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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151 episodes
Updated Sunday

Episodes151

Newest first

Jan 1, 2023 · 2 min
Island Folk 2- Britain and the Island Fortress
Another day, another episode of Island Folk! Sean Dettman and I discussed the concept of the island fortress as it was perceived in WW2 Britain. Basically, this is the idea that the inhabitants of the UK took comfort in the island nature of their country and the sea protecting them against hostile forces. Sean's upcoming publication on this subject was the focus of the episode's discussion. Along the way, we discuss connections to contemporary events, the paradigm of Britain's lack of invasions since 1066, and draw it all back to how important the way perceptions of unique culture and biology on islands are built up is... The episode can be found at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1fODK3wb2qd7yQZWrLzvIS?si=d44bbb9396034d42. Enjoy!
Dec 25, 2022 · 4 min
60- Porphyria
In today's episode, we revisit an old blog post from all the way back in January 2021. George III of the United Kingdom is probably the person most famously associated with porphyria. However, what isn't as often discussed is what exactly it is. Moreover, as we will introduce in today's episode, it isn't just George Hanover who was affected with the condition; his wider family seems to have suffered from it too. We don't touch on this that much in the episode, but it in fact seems to stretch back to Peter I of Bourbon in the 14th century... Sources for this episode: Cussans, T. (2017), The Times Kings & Queens of the British Isles: A History of Monarchy. Marlborough: Times Books Ltd. Dean, G. and Barnes, H. D. (1955), The Inheritance of Porphyria. British Medical Journal 2(4931): 89-94. Hurst, L. C. (1982), Porphyria revisited. Medical History 26(2): 179-182. Macalpine, I., Hunter, R. and Rimington, C. (1968), Porphyria in the Royal Houses of Stuart, Hanover and Prussia: A Follow-up Study of George III's Illness. British Medical Journal 1: 7-18. Roy, R., New Scientist (2011), Dracula's disease (online) [Accessed 11/12/2022]. Author unknown, British Liver Trust (date unknown), Porphyria (online) [Accessed 11/12/2022]. Author unknown, Genetics Home Reference (2016), porphyria (online) [Accessed 11/12/2022 via Internet Archive]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Peter I, Duke of Bourbon (online) [Accessed 11/12/2022]. NOTE: Original access dates for webpages weren't listed on my blog post, so dates are for pre-podcast access.
Nov 20, 2022 · 3 min
Island Folk 1- Rapa Nui
My inaugural Island Folk episode has launched! In it, Sean Dettman and I discuss the history of Rapa Nui in relation to the removal of the island's trees, and whether it was this that proved the death knell for the civilisation or the arrival of Europeans. This is a big topic with a lot more nuance than either our discussion or my preceding research was able to fit in or find, but I aim to come back to it in one or more future Biopedia episodes. If people are interested, I will add some references for my pre-reading ahead of our discussion to this episode description. The episode itself can be found at: Pod 1 Rapa Nui 10 Nov 2022 - Island Folk - On HAU - RADIO - Hautlieu Radio | Podcast on Spotify Enjoy!
Nov 16, 2022 · 2 min
Announcement- Island Folk
Hello everyone, quick announcement- I've been offered the chance to host a radio programme! Island Folk- the show where we talk about islands and play folk music- forms part of Hautlieu Radio. My background means I'll mostly be discussing island biology, but other aspects such as island history or culture also fall within the show's remit. It usually goes live on Thursdays (3-4 pm) before being uploaded to SoundCloud. It's a very different project to any audio experience I've had before, but I'm looking forward to it! The link to Hautlieu Radio's SoundCloud link is https://soundcloud.com/hautlieu-school, and it can be found on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/6zhcEz3lcZgiNs1uYSlasm?si=9cba6ae13460439c. If it sounds like something you might be interested in, feel free to check it out!
Nov 13, 2022 · 10 min
59- James E. Lovelock
James Ephraim Lovelock, best known for the Gaia hypothesis, died on the 26th of July 2022, on his 103rd birthday. In his honour, this episode is going to detail some of his achievements. During our discussion, we're going to examine his contribution to Martian life detection in the form of a paper published in 1965, as well as outline what the Gaia hypothesis actually refers to... Sources for this episode: Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition), Harlow, Pearson Education Limited. Hine, R. (2019), A Dictionary of Biology (Oxford Quick Reference), 8th edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Lovelock, J. E. (1965), A Physical Basis for Life Detection Experiments. Nature 207(4997): 568-570. Lovelock, J. E. (first published 1979, reprinted 2000), Gaia: A new look at life on Earth (eBook). Lovelock, J. E., James Lovelock (date unknown), Home (online) [Accessed c. 30/07/2022 and 08/11/2022]. Rafferty, J. P., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2022), James Lovelock (online) [Accessed 30/07/2022]. Tao, A., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2022), Lynn Margulis (online) [Accessed 30/07/2022]. Web of Stories- Life Stories of Remarkable People, YouTube (2017), James Lovelock- Detecting life on Mars (10/17) (online) [Accessed 30/07/2022]. Wright, P. and Radford, T., The Guardian (2022), James Lovelock obituary (online) [Accessed 30/07/2022]. Author unknown, BBC (2022), James Lovelock: Influential green thinker dies aged 103 (online) [Accessed 30/07/2022]. Author unknown, NASA (date unknown), SETI: The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (online) [Accessed 04/11/2022].
Jul 24, 2022 · 7 min
58- Islamic Golden Age Evolutionary Theory
The traditional narrative of the history of biology as a field focusses on the West. As such, other regions of the world are underdiscussed- which is important when discussing how to decolonise our curriculum and therefore what needs to be included and reflected. In this episode, we're going to step back in time to the Islamic Golden Age and discuss evolutionary theory- centuries before Charles Darwin was even born. Sources for this episode: Fuentes, A. (2021), "The Descent of Man", 150 years on. Science 372(6544): 769. Haensch, S., Bianucci, R., Signoli, M., Rajerison, M., Schultz, M., Kacki, S., Vermunt, M., Weston, D. A., Hurst, D., Achtman, M., Carniel, E. and Bramanti, B. (2010), Distinct Clones of Yersinia pestis Caused the Black Death. PLOS Pathogens 6(10): e1001134. Issawi, C., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2022), Ibn Khaldūn (online) [Accessed 19/07/2022]. Malik, A. H., Ziermann, J. M. and Diogo, R. (2018), An untold story in biology: the historical continuity of evolutionary ideas of Muslim scholars from the 8th century to Darwin’s time. Journal of Biological Education 52(1): 3-17. Singer, C. (1950), A history of biology: a general introduction to the study of living things, 2nd edition, London: Lewis. Author unknown, Keele University (2018), Keele Manifesto for decolonising the curriculum (online) [Accessed 16/06/2022]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Islamic Golden Age (online) [Accessed c.20/03/2022 and 23/06/2022]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Muqaddimah (online) [Accessed 19/07/2022].
Apr 10, 2022 · 3 min
57- Benedict's Test
Today's topic is a return to the world of biochemistry with a discussion of Benedict's test- used to test for reducing sugars and, with some modifications, non-reducing sugars. We won't be discussing the precise methodology- and the subtle differences in methods/reagents between the sources I accessed- but we'll discuss what exactly a reducing sugar is and introduce the topic of food tests along the way. Sources for this episode: Fullick A., Locke, J. and Bircher, P. (2015), A Level Biology for OCR A. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hine, R. (2019), A Dictionary of Biology (Oxford Quick Reference), 8th edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2014), Dictionary of Biology (Eleventh Edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Benedict's reagent (online) [Accessed 12/03 and 02/04/2022]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Stanley Rossiter Benedict (online) [Accessed 12/03/2022].
Feb 12, 2022 · 17 min
Darwin Day 2022- HMS Beagle
As of February 12th 2022, it's been 113 years since Charles Robert Darwin was born. As such, we're back with another Darwin Day episode! This time around, we turn our attention to His Majesty's Ship Beagle, which Darwin would famously sail on. However, most people probably don't know a lot about the ship besides this fact. So, let's explore the Beagle's past and its possible connection to the present... Sources for this episode: Burchett, M. (1996), Oceanography and Marine Biology: Water Movements and Oceanic Circulation Patterns. In: Waller, G. (ed.), Dando, M. and Burchett, M. (principal contributors) (1996), SeaLife: A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment. Pica Press: Smithsonian Institution Press. Darwin, C. R. (1945), The Voyage of the Beagle. The Temple Press Letchworth: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. Dubowsky, N., and Dubowsky, S. M. (1994), The final mission of HMS Beagle: clarifying the historical record. BJHS 27: 105-111. The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2014), Arafura Sea (online) [Accessed 09/02/2022]. Goodin, M. M., Zaitlin, D., Naidu, R. A. and Lommel, S. A. (2008), Nicotiana benthamiana: Its History and Future as a Model for Plant–Pathogen Interactions. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 21(8): 1015-1026. Thomson, K. S., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Beagle (online) [Accessed 03/02/2022]. Author unknown, National Geographic (date unknown), HMS Beagle: Darwin's trip around the World (online) [Accessed 05/02/2022]. Author unknown, Royal Museums Greenwich (date unknown), HMS Beagle: Discover more about the ship that took Darwin around the world (online) [Accessed 03/02/2022]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Beagle Channel (online) [Accessed 07/02/2022]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Beagle Gulf (online) [Accessed 09/02/2022]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), HMS Beagle (online) [Accessed 03/02/2022]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Robert FitzRoy (online) [Accessed 07/02/2022]. Darwin Day: Author unknown, Galapagos Conservation Trust (2015), Darwin Day Comic Strip (online) [Accessed 06/02/2022].
Dec 26, 2021 · 5 min
56- Three Types of Selection
Natural selection is not just one phenomenon, but can be spliced into different types depending on what its action results in. Today's episode will examine disruptive selection, stabilising selection and directional selection; what they are, what their effects on populations are and some examples we see in the natural world. Sources for this episode: Allaby, M., (2020), A Dictionary of Zoology (Oxford Quick Reference), 5th edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Cain, M. L., Bowman, W. D. and Hacker, S. D. (2011), Ecology (Second Edition). Sunderland, Massachusetts, Sinauer Associated Ltd. Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition), Harlow, Pearson Education Limited. Hine, R. (2019), A Dictionary of Biology (Oxford Quick Reference), 8th edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2014), Dictionary of Biology (Eleventh Edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd.
Oct 24, 2021 · 4 min
55- Hybridomas
Cultured cells are useful, but have their limitations. For instance, B cells- white blood cells which produce antibodies- have a limited lifespan in vitro, meaning their use for making antibodies commercially is limited. The solution to this is the topic of today's episode: the hybridoma. Sources for this episode: Fullick, A. and Coates, A. (ed. Ryan, L.) (2016), GCSE AQA Biology (Third Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Madigan, M. T., Martinko, J. M., Dunlap, P. V. and Clark, D. P. (2009), Brock Biology of Microorganisms (12th Edition, International Edition), San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings Ltd. Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2014), Dictionary of Biology (Eleventh Edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd.
Oct 17, 2021 · 5 min
54- Bonsai Trees
Perhaps you've never thought much about bonsai trees. However, their existence does raise some biologically relevant questions. For instance, how is a bonsai tree created? Moreover, as we'll see in today's episode, they have also been considered as a tool in conservation... Sources for this episode: Cain, M. L., Bowman, W. D. and Hacker, S. D. (2011), Ecology (Second Edition). Sunderland, Massachusetts, Sinauer Associated Ltd. The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2021), Bonsai (online) [Accessed 15/06/2021, 18/08/2021 and 19/08/2021]. Joshi, A. R. and Joshi, K. (2009), Bonsai: A Technique for Conservation of Species, Bonsai and Conservation 1(1): 3-4. Perrott, R., Synge, P. M. and Herklots, G. A. C., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020), Gardening (online) [Accessed 18/08/2021]. Wyman, D. (1954), Japanese dwarfed trees. Arnoldia 14(1): 1-7. Author unknown, RHS Gardening (date unknown), Bonsai (online) [Accessed 15/06/2021 and 18/08/2021].
Oct 10, 2021 · 3 min
53- Grolar Bears
We're going to explore a particular kind of hybridisation today- the kind that produces grolar bears. As the name might suggest, this refers to the offspring of a grizzly bear and a polar bear. Its existence- and that of cases like it- also allow us to put something called the biological species concept under scrutiny... Sources for this episode: Cain, M. L., Bowman, W. D. and Hacker, S. D. (2011), Ecology (Second Edition). Sunderland, Massachusetts, Sinauer Associated Ltd. Callaway, E., New Scientist (2010), Neanderthal genome reveals interbreeding with humans (online) [Accessed 03/08/2021]. Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition), Harlow, Pearson Education Limited. Cooke, F., Dingle, H., Hutchinson, S., McKay, G., Schodde, R., Tait, N. and Vogt, R. (2008), The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide (p.370). Sydney: Weldon Owen Pty Ltd. Wei-Haas, M., National Geographic (2018), Ancient Girl's Parents Were Two Different Human Species (online) [Accessed 03/08/2021]. Author unknown, BBC Newsround (2021), Have you ever heard of a 'pizzly' bear? (online) [Accessed 02/08/2021]. Author unknown, Understanding Evolution (berkeley.edu), (date unknown), Misconceptions about evolution (online) [Accessed 03/08/2021]. Author unknown, WWF (date unknown), Top 10 facts about polar bears (online) [Accessed 03/08/2021].
Oct 3, 2021 · 12 min
52- Great American Interchange
Back in episode 49, I mentioned the Great American Interchange, which took place three million years ago when North America and South America collided and were connected by the isthmus of Panama. However, I largely glossed over it as it was only of tangential relevance to the topic of the Wallace Line. So, today, let's correct that oversight and explore the Great American Interchange... Sources for this episode: Domingo, L., Tomassini, R. L., Montalvo, C. I., Sanz-Pérez, D. and Alberdi, M. T. (2020), The Great American Biotic Interchange revisited: a new perspective from the stable isotope record of Argentine Pampas fossil mammals, Scientific Reports 10(1): 1608. Marshall, L. G., Webb, S. D., Sepkoski, J. J. and Raup, D. M. (1982), Mammalian Evolution and the Great American Interchange, Science 215(4538): 1351-1357. Weir, J. T., Bermingham, E. and Schluter, D. (2009), The Great American Biotic Interchange in birds, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(51): 21737-21742. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Great American Interchange (online) [Accessed 15/06/2021 and 13/08/2021]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), δ13C (online) [Accessed 10/08/2021]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), δ18O (online) [Accessed 10/08/2021].
Sep 26, 2021 · 10 min
51- RuBisCO, C4 and CAM
Photosynthesis has proven a useful tool in life's arsenal, but it isn't perfect. This is because one of its enzymes- RuBisCo for short- is not equipped to deal with our oxygenated world and as such sometimes creates toxic by-products which the organism then has to expend energy to deal with. However, some plants have evolved strategies to deal with this issue. Instead of simply working with vanilla-flavoured C3 photosynthesis, they have switched to alternative strategies known as C4 or CAM photosynthesis... Sources for this episode: Cain, M. L., Bowman, W. D. and Hacker, S. D. (2011), Ecology (Second Edition). Sunderland, Massachusetts, Sinauer Associated Ltd. Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition), Harlow, Pearson Education Limited. Hirst, K. K., ThoughtCo (Updated 13/11/2019), Adaptations to Climate Change in C3, C4 and CAM Plants (online) [Accessed 27/07/2021]. Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2014), Dictionary of Biology (Eleventh Edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd.
Sep 19, 2021 · 6 min
50- Kin Selection and Hamilton's Rule
Altruism- or actions by organisms which ultimately provide a benefit to other organisms- have been puzzling evolutionary scientists since Darwin's time. As such, attempts have been made to explain how this phenomenon comes about. One of these explanations is the subject of today's episode- kin selection and Hamilton's rule. Now, I am not going to go into the arguments and evidence for and against it, which is probably a topic for future episodes. For now, it's probably best to say that my previous studies on the topic have taught me that there is a tangible divide within biology on this topic... Sources for this episode: Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition), Harlow, Pearson Education Limited. Dugatkin, L. A. (2007), Inclusive Fitness Theory from Darwin to Hamilton, Genetics 176(3): 1375- 1380. The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2018), Kin selection (online) [Accessed 18/06/2021]. Herron, J. C. and Freeman, S. (2015), Evolutionary Analysis (Fifth Edition, Global Edition). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Oshaka, S., OUPblog (Oxford University Press, 2015), Kin selection, group selection and altruism: a controversy without end? (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2014), Dictionary of Biology (Eleventh Edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd.
Sep 12, 2021 · 5 min
49- The Wallace Line
If Alfred Russell Wallace (1823- 1913) is thought of at all, he is an after-thought to his far more famous counterpart Charles Darwin and the theory of natural selection. However, he has also had an impact in other fields. Today, we'll be exploring the Wallace Line and Wallace's contribution to zoogeography. Sources for this episode: Cain, M. L., Bowman, W. D. and Hacker, S. D. (2011), Ecology (Second Edition). Sunderland, Massachusetts, Sinauer Associated Ltd. Camerini, J. R., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2021), Alfred Russell Wallace (online) [Accessed 10/06/2021]. The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Wallace Line (online) [Accessed 10/06/2021]. Marshall, M., New Scientist (2021), The other humans: The emerging story of the mysterious Denisovans (online) [Accessed 11/06/2021]. Scoville, H., ThoughtCo (2020), What Is the Wallace Line? (online) [Accessed 10/06/2021]. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Phys (2016), Recent connection between North and South America reaffirmed (online) [Accessed 10/06/2021]. Tang, C. M., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2018), Tethys Sea (online) [Accessed 11/06/2021]. Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2014), Dictionary of Biology (Eleventh Edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd. University of Adelaide, Phys (2013), Mysterious ancient human crossed Wallace's Line (online) [Accessed 10/06/2021]. Author unknown, Understanding Evolution (Berkeley, date unknown), Biogeography: Wallace and Wegener (online) [Accessed 11/06/2021]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Wallacea (online) [Accessed 11/06/2021].
Sep 5, 2021 · 9 min
48- The Creation of Chromosome 2
It's a well-known fact that humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes- 46 chromosomes in total. However, chimpanzees have 48 chromosomes, as do the other 'great apes'. Why is this? Well, it centres around human chromosome 2. Sources for this episode: Fullick A., Locke, J. and Bircher, P. (2015), A Level Biology for OCR A. Oxford: Oxford University Press. IJdo, J.W., Baldini, A., Ward, D. C., Reeders S. T. and Wells, R. A. (1991) Origin of human chromosome 2: an ancestral telomere-telomere fusion, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 88(20): 9051-9055. Willey, J. M., Sherwood, L. M. And Woolverton, C. J. (2017), Prescott’s Microbiology, 10th edition (International Edition). New York, McGraw-Hill Education. Young, W. J., Merz, T., Ferguson-Smith, M. A. and Johnston, A. W. (1960), Chromosome Number of the Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, Science 131(3414): 1672-1673. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Chimpanzee genome project (online) [Accessed 02/06/2021]. Author unknown, WWF (date unknown) Great apes (online) [Accessed 06/06/2021].
Aug 29, 2021 · 4 min
47- Sibling Species
Moving away from previous topics somewhat, we're going to dive back into ecological theory and discuss the concept of sibling species. What is a sibling species? Well, they're species which appear broadly very similar, but do have some differences when you get up close. As we'll see in today's episode, sibling species are essentially part of the process of speciation.. Sources for this episode: Eisenmann, E., Amadon, D., Banks, R. C., Blake, E. R., Howell, T. R., Johnson, N. K., Lowery, G. H., Parkes, K. C. and Storer, R. W. (1973), Thirty-Second Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-List of North American Birds, Auk 90(2): 411-419. Gittleman, J. L., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Species (online) [Accessed 29/05/2021]. Nelson, D., OSU Bio Museum (2015), Examples of sibling species (online) [Accessed 02/06/2021]. Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2014), Dictionary of Biology (Eleventh Edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Alder flycatcher (online) [Accessed 02/06/2021].
Aug 22, 2021 · 7 min
46- Ediacaran Biota
Today, we're going to be discussing the Ediacaran fauna. This is a faunal assemblage that came before the Cambrian Explosion (535-525 Mya) but is less well known. Unlike the Cambrian Explosion- which saw the creation of most of the phyla we know today- the Ediacaran biota is much less familiar. It also appears to be quite confusing in terms of what category its constituent organisms fall under... Sources for this episode: Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition), Harlow, Pearson Education Limited. Ebling, F. J. G., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2017), Integument (online) [Accessed 29/05/2021]. Flannery, T. F., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Cambrian explosion (online) [Accessed 27/05/2021]. Grazhdankin, D. (2011), Ediacaran Biota. In: Reitner J. and Thiel, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geobiology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. Herron, J. C. and Freeman, S. (2015), Evolutionary Analysis (Fifth Edition, Global Edition). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Rafferty, J. P., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2018), Ediacaran Period (online) [Accessed 28/05/2021]. Shen, B., Dong, L., Xiao, S. and Kowalewski, M. (2008), The Avalon Explosion: Evolution of Ediacara Morphospace, Science 319(5859): 81-84. Thain, M. and Hickman, M. (2014), Dictionary of Biology (Eleventh Edition). London: Penguin Books Ltd. Virginia Tech, ScienceDaily (2008), Two Explosive Evolutionary Events Shaped Early History Of Multicellular Life (online) [Accessed 28/05/2021]. Windley, B. F., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Ediacara fauna (online) [Accessed 28/05/2021]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Ediacaran biota (online) [Accessed 28/05/2021]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Marinoan glaciation (online) [Accessed 28/05/2021].
Aug 14, 2021 · 6 min
45- The DNA of Louis XVI
Almost no French king is more famous than Louis XVI, reigning during the turbulent times of the French Revolution at the tail-end of the eighteenth century. Previous studies have attempted to characterise his Y-chromosomal single tandem repeat (STR) profile, but were ultimately unsuccessful due to contradictions. So, today, let's explore a 2016 study which analysed a loyalist-owned lock of hair and compared it to three living male-line relatives. Sources for this episode: Lucotte, G., Thomasset, T. and Wen, S. (2016), The DNA Y-STRs Profile of Louis XVI (1754-1793). International Journal of Sciences 5(4): 68-93. Popkin, J. D. and Goodwin, A., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2021), Louis XVI (online) [Accessed 16/05/2021]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Family tree of French monarchs (simplified) (online) [Accessed 15/08/2021]. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Karl Wilhelm Naundorff (online) [Accessed 16/05/2021 and 06/09/2021].