BioTA Podcast

What color is that flower? In this episode, pollination biologist Dr. Casper van der Kooi explains how pigments and structure create flower colors. But that is only part of the story. Color isn't the same for everyone, and he explains why plants might look different to birds, butterflies, beetles, bees, and even you and me. So, if we see different colors, is color real?

Do spiders visit Sephora? In part 2 of our interview with Dr. Nathan Morehouse, he explains the evolution of color vision in peacock spiders, his creative experiments, and how you figure out what a spider sees when it looks at you.

There's more to color than meets the eye...specifically, spider eyes! In this episode, we talk to Dr. Nathan Morehouse about how peacock spider eyes are put together, how they work, and what matters to a female watching a male spider’s mating dance.

Every few years, we hear that El Niño is on the way! But what does that actually mean? And what is El Niño, anyway? In this episode, Dr. Gary McManus of the Oklahoma Mesonet takes us beyond the headlines and hype to explain what El Niño is, what it isn’t, and how this recurring climate pattern can shape the weather we experience.

In part two of our interview with neurobiologist Dr. Lemon, we learn more about taste and flavor. And to spice things up, we talk about how the fiery sensation from eating peppers isn’t triggering taste buds but instead is caused by capsaicin changing how pain receptors in your mouth work.

In this episode we interview neurobiologist Dr. Chris Lemon to learn about how receptors and neurons in your mouth work together and interact with other sensory systems to detect taste and give the sensation of flavor.

In Part 2 of our interview with Dr. Stein, we explore some of her research on how plasticity helps organisms survive in their environments, what it reveals about the importance of biological flexibility, and where this field needs to go next to answer remaining questions about this important trait.

At its core, phenotypic plasticity is one genotype, multiple outcomes. But what does that actually look like in real biology? In this episode, Dr. Laura Stein introduces phenotypic plasticity: what it is, how it works, and why it is important that organisms aren’t fixed in form or function.

Tuberculosis can be devastating, but in the past, treatment could be too. Dr. Mehaffy walks us through tuberculosis treatments from the past and explains the challenges still faced by modern medicine in treating and controlling spread of this disease.

Tuberculosis is a devastating disease that has impacted humans for thousands of years. We spoke with Dr. Carolina Mehaffy, a microbiologist at Colorado State University, about what tuberculosis is, what it does to the body, and how scientists test for it.

In this episode, we conclude our interview with Dr. Abigail Moore and Dr. James Hung. They explain why species concepts are important and how they are applied in their conservation-focused work with the Oklahoma Biological Survey.

In this episode we interview Dr. Abigail Moore and Dr. James Hung from the Oklahoma Biological Survey to learn about species concepts. In Part 1 we get their perspective on what a species is and why it can be hard to define.

In the 1500s, a disease called Cocoliztli devastated Indigenous communities in what is now Mexico. But what caused it? In this episode, we tell the story of Cocoliztli and how modern scientists used history, teeth, ancient DNA, and tree rings to identify the pathogen behind Cocoliztli, whose modern relatives still live among us.

Every day, your body fights a quiet, microscopic war. But how does the immune system know what to attack and what to leave alone? In this episode, Dr. Katriana Popichak, a researcher who focuses on how immune and inflammatory responses shape human health, helps us understand what the immune system is, how vaccines train it without giving you the disease, and how inflammation, meant to protect us, can sometimes be the root cause of some serious diseases.

What do a Cold War assassination, a vengeful ex-spouse, and a hit TV show all have in common? A poison so powerful it can shut down protein synthesis entirely. In this episode, we break down the central dogma of biology and describe what protein synthesis is, how it works, and how one of the deadliest natural toxins known can bring the process to a complete stop.

The Gram stain is a cornerstone of microbiology labs, but what is it actually telling us, and why does it work? In this episode, Jimena and Emma unpack the history and logic of the Gram stain, explain how differences in bacterial cell walls drive the result, and share practical tips for improving your staining technique.

Revisit this holiday episode that looks into the botanical origins of many Christmas traditions in Saturnalia, Yule, and other winter celebrations.

We’re reposting one of our most popular episodes! Learn about the botanical origins and symbolism of this ancient holiday. Happy Halloween!

What do dogs and dandelions have in common? More than you’d think. Both are products of artificial selection. Sometimes it’s deliberate, and sometimes totally accidental. In this episode, we dig into how human choices (and mistakes) have shaped species in surprising ways. From the lovable evolution of dogs to the rise of unstoppable, herbicide-resistant weeds, we explore how artificial selection can create both best friends… and botanical enemies.

In this episode, we continue exploring microbiology by talking with Dr. Katriana Popichak about the tiny troublemakers all around us: bacteria and viruses. What are they? How do they infect us? And, more importantly, how can we push back against them? Grab some hand sanitizer and settle in as we untangle fact from fiction about microbes, antibiotics, vaccines, and the science of keeping microbes under control so they don’t ruin your day.