Tiny Living Beings

Giant Algal Viruses with The J Van Ettens

Giant viruses changed what biologists thought a virus could be. This week, I interview Dr. James Van Etten, whose lab discovered chloroviruses 45 years ago. These are "gi

Introducing the Fire Amoeba - with Angela Oliverio and Beryl Rappaport

Eukaryotes are "complex" organisms with nuclei and membrane-bound organelles: plants, animals, fungi, and protists. Protists include many understudied lineages of fascina

Parasites in our pets' poop - with Ben Alverson

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 wor

Is science political? - with Kevin Bird

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

The Diatom Detective - with Kirstie Scott

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

Diatoms and dinoflagellates and dinotoms, oh my! - with Brittany Sprecher

Diatoms are beautiful (and weird). Dinoflagellates are weird (and beautiful). They are completely different organisms but both are protists that can both support whole ec

Sharks of the plankton - with Matt Johnson

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, t

Urine for a treat - with Owen Hale

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 bac

Where did plants come from? - with Blair Young

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

4.5 billion years of Earth history in one hour - with Bolton Howes

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

Life is beautiful - with Ursula Goodenough

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 ach

Choanoflagellates and animal evolution - with David Booth

Choanoflagellates are unicellular protists but they also happen to be the closest living relatives to animals. This week, David Booth discusses what choanoflagellates are

Getting to know lichens - with Dennis Waters

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! L

Fungi are everywhere - with Kaydubs the hiking scientist

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 i

Tardigrade takedown - with Chloé Savard

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 w

The gut microbiome - with Haley Hallowell

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

Polar microbes - with Jaz Millar

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 an

The Great Oxygenation Event - With John Encarnacion

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 Encarn

Hobby microscopy - with Lena Struwe

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

Hot springs archaea - with Arthur Charles-Orszag

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