The Biologic Podcast

Besides natural selection, evolution is influenced by mechanisms like gene flow, the random walk of genetic drift, and the novelty-generating phenomenon of genetic mutations.

When populations groups diverge, whether they're separated geographically, temporally, or behaviorally, they find themselves on the pathway to speciation.

As all living things are fundamentally related, phylogenetics is the study of these genetic relationships, and the evolutionary history of the many diverse lineages of Earthly life.

All populations are subject to perpetual evolution, and Humans are no exception; peer into our distant past and observe the evolutionary history of the Human species.

Life on Earth is billions of years old. This ancient natural history comes to us in the form of fossils and genetic relationships, revealing the incredible story of the evolution of life.

The Paleozoic Era saw the rapid emergence of increasingly complex life forms that filled the sea and the land, but they would all face extinction during the events known as the Great Dying.

The Mesozoic Era saw the evolutionary emergence and rise to dominance of the dinosaurs, and the emergence of early bird and mammal ancestors.

The Cenozoic Era began with the destruction of the dinosaurs, and would see the rise to dominance and wild diversification of the birds and the mammals, including the emergence of a curious primate species.

The Holocene marks the most recent ~10,000 years of natural history, including the rise of Human civilization and the wholesale transformation of the Earths surface.

In the presence of Human development and pollution, and extreme climate change, what does the future hold for the evolution of Earth life?

A brief introduction into the diversity of life, beginning with the oldest lineages on Earth; the Archaea & Bacteria.

The protista are a diverse group of organisms, including both single celled and multicellular species. From an evolutionary perspective, they are the bridge between bacteria, and complex macroscopic life.

The plants are photosynthetic organisms, capable of turning the raw energy in sunlight into biological chemicals, which then sustains the entire food chain with carbon & nutrients.

The fungus are the quiet decomposers, playing a critical role in the recycling of biomatter. Without fungus to break down dead biomass and return those nutrients to the wild, the biosphere would collapse.

The animals are dynamic biochemical superstructures; they are mobile food-processing tubes, equipped with a variety of appendages and morphologies adapted to a particular habitat & ecological niche.

The viruses are pathogenic conglomerations of biomolecules, existing somewhere in the ambiguous void between true life, and unliving physical chemistry. Some say the viruses are not alive, others say they are the oldest branch on the tree of life...

A brief introduction to ecology, including the relationship between  organism & physical environment, the relationships between organisms, and the geochemical nutrient cycling that sustains the biosphere.

The actions of an individual can have far-reaching effects. Behavioral ecology seeks to understand how individual organisms behave in their social and geophysical environment, and in turn, how the behaviors of the individual effect the world around them.

When individuals live together, their collective behavior has a larger, meta-effect on the environment, quickly entangling the population into the larger ecological web that sustains their habitat.  

When countless individuals and populations live in a certain habitat, it creates a diverse biological community, consisting of numerous species of plant, fungi, arthropod, and vertebrate.  

The ecosystem is the consummate totality of a regions ecology, including not just all the organisms & their interactions, but also their interactions with the physical environment, and the geochemical cycling that sustains it all. The biosphere is the totality of all ecosystems on the planet; it is the thin layer of life that clings to the cooling crust of our world.  

Biodiversity is the raw variation in the living things that inhabit some region of the world. Some habitats are barren, with low biodiversity, but other habitats are nutrient-rich & fruitful, populated by a wide diversity of organisms and characterized by the associated ecological complexity.     B

The Earth's oceans are the largest biomes on the planet, and the womb of all Earth's life. From the emergence of the first cells, to the emergence of land-based organisms, the oceans have always been a womb for life.  

The wetlands are an incredibly complex and ecologically vital transitional zone between the bodies of water like rivers, lakes, and oceans, and the dry land itself.  

The deserts are an extreme biome, characterized by scorching heat during the day, freezing cold at night, and an ever-present lack of water that dominates the very evolution of the organisms that live here.  

The boreal forests are the conifer-heavy woodlands in the northern reaches of the world; these forests endure brutally long, cold winters, and short summers with heavy sunlight. Beyond the forests lies vast expanses of tundra, and beyond that, the icy pole.  

The temperate forests account for a colossal portion of the Earths landmass, carpeting vast swathes of land with trees, ferns, flowers, and all manner of fauna.  

The tropical forests are some of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, dense with vegetation, and home to a breath-taking abundance & variety of exotic creatures.  

A brief introduction to the basics of plant physiology, covering basic plant development from young seed to mature adult.  

Due to the nature of their physiology, plant hydration involves a number of variables with disproportionate ecological impact, from the roots holding the soil together, to the evaporation influencing the climate.  

Plants derive their nutrients from both the ground and the air; mineral nutrients are absorbed from the soil in which the roots are growing, and carbon is absorbed from the leaves as they sway in the air.  

The plants use a variety of mechanisms to sense the world around them; they can feel and respond to the water content of the soil, the temperature & humidity, and even to the presence of herbivores.  

Throughout their evolutionary history, plants have evolved diverse and complex means of reproduction, including spores and pollen grains, cones and flowers, and a wide range of symbiotic animal pollinators.  

Photosynthesis is a process through which plants capture the energy in sunlight to synthesize sugars, but more fundamentally, its the process by which light energy is converted into chemical energy, which sustains the entire chemical superreaction known as 'life'.  

The green algae the most primitive of all the photosynthetic organisms in the plant lineage. They are the root of the family tree, the origin of the green vegetables, and the living legacy of the plant transition from water to land.  

The bryophytes are an ancient lineage of simple plants, so simple they don't even have true vasculature systems. These small plants have a subtle but influential role in their ecology, and they serve as an evolutionary bridge between the simple algae, and more complex plants.  

The ferns are an unassuming branch of the Kingdom Plantae; they prefer the shade under the canopy, they unfurl their leaves with the elegance of a violinist, and they quietly dominate the undergrowth of forests around the world.  

The gymnosperms are the mighty seed plants that, like the dinosaurs, once dominated the biomes of the planet. Though less dominant today, the gymnosperms retain a global presence, and a heavy influence in regional ecology.  

The angiosperms are all those plants equipped with the most revolutionary development in floral reproductive capacity; the flower. The angiosperms and their colorful flowers have radically influenced Earths ecosystems for tens of millions of years.  

Plants are fundamental to human existence. Without them, we would not, and could not, exist. This episode will explore the deep relationship between humans & the vegetable world.  

Welcome to the world of fungi! We will begin our exploration of this exotic branch on the tree of life, with fungal development & physiology.  

Fungi do not have mouths to eat their food, nor do they have roots like plants. There's the mystery: how exactly do fungi acquire the nutrients they need to stay alive?

The fungal lifestyle is built upon the diverse array of chemicals they can produce to engage in symbioses with other organisms, to break down detritus food, to parasitize other organisms, and to defend themselves from various threats.

Fungi sense the world with a variety of cellular and chemical structures, giving them a unique perspective of reality.

Among all the branches on the tree of life, the fungi have perhaps the most complex, diverse, and exotic means of reproducing, both sexually and asexually.

The fungal organism engages with its community and environment in countless ways; without the fungi, much of life on Earth would not be possible.

The story of fungal evolution is shrouded in mystery, but what little evidence there is, suggests an incredibly long history that fundamentally influences all life on Earth.

The mysterious origin of the fungal lineage generated a diversity of fungal protozoa, which would give rise to the earliest true fungi.

Hidden in the soil, the glomeromycota fungi seek out and fuse with the roots of plants, to engage in a symbiosis that sustains the worlds forests.

The ascomycota are one of two major divisions with the 'higher fungi'. Along with the basidiomycota, they have come to dominate the fungal kingdom, and have spread across all Earthly habitats.

The basidiomycota are one of the most advanced and diverse groups of fungi, including all the puffballs, conks, and traditional mushrooms.

Today we'll be exploring the diverse and exciting ways in which Humans have used the many fungal species that share our planet.

Compared to plants and fungi, the animals have the most complex bodies, with the most complex body systems. Today, we'll explore the process of development that creates this complex animal body.

Water is critical for life. So how does the animal body use its water? How does it maintain a healthy osmotic balance, to sustain life?

All animals must eat food to survive, but how an animal eats, how often, and what it eats, play a fundamental role in the animal's evolution.

An animal uses its senses to perceive and engage with the world around it, which is critical when you can move around an environment, searching for prey, and escaping predators.

Animals are some of the most complex and dynamic organisms on Earth, and their mechanisms for reproduction are just as varied and complex.

The ability to move, freely & autonomously, is one of the defining characteristics of all but the most basal animals, distinguishing them from the stationary plants, and the creeping fungi. 

The subtle but foundational relationship between form and function can be seen at all levels of biological organization, from cells to tissues to organs to limbs and body plans.

In this episode, we'll explore both the chemistry and physiology of animal respiration. This will also involve a brief exploration of the cardiovascular system, which is integral to the function of the respiratory system.

In this episode, we'll explore the complex dynamics of the defensive system that protects animals from the countless microbes and pathogens they encounter on every day: the immune system!

Today we'll examine the chemistry, anatomy, and physiology of the animal nervous system, from action potentials to neural circuits to animal behavior.

The animal endocrine system is a complex decentralized chemical communication network that coordinates growth and homeostasis across the whole organism. Hormones are a critical component of this system, and we'll explore the many forms they can take. And while we're on the topic of glands, we'll also cover the basics of the exocrine system.

Very early in the evolutionary history of animals, there was a divergance that would ultimately lead to the creation of two major divisions in the Kingdom Animalia; the Protostomes & Deuterostomes. In this episode, we'll explore this ancient evolutionary split, the physiological differences between the two clades, and the modern descendant species that represents them today.

Welcome to Episode 85, which will explore all the worms and worm-like creatures that live across our planet, in all habitats, in all ecological niches.

Welcome to Episode 86! Enjoy a brief overview of each major clade, and the evolutionary relationships, within the Mollusk phylum. 

Welcome to Episode 87! Today we'll begin an adventurous exploration of the arthropods, starting with the oldest arthropod lineage that has survived into the modern day: the arachnids!

Welcome to Episode 88! We'll dig into the earth to explore the terrestrial world of the millipedes, the centipedes, and all the tiny symphylans and pauropods.

Welcome to Episode 89! Today we'll be exploring the enormous diversity of the crustaceans, from the tiniest arthropods that make up the zooplankton, to the largest crabs and lobsters.

Welcome to Episode 90! This will be an exploration of the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the largest and most biodiverse animal clade on the planet; the Insects.

Welcome to Episode 91! Today we'll introduce the Deuterostome animals, and explore the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships within the most basal extant branch; the Echinoderms.

Welcome to Episode 92! Today we will be exploring the taxonomy and phylogenetics of the most basal vertebrate clade; the fish. 

Welcome to Episode 93! Today we follow the vertebrates as they evolve out of the water, by exploring the taxonomy and phylogeny of the amphibians. 

Hello and welcome to Episode 94! Today we'll be exploring the taxonomy of the reptiles, those sturdy tetrapods that diverged from their amphibian ancestors, during the warmer, drier period after the collapse of the Carboniferous rainforests. 

In this exciting episode of the podcast, we'll explore the taxonomy and biodiversity of the surviving descendants of the dinosaurs; the modern birds. 

In this final episode on our phylogenetic exploration of the deutereostomes and the vertebrates, we'll take a look at the taxonomy and biodiversity of the mammals. The clade is the least species-rich of all the vertebrates, but their size and abundance make them key shapers of terrestrial, and many aquatic, ecosystems. 

Welcome to Episode 97! Today we'll be exploring the evolution of the animal lineage, starting way back over a billion years ago with the ancesetral Opisthokonta. We'll look at how the earliest multicellular creatures formed the first animals, and the first lineages of animals that really took off and successfully colonized the worlds oceans, with descendents still swimming around to this day.

Welcome to Episode 98! Today we will be exploring the anatomy, life cycle, and ecology of the most basal animal lineage with children still alive today; the sponges. These unassuming filter feeders are revealed to be extremely fascinating and complex creatures, critical to marine ecology. 

Welcome to Episode 99! Todays show will explore the strange and cryptic creatures known as the Ctenophora, or the comb jellies. These incredible and basal animals are quite unlike anything else in the sea, such that they may hold the secrets to many long-standing mysteries of early animal evolution. 

Welcome to Episode 100! Today's special episode will be a deep dive into the world of the Ediacaran biota. We'll explore the early days of the Ediacaran, and the changing world that would give rise to the earliest animal-like organisms. Then, we'll follow their evolution through the Avalon, the White Sea, and the Nama time periods to see how this Ediacaran life evolves, diversifies, and eventually responds to the presence of new forms in the early Cambrian. In this way, we will learn how the Ediacaran biota set the stage for all animal life that would follow after them. 

Welcome to Episode 101! In today's show, we'll continue our exploration of the early metazoans by focusing on the large and diverse clade Cnidaria. Here we will see all manner of jellyfish, corals, and sea anemones, among many other bizarre and strange relatives, including tiny filter feeders and obligate parasites. This will be a deep dive to meet some of the weirdest animals alive today. 

Welcome to Episode 102! Today, we're going to end our series on the early Metazoans with a relatively short and sweet exploration of their complex and fascinating relationship with Humans; how we see the sponges and anemones and jellyfish in our myths, urban legends, and imagination, and the role they've played in our technical and scientific breakthroughs. 

Hello and welcome to Episode 103! Today we'll be opening up a new chapter in the Biologic Podcast by diving into the anatomy, physiology, life cycle, and ecology of the rest of the animal kingdom, starting with the molluscs. The first episode in this new series will explore early mollusk evolution, and the biology of the earliest, most basal mollusk clades. 

Welcome to Episode 109! Today's episode is an important one. It marks the beginning of our four part mega series on the arthropods. In this first part, we introduce the most basal arthropod clade, the arachnids, and explore their evolutionary origins. We'll look at the ecological challenges they faced, and the friends and relatives they made along the way. Today's show will set the stage for the rest of the arachnids we'll look at in upcoming episodes, and the rest of the arthropods that we'll explore in the later parts of this mega series. 

Hello and welcome to Episode 110! Today we will explore the anatomy, lifestyle and ecology of two major arachnid groups; the acariformes and the parasitiformes, more commonly known as the mites and the ticks. Although they're most well known for the handful of groups that parasitize animals and sometimes even eat blood, most of them are herbivores whose collective consumption and metabolic activity plays a critical ecological role.

In today's show, we'll take a look at the infamous scorpion, as well as several of its near relatives. It will be an exciting adventure in the life of a scorpion or scorpion-like creature, as they scuttle along in deserts or forests, using their claws or venomous tail to attack prey. These are incredible, charismatic and cryptic creatures, representing a modern scientific frontier waiting to be studied. 

Welcome to Episode 112! Today's show will explore the early evolution of the true spiders, their anatomy and physiology, and the life strategies and behavior of early spider groups like the Mesothelae and Mygalomorphae. This is part 1 in the Araneae mini-series; part 2 will explore the Araneomorphae. 

Welcome to Episode 113! We're finishing up the two-part mini-series on the true spiders of Araneae with this in-depth look at the Araneomorphae. This group comprises the vast majority of modern spiders, and demonstrates a bewildering degree of biodiversity and ecological contribution. 

Welcome to Episode 114! In today's show, we'll wrap up our series on the arachnids by exploring their relationship with humans, from our evolution and prehistory, to the modern day. In human cultural lore, arachnids are nuanced and complex entities. They have inspired many technologies, their biochemistry has provided many medicinal chemicals, and their influence on human culture and experience has been profound. 

Welcome to Episode 104! Todays show will dive into a particularly strange and unusual type of animal life; the bivalves. Despite most bivalves being blind, immobile piles of slimy goo encased between two shell plates, they are remarkably fascinating creatures, with many critically important ecological contributions that help make aquatic habitats more habitable for all kinds of life. 

Welcome to Episode 105! Today we'll be exploring the wild world of gastropods, including their unique and bizarre physiology, as well as their even more bizarre reproductive strategies. It'll be a thoroughly entertaining and provocative episode, exploring the biology of a quiet, innocuous, and infinitely weird group of invertebrates. 

Welcome to Episode 106! This show is part 1 in a 2-part series on the cephalopods. Today we will explore the evolutionary history of the cephalopods, and take a closer look at the physiology and life cycle of the descendants of the strange, basal lineage of nautiloids.

Welcome to Episode 107! This is part 2 in a 2-part series on the cephalopods. Today we will explore the evolutionary history of the coleoids, a "recent" branch of cephalopod. We will also examine their alien anatomy, their unusual life cycle, and their shockingly sophisticated intelligence. 

Welcome to Episode 108! Today we'll be exploring the unique and diverse relationships that humans have with the many types of molluscs that share this world with us. They are part of our myths and legends, they are sources of food and medicines, and they've inspired countless technologies. We have a surprisingly close relationship with these most alien-like of Earthly creatures. 

Welcome to Episode 115! Today we're beginning a new series about the myriapods, those cryptic and classic creepy crawlies that dwell in the soils of the world. In this episode, we'll begin with a broad overview of the evolution and diversification of the myriapods. 

Welcome to Episode 116! Today we will take a look at some of the smallest terrestrial creatures, some of the most obscure myriapods, oft left unseen as they crawl around in the soil. 

Welcome to Episode 117! In today's special episode, we'll be stepping back from the myriapods to examine the soil biome itself. We will explore all aspects of the soil, from its material composition and chemical qualities, to its ecological role as a foundational substrate for life. This episode will transform the way you think about the dirt under your feet, and pull back the curtain to reveal the incredible biological activity thrumming along just under the surface. 

Welcome to Episode 118! In today's show, we return our focus to the myriapods by examining one of the more well-known groups, the millipedes of Diplopoda. They are a curious branch of arthropods, with many fascinating traits and behaviors that may seem otherwordly in their strangeness, or uncanny in their familiarity. 

Welcome to Episode 119! Today we will take a closer look at the class Chilopoda, also known as the centipedes. These are a uniquely predatory group of myriapods, with many fascinating adaptations for their ecological niche. 

Hello and welcome to Episode 120! Today we'll be wrapping up our series on the myriapods by looking at the long historical relationship between humans and our many-legged friends. From prehistorical mythology to the cutting edge of modern day technology, myriapods have quietly achieved a unique kind of cultural significance.