's perspective on the history of the Earth that I hope will give context for all the other episodes of this show. We discuss everything from the origin of the planet 4.5 billion years ago to the first life, when plants and animals evolved, the two times Earth turned into a literal snowball, giant bugs, dinosaurs, climate change, and why it's so hard to reconstruct the past. Bolton is a sedimentary geologist finishing up his postdoctoral research fellowship at University of Washington and Western Washington University. He will be starting a professorship at Wheaton College in the summer. You can follow his work here or on his website. Some resources Bolton mentions during the episode that may be of interest if you want to learn more about Earth's history are:
For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" (2021 remix) 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. | |||
| Life is beautiful - with Ursula Goodenough | 24 Jul 2023 | 00:51:12 | |
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 https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2014/11/23/366104014/exploring-the-religious-naturalist-optionwritten 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. | |||