Biologically Speaking

Episode 18: Give Plants A Chance!

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 21:52:13 GMT

In this episode we take a detour into the vastly inferiour plant kingdom to examine just what exactly a photosynthesis is. We bask in the beauty of diatoms, remain in awe of C4, and emplore the listeners to get their hands dirty and split up some varanids. All jokes aside, some of the stuff Ben said was surprisingly interesting and I mean that in the nicest way. Oh, and if you only come for the jingles (which let's be honest is most of you now) then this episode will not disappoint. Enjoy!

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Episode 17: The Triassic!

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 20:13:15 GMT

After recieving criticisms of having an unessecarily heavy focus on paleontology, we prove that we won't let the haters get us down, with our longest episode yet detailing the highlights and lowlights of that underrated time in history: the Triassic period. Ben talks us through some of the best of the best archosauromorphs of their day, Henry still thinks all fossils are about sex, and Alia gets bored. Get comfortable, and enjoy!

Also if this podcast is totally your thing for some reason, you may be in luck, because there's another one now. It's called The Substandard Model, it's also about science basically, but this time we give physics and chemistry a turn as well. Find it on spotify. Please.

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Episode 16: Madagascar

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 23:26:32 GMT

Ahhh, Madagascar. Truly ecology's playground.

There is so much to say about this often overlooked island, and we try and say quite a lot of it within the course of an hour. We cover the ancient history of Madagascar, including its dinosaurs, then move onto more recent topics, while trying to illustrate what makes Madagascar so much more than a distinctly forgettable film from our childhood. Then we tackle the sizzling hot topic of Madagascan conservation, evaluating what is being done, and what can be done to save the island paradise. At least until me and Ben get to visit.

By the way, we haven't done this before but if you have any questions, suggestions, corrections, opinions, contributions, insults or really anything to say whatsoever, email samuelalexanderpickett@gmail.com, and we guarantee your email will be read out next episode!

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Episode 15: A Tale Of Two Shrimps

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 17:37:06 GMT

Ever wished that there was animal that could punch water so hard, that it could create actual light? Or even one that could see human thoughts, recognise cancer, or create thousand-degree bubbles. Also, ever wished that this animal was a shrimp? WELL TOO BAD, there is no such shrimp. However the mantis shrimp, (a close relative of the shrimp), can indeed do all of these things and more. We manage to discuss this for a good 45 minutes, before moving on to a second arguably superior shrimp, the details of which I will let you, dear listener, discover for yourself.

Also, I'm so so sorry, about the jingles.

P.S, we're sorry we haven't uploaded in a while, trust me, A level revision is at least as annoying for us as it is for you.

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Episode 14: The Best Shark!

Sat, 02 Oct 2021 21:21:01 GMT

We love sharks! We love them so much, they're great. Having said that, we acknowledge that some sharks are superiors to others, so we have decided to gather up the best of the best of the sharks, and attempt to settle which is the best of them. As you might expect, this took a while. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording, and also, if we manage to convince you how amazing sharks are, please donate to a marine conservation charity of your choice (the sharks would really appreciate it).

DISCLAIMER: Sam's audio is sort of terrible for the first 20 minutes or so, but power on through, the best is yet to come.

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Episode 13 pt 2: The Placoderm Question?

Sun, 19 Sep 2021 17:51:38 GMT

Back by popular demand, in part two of two, we once again tackle the sizzling hot topic of placoderm taxonomy. If you thought/hoped we were finished with this, you could not have been more wrong. Today we ask the ultimate question: were placoderms monophyletic or paraphyletic, in other words, did we all evolve from placoderms or not. All jokes aside, this particular debate get weirdly heated, at least within the paleontological community, and this episode is no exception to that. You will definitely want to have a little background knowledge beforehand though, at least listen to part one, but once you have feel free to enjoy this romp through the fascinating, contentious and relevant subject of how early gnathostomes came about.

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Episode 13 pt 1: The Best Placoderm

Sat, 07 Aug 2021 15:20:19 GMT

Never heard of a placoderm? Well this is the podcast for you! Not only do we explain all that the average citizen needs to know about this long extinct clade of fish, but we deliver an answer (somewhat) on what the best placoderm of all is. No one will be seated as we enter the ring to battle it out for our entry to be crowned superior, along with enough twists, turns and secret plots to put any crime drama to shame. Enjoy!

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Episode 12: B Cells And Adaptive Immunity

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 11:48:19 GMT

B cells are one of the key components of the specific immune system in humans, but how do they work? We explain the extraordinary mechanism by which the body generates enough B cell variation to effectively target any pathogen, as well as going into detail about how they evolved over time, and what role they play in the immune response. Also, at no point is the conversation completely derailed by the Jeopardy theme song and/or someone discovering a . . . somewhat interestingly shaped worm. That definitely does not happen.

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Episode 11: Poison Or Venom?

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 16:26:40 GMT

We often hear the terms "poisonous" and "venomous" being thrown about a lot in biology, but what do they actually mean, and who even cares? We answer both of these questions in this episode by engaging in a gripping debate, in which we not only explain the different methods of action of poisons and venoms, but argue over whether an organism would be better off having poison or venom by evaluating the pros and cons of both.

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Episode 10 pt 2: What Even Is Evolution Anyway?

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 20:36:36 GMT

Part two of two, after finally establishing that humans are maybe, sort of, probably not evolving in a biologically meaningful way, we move on to the pressing matter of what evolution actually is. Then after having a look at some of the implications of epigenetics, plasticity, canalisation, and symbiosis, we more or less agree on the fact that we should stop trying to squeeze whatever phenomena we see in the natural world into our pre existing definition of evolution, but rather expand our definition to accommodate them.

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Episode 10 pt 1: Are Humans Still (Meaningfully) Evolving?

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 09:08:20 GMT

Part one of two, we discuss to what extent the human race is still evolving in a biologically meaningful way, and then explore what we should treat as the baseline state for a population: stability or change.

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Episode 9: The Placebo Effect (Live)

Thu, 27 May 2021 21:02:59 GMT

In our first live session of Biologically Speaking, we talk about the placebo effect and its implications on modern medicine, as well as whether or not we think doctors should be allowed to prescribe placebos as treatments.

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Episode 8: Alphafold And Beyond

Thu, 20 May 2021 06:56:29 GMT

Recently, the outcome of the CASP14 protein folding competition captured the attention of the world, as the overwhelming victor (Google Deepmind's Alphafold 2) had seemingly solved the age old problem that has been persisting in biology for decades, that of trying to predict a protein's shape from its primary list of amino acids. We discuss how they did this, what its applications could be in the future, and what it suggests about the progress of science towards the use of deep learning models in the years to come.

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Episode 7: The Covid Vaccines

Thu, 13 May 2021 17:56:11 GMT

We take a look at the dizzying array of Covid vaccines being produced, by selecting a few of our favourites, and talking about how each of them work, their advantages and disadvantages, and most importantly how the vaccine race has been portrayed in the media, and it's affect on public opinion.

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Episode 6: Quantum Biology

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 06:29:41 GMT

You've heard of biology, you've heard of quantum physics (probably). What if the two were in a glorious partnership in the form of a new emerging field known as quantum biology? We try and talk you through some of it, but be warned, if you listening to it are even half as confused as we were when making it, you're in for quite the journey.

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Episode 5: Dinosaur Fight Club

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 06:21:17 GMT

In a hypothetical, time and space defying arena, we think about which dinosaur would be the ultimate champion, and which would be instantly destroyed.

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Episode 4: The Worst Virus

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 10:24:04 GMT

We try to discuss which virus is the worst of them all. Unfortunately some of us were told to find the best virus, so brace yourself for confusion.

Disclaimer: Henry and Sofia's WIFI cut out before the end, so they leave half way through. Don't worry, I'm told their vote would not have changed the result.

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Episode 3 pt 2: Banning Biology

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 22:46:34 GMT

Part two of two, we talk about whether physics or biology deserves more funding, and whether we should ban biology altogether based on its potential impacts on humanity.

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Episode 3 pt 1: Is Science Fake?

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 20:12:15 GMT

Part one of two, we discuss the philosophy of science in general, and explore realism and antirealism.

DISCLAIMER: Tom was wrong when he said it was A.J. Ayer who rejected the necessary truth of maths - that was kind of the opposite of what he believed. He corrects himself later to Mackie, which is who he was talking about (although he also needs to research Mackie more to check that).

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Episode 2: Neurodegenerative Diseases

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 13:52:33 GMT

We talk about neurodegenerative diseases, their signs, symptoms and potential cures.

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Episode 1: The Best Animal

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 14:33:26 GMT

The best extant animal species is conclusively determined, chosen from a few of our favourites. Intro music: Wallpaper by Kevin MacLeod, Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4604-wallpaper, License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Episode 0: Trailer

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 20:12:45 GMT

We introduce ourselves and talk about the format of the show.

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