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Biopedia

Vince's Podcasts

Biology is a fascinating subject which is well worth exploring. Its scope stretches from individual DNA strands and viruses to blue whales, metapopulations and the biosphere. We will shine the spotlight on a different biological concept in every episode. Topics I've covered in the past include the origins of cell theory, Dollo's law and the Anthropocene; however, there is still plenty more to discover. Our focus will range from the very smallest scales to the very largest; from virions to the Gaia hypothesis. So come and explore the fascinating world of biology, one episode at a time!

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  • 23 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 7 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S6 · E22
    Nov 2, 2025 · 5 min

    114- Voyage of the Beagle Part III

    Charles Darwin makes his way south from Rio de Janeiro to Maldonaldo and the south of South America. Along the way, he witnesses some local activities and has time to show off technological marvels to the locals. NOTE: I have found out since recording that St Elmo's light or fire is a weather phenomenon in which plasma appears around anything with a structure like a rod in a vehicle, such as the mast of a ship or the wing of a plane (St. Elmo's fire Wikipedia 04/11/2025). I have also discovered that $2 in 1832 money is worth $75.34 in 2025 money ($2 in 1832 → 2025 | Inflation Calculator 04/11/2025). Sources for this episode: TBA

  • S6 · E21
    Oct 5, 2025 · 10 min

    113- Sex Ratios and Family Size in the 1790 US Census

    In a sort of unofficial Part II to our discussion in episode 112, we are going to examine the data from the 1790 US census focussed on the towns of Danbury and Brookfield in Fairfield County, Connecticut. We will be using the data for each household to answer two questions- does the ratio between males and females deviate significantly from 50:50? And what is the average family size? Sources for this episode: TBA

  • S6 · E20
    Sep 21, 2025 · 7 min

    112- How Common Are Suffix Chains?

    Something a bit different today- we are going to be following up from our discussion of namesaking and looking at suffix chains! Examples of links in such chains would include people like Theodore Roosevelt VII or John Smith III. Let's look at some real-life data- including data from the 1790 US census- to ask one question: how common or rare is each new link in the chain? Sources for this episode: TBA

Showing 21–23 of 23 episodes