Tiny Living Beings

Tiny Living Beings is a weekly podcast where listeners get to know a scientist, a weird microorganism they like, and why they think it’s interesting. Our planet is full of billions of different microscopic organisms, most of which are still unknown to science. The ones we do know are diverse and strange. Microbiology knowledge is often gatekept by scientists who discuss this information in exclusive professional circles, but more of these topics need to be shared with the public! Although generally upbeat and fun, conversations often tangentially address frustrations with society or become existential, which, because of the time we are living through, is inherently connected to any discussion of topical scientific information. Content is geared toward all ages and backgrounds, anyone who is scientifically curious.

Parasites in our pets' poop 05/26/2025

Is science political? - with Kevin Bird 05/05/2025

The Diatom Detective - with Kirstie Scott 04/14/2025

Diatoms and dinoflagellates and dinotoms, oh my! - with Brittany Sprecher 04/07/2025

Sharks of the plankton - with Matt Johnson 03/31/2025

Urine for a treat - with Owen Hale 03/24/2025

Where did plants come from? - with Blair Young 03/17/2025

4.5 billion years of Earth history in one hour - with Bolton Howes 03/10/2025

Life is beautiful - with Ursula Goodenough 07/24/2023

Choanoflagellates and animal evolution - with David Booth 04/17/2023

Getting to know lichens - with Dennis Waters 04/10/2023

Fungi are everywhere - with Kaydubs the hiking scientist 03/20/2023

Tardigrade takedown - with Chloé Savard 03/13/2023

The gut microbiome - with Haley Hallowell 02/27/2023

Polar microbes - with Jaz Millar 02/20/2023

The Great Oxygenation Event - With John Encarnacion 02/13/2023

Hobby microscopy - with Lena Struwe 02/06/2023

Hot springs archaea - with Arthur Charles-Orszag 01/30/2023

Genetic engineering of algae - with Kyle Lauersen 01/16/2023

Glaucophyte algae - with Debashish Bhattacharya 01/09/2023

Glaucophyte algae - with Debashish Bhattacharya What the heck are glaucophyte algae? And where are they found? Spoiler alert: everywhere and nowhere. This week, Prof. Debashish Bhattacharya talks about Glaucophyta, one of the most ancient photosynthetic eukaryotic lineages on the planet and why they are great models for understanding evolution and endosymbiosis (a process introduced in last week's episode). He focuses on Cyanophora paradoxa, the most well-studied glaucophyte, what we can learn from this organism and its ancient origins, why few have studied the glaucophytes, and why it's important to explore our planet's biodiversity. Dr. Debashish Bhattacharya, PhD is a distinguished professor in the department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers University. He runs a research program that focuses heavily on genomics and evolution and has worked on organisms including red seaweeds, red algal extremophiles, green algae, Paulinella, dinoflagellates, coral reefs, and sub-par postdocs. Debashish was the recipient of the 2022 . He is also passionate about science communication and has produced short films describing his lab's research and its impacts that can be found on . You can follow his work on his , , , or on . Links to things mentioned in this episode: describing Glaucocystis bhattacharyae (alga named after Debashish) Trends in Genetics we wrote about horizontal gene transfer Cyanophora paradoxa genome Book on glaucophytes that I like because it covers everything on the "menage a trois" (or MAT) hypothesis For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find on Instagram, on Twitter, or visit for merch! Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites. The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution. /episode/index/show/0c04c811-ed45-4a3f-abfd-0a5fb9de956c/id/38768705

Photosynthetic amoeba - with Arwa Gabr 01/02/2023

Cassava viruses - with Alvin Crespo 12/26/2022

Cassava viruses - with Alvin Crespo As a society we have (rightly) spent soooo much time talking and thinking about SARS-CoV-2 but what about the billions of other viruses out there, most of which don't infect humans? This week evolutionary virologist Alvin Crespo talks about cassava mosaic begomoviruses which infect cassava plants, a food crop that is the main source of carbohydrates for the people of sub-Saharan Africa. We talk about where this virus came from, where all viruses may come from, and we also tackle topics related to 'parachute science', the scientific method and its limitations, and whether or not I am a generally ignorant person. It was fascinating learning about plant epidemics but sad to learn about the devastation they cause. However, as Alvin says during our conversation, we can learn a lot from these outbreaks which can hopefully prepare us for emergent plant viruses of the future. Alvin Crespo is a PhD candidate in the Ecology and Evolution program at Rutgers University in the . You can follow him on Twitter: or read his published work on . Here are some links to things we mentioned in the episode: Alvin's research is funded by a n NSF Program called . Here is the NSF award and a list of the related publications to date Collaborating institutes: North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T, Rutgers University, Auburn University, Biosciences eastern and central Africa International Livestock Reasearch Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub in Nairobi, Keny, Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)- Mikocheni in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and JOMO Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Nairobi, Kenya. Here is a link to the phycologist mentioned from Burkina Faso, Dr. Bilassé Zongo: Also, fun fact: it is the 40th anniversary of the first sequenced cassava mosaic begomovirus! For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find on Instagram, on Twitter, or visit for merch! Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites. /episode/index/show/0c04c811-ed45-4a3f-abfd-0a5fb9de956c/id/38768715

The microbes transforming our food system - with David Zilber 12/19/2022

The microbes transforming our food system - with David Zilber Did you know that one third of the food we eat is transformed by microbes? Why did people start eating sauerkraut? Will veggie burgers ever taste better? Is humanity doomed??? We answer these questions and more on this episode of TLB. Bacteria and many fungi may be invisible to the naked eye but their impact is all around us and is especially important when it comes to food. Chef, author, food scientist, fermenter, and TV personality David Zilber talks about the past, present, and future of fermentation and why fermented foods taste so good, are a healthy choice, and are a powerful weapon in the fight for a sustainable future. He lays out the rough path ahead for human society when it comes to reworking some of our most prevalent structures (e.g., capitalism, globalism, the non-local nature of food production) but leaves us with a message of hope. This episode is also a must-listen if you want the tea (or should I say red wine) on Top Chef Canada season 10. David Zilber is the at , a bioscience company based in Denmark. He is a former chef and at which has three Michelin stars and is commonly referred to as the "best restaurant in the world". David is also New York Times bestselling author of (which I highly recommend) that has revolutionized how home and professional chefs around the world incorporate fermentation practices into their cooking, and he is currently a judge on . To follow his work and impeccable book recs on social media, find him on Instagram: . I also want to link "The Entropy of a Carrot" which was mentioned; definitely worth reading. For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find on Instagram, on Twitter, or visit for merch! Music is "Introducing Cosmic Space" by Elf Power and "Vorticella Dreams" by L. Felipe Benites. While some of the content on this podcast may be relevant to human or veterinary medicine, this information is not medical advice. The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution. /episode/index/show/0c04c811-ed45-4a3f-abfd-0a5fb9de956c/id/38768720

Slime molds - with Kyle David 12/12/2022

Leptospira bacteria - with Kyra Hartog 12/05/2022

Deadly amoeba - with Seth Bromagen 11/28/2022

Tiny Living Beings: Trailer 11/26/2022

Tiny Living Beings

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