No, that is not a typo in the episode title. My guests today are collaborating on the study of animal movement, including humans. Both researchers use tools to document and analyze movement in animals. One tool is a symbolic language that has been in use since 1928 and the other is a new software tool called SLEAP that uses A.I. to capture animal and plant movements. In this show, Dr. Biology gets the inside story about these tools from guests Valarie Williams and Talmo Pereira. This episode...

Changing careers can be a challenge. It can also be rewarding.  And for some people, it is an opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream. This would be the case for John Truong who has been an artist and animator on some of the popular movies produced by Pixar, DreamWorks, and Disney. While he was and will always be an artist, he also has been hiding a secret from his friends and family. Dr. Biology sits down to talk with John about his secret that led him to his current role in a science...

What does it take to attract a mate? For some animals, it requires some push-ups. Other animals have a dance. And in both cases showing off some color is important. Dr. Biology catches up with biologist David Clark to learn more about his lizards and the robot lizards he has built to study these animals. The two also talk about David’s other study animal some fun jumping spiders. It turns out these eight-legged animals are fans of some movies David makes. Who knew that jumping spiders would...

No, this episode is not about the rock band or the cute German car that people love. This show is about some curious insects that have very different relationships with ants. To be exact, this is about three species of beetles that either battle ants, live close by an ant colony, or in one case inside the ant colony. How and why these species have evolved into these different relationships with ants is part of the research of neurobiologist Jess Kanwal. In this show, Dr. Biology gets the...

In 1962 there was a popular Broadway musical called A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. What does this have to do with a science podcast? The thought came up because of what happened at the conference today. And what was it? It was a dance performance. In fact, there were several performances. This episode is about the unexpected, the creative, the fun, and the science that are part of the lives of more than just scientists and artists. Dr. Biology catches up with performers Aidan...

Forget all the robots you might have seen or imagined. This biologist is making colorful coiling snakes and other robots to study animals in the wild. Dr. Biology expands his idea of what robots look like and what they can do when he meets and talks with roboticist and biologist Talia Yuki Moore. This episode is part of a series of podcasts recorded at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology conference– also called SICB. Learn More - Build your own robot snake.

The life of a biologist may not be what you expect. It is not all white lab coats and microscopes. There are remote islands, makeshift shacks that serve both for sleeping and a field laboratory. For this guest, it also includes cricket serenades and nighttime scuba dives in the ocean filled with glowing displays of shrimp vomit. Really, vomit! Dr. Biology sits down with biologist Niko Hensley to learn about his research into the world of animal communication. This is the first episode in a...

It’s cold, it’s hard, and you might not think of it as critical for life on Earth, but there is some ice that is more important than you might know. Dr. Biology sits down with scientist Stephanie Pfirman to talk about summer ice and how the amount we see is shrinking rapidly. This ice is important to more than the animals and native people who depend on it to survive. It turns out it has an impact far beyond its cold edges. 

There is something about sharks that bring out our inner fears. It is likely their teeth or their black eyes that are shown in scary movies and nature films that send chills down our back. But these animals have an important role in the health of our oceans. With over 500 species of sharks, there is a lot to be learned about them - like some of them do not have any teeth. Dr. Biology catches up with James Sulikowski, a biologist and shark expert. The two talk about what we know and don’t know...

Have you heard the story about the ant, the elephant, and the acacia tree? No, it is not a children’s book story. Instead, it is a story about a battle for a tree between a tiny ant and one big elephant. It is also an interesting tale about how plants and animals can have a relationship that benefits both. Dr. Biology takes to Zoom to talk with biologist Beth Pringle. The two talk about this epic battle of tiny versus mighty along with some interesting twists and other characters.

It's tiny versus the mighty and a battle for an acacia tree. Dr. Biology catches up with Beth Pringle, a biologist exploring the savanna of Kenya. The two talk about two animals that seem mismatched for the battle that has a surprise ending. Beth is also the biologist who took us along on one of her research trips to Kenya. You can go along too in our virtual savanna trip.

Nature versus nurture is a topic you might have studied in school. But what does it mean for us? In short, it is what makes you the person you are today. However, nothing is simple and the science behind the story of you is just as complex. It is a tale that is more amazing than anything you might have read, watched, or heard. Dr. Biology has the opportunity to talk about nature versus nurture with biologist Irene Gallego Romero. Listen in as they discuss the complex topic of what makes us...

Nature versus nurture is topic you might have learned about in school. But what does it mean for us? In short it is what makes you the person you are today. However, this is not a simple topic where we have all the answers. Dr. Biology has the opportunity to talk about this amazing story with human evolutionary geneticist Irene Gallego Romero. Listen in as they start us off on the complex topic of what makes us who we are.

The idea of humans traveling to the moon and Mars to live has captured our imagination. But beyond the idea of going where no one has gone before, these places are hostile and extreme environments for the human body. Planning for long space travel and life on other worlds will require more than solving some challenging engineering problems. It will require humans to think more about how we can survive in these conditions. Dr. Biology spends some time with Mallika Sarma an anthropologist who...

The idea of humans traveling to the moon and Mars to live has captured our imagination. But beyond the idea of going where no one has gone before, these places are hostile and extreme environments for the human body. Planning for long space travel and life on other worlds will require more than solving some challenging engineering problems. It will require humans to think more about how we can survive in these conditions. Dr. Biology spends some time with Mallika Sarma an anthropologist who...

Beyond viral cat videos and the millions of cute pictures of our feline friends found on various social media channels, these four-legged animals might help us to better understand science. At least my guest thinks they can give us some insights into the world of bile acids, digestion, cholesterol, and drug therapies. Listen in as Dr. Biology learns how computational biochemist Fiona Naughton's artistic side has introduced some fun and instructive insights using cute cat illustrations.   

Beyond viral cat videos and the millions of cute pictures of our feline friends found on various social media channels, these four-legged animals might help us to better understand science. At least my guest thinks they can give us some insights into the world of bile acids, digestion, cholesterol, and drug therapies. Dr. Biology learns how Fiona Naughton's artistic side has introduced some fun and instructive insights using cute cat illustrations.

Dr. Biology takes a bite into the world of food science with scientist Christy Spackman from the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. The two venture into the realms of taste, smell, and texture. There is talk of burgers, some of them impossible. The two also talk about how we have been working towards what Christy calls “making nothing”, which by itself is really something.

Dr. Biology takes a bite into the world of food science with scientist Christy Spackman. The two venture into the realms of taste, smell, and texture. There is talk of burgers, some of them impossible. The two also talk about how we have been working towards what Christy calls “making nothing”, which by itself is really something.

Dr. Biology is out of the studio again and this time with his shoes off and inside the tiny, but powerful submarine named Alvin. He’s there to talk with the chief pilot of Alvin, Bruce Strickrott, about what it is like to explore the deep ocean. Listen in as we explore the living world, including the one that remains mostly unknown and ready for the next generation of scientists to take their shoes off and dive into the dark side of the Earth.

Dr. Biology is out of the studio again and this time with his shoes off and inside the tiny, but powerful submarine named Alvin. He’s there to talk about what it is like to explore the deep ocean with Bruce Strickrott, the chief pilot of Alvin. Listen in as we explore the living world, including the one that remains mostly unknown and ready for the next generation of scientists to take their shoes off and dive into dark side of the Earth.

Diving deep into the ocean is likely the most extreme place someone can set out to collect data, but sometimes that is what scientists need to do. In this show, Dr. Biology finds himself on board the research ship Atlantis in the floating laboratory of Colleen Hansel who is teaming up with the deep-sea submarine called Alvin to track down and capture an elusive molecule that might help us understand how corals are or are not adjusting to the rising ocean temperature. Photo credit: Scott Wankel

Dr. Biology catches up with oceanographer Colleen Hansel on the research ship Atlantis to learn about superoxides and how they might are used by corals.

For hundreds of years, scientists have explored life on Earth with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Doing research was either in the laboratory or out in the field. But in recent years, exploring our planet has taken to the air. Dr. Biology gets to spend some time with ecologist Greg Asner to learn about his flying laboratory that is giving us a new view of our planet and new insights into many of our biomes.

For hundreds of years scientist have explored life on Earth with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Doing research was either in the laboratory, or out in the field. But in recent years exploring our planet has taken to the air. Dr. Biology gets to spend some time with ecologist Greg Asner to learn about his flying laboratory that is giving us a new view of our planet and new insights into many of our biomes.