BioTA Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Missing Links Episode: Population Concepts and Brood X 020 Sep 27, 2021

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During the spring and summer of 2021, the periodical cicadas in Brood X emerged from the soil where they had been living for the past 17 years. Once they came to the surface, all they wanted was to eat and reproduce. In this Missing Links Episode, the fascinating life cycle of the periodical cicadas in Brood X of the genus Magicicada is used as an example of the cohort concept and to demonstrate demographic models.

Virus, Vaccines, & Variants 019 Aug 23, 2021

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In this one year anniversary episode we revisit the SARS-Cov-2 virus and talk with Dr. Carlos Goller, a biotechnology specialist from North Carolina State University, about where we are at in the pandemic, how the vaccines to fight this virus work, and what is going on with these variants.

Smokey Okies Cannabis Growers Interview 018 Jul 25, 2021

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Medicinal cannabis legalization has introduced a new player in the agricultural industry of many states. But how is medicinal cannabis grown on a large scale? in this episode I interview one of the owners of Smokey Okies Cannabis to learn about how this is done and career options for botanists and others in this growing industry.

N. I. Vavilov – Plant Hunter (Part 2) 017 Jul 15, 2021

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This episode continues the story of Nikolai Vavilov and his efforts to protect plant diversity and the field of genetics against Josef Stalin and the pseudoscientist Trofim Lysenko. Hear how Vavilov’s bravery led to tremendous acts of heroism during the siege of Leningrad, and, ultimately, his recognition as one of the greatest biological thinkers of the 20th Century.

N. I. Vavilov – Plant Hunter (Part 1) 016 Jul 06, 2021

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Nikolai Vavilov was one of the greatest botanists, geneticists, and plant hunters of the 20th Century. Despite making incredible discoveries, his story is not widely known. In this episode, we follow Vavilov as he travels the globe searching for unique local varieties of crops to add to his seed bank collections and improve agriculture for all people.

Missing Links Episode: Trees 012 Apr 01, 2021

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There is no single botanical definition of what makes a plant a tree, but there are certain features that we use to identify trees. This episode explains what a long-lived, woody perennial is and highlights some of the records setting trees on Earth.

Pleistocene Megafauna Extinction 011 Mar 14, 2021

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The Pleistocene is known for the large mammals that lived during the “Ice Age” and the mass extinction of the mammalian megafauna that occurred as it ended. In this episode, I talk with Tom Luczycki and Dr. Hayley Lanier from the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History to learn about the Pleistocene megafauna of Oklahoma and the probable causes and consequences of their extinction .

Tree Thinking 010 Feb 24, 2021

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With a tree diagram and the simple phrase “I think” written next to it, Charles Darwin gave us a new way to look at evolution. This episode explains the basic principles and processes of reading phylogenetic trees called tree thinking. Dedicated to Dr. V. Funk, the greatest cladist.

Charles Darwin’s Mail & Notebook 009 Feb 02, 2021

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This episode commemorates Darwin Day 2021 by looking at his contributions to evolutionary biology from the perspective of an old mystery and a new one.

Missing Links Episode: Systems & Models 008 Jan 25, 2021

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Systems are an important biological concept for understanding the world around us. In this Missing Links Episode, I explain what systems are, how systems are described with models, and how systems have emergent properties.

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