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

Nov 29, 2020 · 2 min
9- The Platypus’ Larger Cousin
We’re all familiar with the platypus, but it still has surprises up its sleeve. On the show today, we get to know its bumper-sized cousin- Obdurodon tharalkooschild. Sources for this episode: Dell’Amore, C., National Geographic (2013), Giant Platypus Found, Shakes Up Evolutionary Tree (online) [Accessed 17/11/2020]. Pian, R., Archer, M. And Hand, S. J. (2013), A new, giant platypus, Obdurodon tharalkooschild, sp. nov. (Monotremata, Ornithorhynchidae), from the Riversleigh, World Heritage Area, Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 33(6): 1255- 1259.
Nov 22, 2020 · 6 min
8- Orca Population History
Killer whales are an icon of the world's oceans. However, genetic studies show that they haven't always been doing so well- especially during the last Ice Age. What's the story? And what relevance does the millennia-old plight of the orca have today? On the podcast today, we're going to use a genetic study from 2014 to explore just that. Sources for this episode: Moura, A. E. et al (2014), Killer Whale Nuclear Genome and mtDNA Reveal Widespread Population Bottleneck during the Last Glacial Maximum. Molecular Biology and Evolution 31(5): 1121- 1131. General dates for some of the geological epochs discussed are widely available and can be found at sources such as Wikipedia. A small housekeeping note: the lamellipodium episode is taking longer than expected and so has had to be pushed back a bit until November 25th (episode 10).
Nov 15, 2020 · 3 min
7- Localised mRNA and Cell Polarity
On the podcast today, we cover the concept of localised mRNA, which can be relevant to cell polarity. Sources for this episode: Martin, K. C. And Ephrussi, A. (2009), mRNA Localisation: Gene Expression in the Spatial Dimension. Cell 136: 719- 730.
Nov 8, 2020 · 5 min
6- Persister Cells
Antibiotic resistance we’ve all heard of by now, but what about antibiotic persistence? Join us as we explore the phenomenon of persistence, which allows bacterial infections to reappear even after antibiotic treatment. And all while being genetically identical to their susceptible neighbours! Sources for this episode: 1) Balaban, N. Q., Helanie, S., Lewis, K., Ackermann, M., Aldridge, B., Andersson, D. I., Brynildsen, M. P., Bumann, D., Camilli, A., Collins, J. J., Dehio, C., Fortune, S., Ghigo, J.-M., Hardt, W.-D., Harms, A., Heinemann, M., Hung, D. T., Jenal, U., Levin, B. R., Michiels, J., Storz, G., Tan, M.-W., Tenson, T., Van Melderen, L., Zinkernagel, A. (2019), Definitions and guidelines for research on antibiotic persistence. Nature Reviews 17: 441- 448. 2) Fisher, R. A., Gollan, B. and Helanie, S. (2017), Persistent bacterial infections and persister cells. Nature Reviews Microbiology 15: 453- 464. 3) Wiley, J. M., Sherwood, L. M. and Woolverton, C. J. (2017), Prescott’s microbiology, 10th edition (International Edition), New York, McGraw-Hill Education. 4) Some of the discussion is based on my previous education on the topic.
Nov 3, 2020 · 3 min
5- A Projected Range Shift during Global Warming
It is common knowledge that bees as a whole are declining as a result of climate change, although bee decline as a larger topic is not in itself the subject of today's episode. But what about individual species? On the podcast today, we cover a 2019 study which predicted that the Australian small carpenter bee, Ceratina australensis, might go against this trend.... Sources for this episode: Breeze, T. D., Roberts, S. P. M. and Potts, S. G. (2012), The Decline of England's Bees: Policy Review and Recommendations (University of Reading). Available at: Friends of the Earth (published 2017, online) [Accessed 09/09/2021]. Dew, R. N., Silva, D. P. And Rehan, S. M. (2019), Range expansion of an already widespread bee under climate change. Global Ecology and Conservation 17 (2019): e00584. Author unknown, Friends of the Earth (2017), What are the causes of bee decline? (online) [Accessed 09/09/2021].
Nov 1, 2020 · 3 min
4- GTPases and Actin Remodelling in Yeast
This episode builds on content covered in episode 3, so be sure to check it out if you haven’t listened to it already. This week, we explore an example of the GTPase content we discussed last time. Specifically, we look at the diploid mating of baker’s yeast in stressful environments. Source for this episode: Alberts, Johnson, Lewis Raff, Roberts and Walter (2008), Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition. Abingdon: Garland Science, Taylor and Francis Group LLC.
Oct 30, 2020 · 5 min
3- Cell Polarity and GTPases
On the podcast today, we scratch the surface of cell polarity and how enzymes known as GTPases are linked to this process. Sources for this episode: Alberts, Johnson, Lewis Raff, Roberts and Walter (2008), Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition, Abingdon: Garland Science, Taylor and Francis Group LLC. Thain, M. And Hickman, M. (2014), The Penguin Dictionary of Biology, 11th edition. London: Penguin Publishing Group. Some of the discussion is also based on my studies.
Oct 29, 2020 · 5 min
2- The Identification of Richard III
It’s genetics time! Back in 2012, a skeleton was unearthed in a car park in Leicester, which was later positively identified as Richard III of England. But how? Join us as we delve into how genetics cracked a 500 year old case wide open... Sources for this episode: King, T. E., Fortes, G. G., Balaresque, P. Thomas, M. G., Balding, D., Delser, P. M., Neumann, R., Parson, W., Knapp, M., Walsh, S., Tonasso, L., Holt, J., Kayser, M., Appleby, J., Forster, P., Ekserdjian, D., Hofreiter, M., and Schürer, K. (2014), Identification of the remains of King Richard III. Nature Communications 5:5631. Shakespeare, W., Richard The Third (play), Act 1, Scene 3. Author unknown, BBC news (2015), Richard III: Leicester Cathedral reburial service for king (online) [Accessed 29/10/2020]. Author unknown, BBC (2018), 'The discovery of Richard III's skeleton changed my life' (online) [Accessed 29/10/2020].
Oct 27, 2020 · 3 min
1- Biofilms
Welcome to our first proper episode! This week, we tackle the problem of biofilms- an extracellular matrix which can protect the species inside it and is a source of frustration to doctors and dentists alike. Sources for this episode: Lopez, D. Vlamakis, H. And Kolter, R. (2010), Biofilms. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 2(7): a000398. Short, F. L., Murdoch, S. L. And Ryan, R. P. (2014), Polybacterial human disease: the ills of social networking. Thain, M. And Hickman, M. (2014), The Penguin Dictionary of Biology, 11th edition. London: Penguin Publishing Group. Willey, J. M., Sherwood, L. M. And Woolverton, C. J. (2017), Prescott’s Microbiology, 10th edition (International Edition). New York, McGraw-Hill Education.
Oct 26, 2020 · 3 min
0- Introduction
Welcome to Biopedia! This episode is a bit of an explanation as to who I am, what the podcast is all about and some caveats about my schedule.
Oct 25, 2020 · 36 sec
Biopedia Trailer
Welcome to Biopedia! This is a podcast that aims to go through various aspects of biology one at a time for listeners of all levels. Enjoy the show!