Big Biology

Deepa Agashe, a biologist, discusses mutation bias and its impact on evolution using E. coli research. A study revealed a high frequency of beneficial mutations in mutant bacterial lines, suggesting shifts in mutation bias generate new beneficial mutations. The episode explores the surprising findings and implications of mutation biases on evolutionary trajectories.

This week on Big Biology we're sharing an episode from The Naked Scientists Podcast about how humans lost their tails.Humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans do not have tails. It sets us apart from other primates, but suggests that our shared evolutionary ancestors had them. So why did we lose them, and how? Speaking with Chris Smith, from The Naked Scientists Podcast, NYU Grossman School of Medicine's Itai Yanai explains that the way this study began was literally a pain in the "tail" for one of his colleagues...Credit: The Naked Scientists Podcast This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigbiology.substack.com/subscribe

Science writer Phil Ball discusses the flaws of traditional biology metaphors, the concept of the selfish gene, and the intricate levels of agency in multicellular organisms. He also explores the biomedical implications of viewing cancer cells as entities with their own goals.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow should biologists deal with the massive amounts of population genetic data that are now routinely available? Will AIs make biologists obsolete?In this episode, we talk with Andy Kern, an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Oregon. Andy has spent much of his career applying machine learning methods in population genetics. We talk with him about the fundamental questions that population genetics aims to answer and about older theoretical and empirical approaches  We then turn to the promise of machine learning methods, which are increasingly being used to estimate population genetic structure, patterns of  migration, and the geographic origins of trafficked samples. These methods are powerful because they can leverage high dimensional genomic data. Andy also talks about the implications of AI and machine learning for the future of biology research. Cover Art by Keating Shahmehri. Find a transcript of this episode at our website.

In this podcast, Rosemary Braun discusses studying complex biological networks, circadian rhythms, and using machine learning to target treatments based on individual circadian rhythm. The episode explores the search for undiscovered rules in biology, dynamics of gene expression networks, resilience in circadian clockkeeping, and the impact of genetic variations on gene regulation.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow do biologists strike a productive balance between descriptive natural history and manipulative experiments in the lab or field? Should we bring back species to areas where they’ve gone extinct and what values do we use to make these decisions? What is wildness and how do we cultivate it?On this episode, we talk with Harry Greene, a herpetologist and adjunct professor of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin, whose distinguished career has spanned decades. Harry is an E.O. Wilson Award recipient and also received the PEN Literary award for his book, Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature. In the episode, we talk with Harry about the importance of natural history to biology. We also tackle the topic of rewilding, a type of biological restoration that involves translocating species where they still occur to regions where they no longer are found, in order to restore ecosystem function. Harry talks about how his views on rewilding have changed over time, including how rewilding ourselves could improve our health and happinessCover art: Keating Shahmehri. Find a transcript of this episode on our website.

Samir Okasha, Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Bristol, discusses the concept of agency in evolution, exploring definitions of agency, genes as agents, agency in group dynamics, and the relationship between agency and adaptation.

Geerat Vermeij, a paleoecologist and evolutionary biologist, talks about power as a driving force in the history of life. He discusses how power has evolved in different organisms, the role of power in human history, and the need to curb our power. The podcast explores topics such as power dynamics, agency in evolution, and the perils of human power monopoly.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comHow are cephalopods like us, but also completely alien? How can they become so intelligent when they have such short lives? How do they coordinate a distributed set of brains?In this episode, we talk with Danna Staaf, a science communicator and marine biologist with a lifelong love of cephalopods. Danna earned a PhD from Stanford University studying baby squid, and she has written several cephalopod-themed books. Our conversation focuses on Danna’s most recent, The Lives of Octopuses and Their Relatives: A Natural History of Cephalopods, a beautiful exploration of the diversity of these wacky, wonderful creatures. We discuss cephalopod evolution, morphology, and reproduction, focusing on several fun facts that you can pull out at your next dinner party.Cover art: Keating Shahmehri. Find a transcript of this episode on our website.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.comDoes biological plasticity have a cost? Are there evolutionary consequences of plasticity and of organisms acting on their environments?In this episode, we talk with Sonia Sultan, the Alan M. Dachs Professor of Science in the Department of Biology at Wesleyan University. Sonia has spent her career studying the interplay between organisms and their environment. Specifically, she studies how environmental conditions influence the development of organisms, and when and how these developmental trajectories can include niche construction. Sonia refers to this complexity as “entanglement,” genes and environments working together to alter phenotypic expression, but then variation in phenotypic expression feeds back on environments and genes to alter evolution. She put this perspective to the test in a recent paper she coauthored with Mike Wade in the Journal Evolution & Development. In it, Sonia and Mike took a new perspective on the Price equation, finding that niche construction and other forms of organismal agency can change evolutionary outcomes.Cover art: Keating Shahmehri. Find a transcript of this episode on our website.