This Week in Evolution

This Week in Evolution is a podcast on the biology behind what makes us tick.

TWiEVO 119: Drive fast, take chances, and encode a Y chromosome 11/04/2025

TWiEVO 119: Drive fast, take chances, and encode a Y chromosome Nels and Vincent explain research attempting to explain why among humans, females around the world live on average 5 years longer than males, but the trend is reversed in many birds, amphibians, and insects. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Sexual selection drives (Sci Adv) Timestamps by Science Picks 1:37:00 Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/38911735

TWiEVO 118: Mother of an unrelated brother 10/14/2025

TWiEVO 118: Mother of an unrelated brother Nels and Vincent discuss research which shows a shift from the rule that living organisms produce same-species offspring: an ant that produces individuals from two distinct species. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the David Baltimore interview () One mother for (Nature) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/38579045

TWiEVO 117: Genes that don't leave 08/20/2025

TWiEVO 117: Genes that don't leave Nels and Vincent discuss research on hidden evolutionary constraints that dictate the retention of coronavirus accessory gene, which was flagged by NIH as potentially dangerous gain-of-function research. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the and retention of coronavirus accessory genes (Curr Biol) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – and Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/37895530

TWiEVO 116: An ant and two fungi walk into a bar and meet a naked mole rat 07/23/2025

TWiEVO 116: An ant and two fungi walk into a bar and meet a naked mole rat Nels and Vincent review research on how neuropeptides influence the behavior of leafcutter ants, and regulate the different caste behaviors such as defenders, leaf foragers, brood care, and fungus farming. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Neuropeptides and (Cell) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/37595605

TWiEVO 115: Even the archaea are going viral 06/18/2025

TWiEVO 115: Even the archaea are going viral Nels and Vincent discuss an ultra reduced archaeal genome, the closest cellular entity to date that approaches a viral strategy of existence. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Ultra-reduced (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/37062285

TWiEVO 114: The best experiments ever done 05/21/2025

TWiEVO 114: The best experiments ever done Nels and Vincent review the properties of Mendel’s pea genes through the lens of modern genetic analysis. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Insights into (Nature) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/36865215

TWiEVO 113: A wolf in wolf's clothing 04/23/2025

TWiEVO 113: A wolf in wolf's clothing Nels and Vincent explain the ancestry and evolution of the extinct dire wolf. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Evolution and ancestry of (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/36839300

TWiEVO 112: Sex-Z cephalopods 03/26/2025

TWiEVO 112: Sex-Z cephalopods Nels and Vincent explain the ancient evolutionary origin of sex in cephalopods. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Evolution of (Current Biol) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/35990760

TWiEVO 111: Copy that, genome 02/26/2025

TWiEVO 111: Copy that, genome Nels and Vincent explain how template switching during DNA replication is a widespread source of adaptive gene amplification. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the and gene amplification (eLife) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels –Jeremy Berg on Bluesky – jeremymberg.bsky.social Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/35979145

TWiEVO 110: Ants go from carpenters to surgeons 01/22/2025

TWiEVO 110: Ants go from carpenters to surgeons Nels and Vincent reveal that worker ants amputate their colleagues injured leg to prevent infections. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Wound-dependent in ants (Curr Biol) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/35978795

TWiEVO 109: On the origins of orange 12/31/2024

TWiEVO 109: On the origins of orange Nels and Vincent discuss the molecular and genetic origins of sex-linked orange coat color in cats. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the in cats (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/34674725

TWiEVO 108: A virus in every parasite 11/20/2024

TWiEVO 108: A virus in every parasite Nels and Vincent review the identification of a novel virus associated with the pathogen Plasmodium knowlsei and which is part part of a diverse and unclassified viral taxon. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the P. knowlsei (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/34308380

TWiEVO 107: One small step for cells, one giant step for cell kind 10/30/2024

TWiEVO 107: One small step for cells, one giant step for cell kind Nels and Vincent discuss the origins of eukaryotes, with contributions from at least 3 bacteria (alphaproteobacteria) and a large contribution from DNA viruses with large genomes. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the during eukaryogenesis (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/34303605

TWiEVO 106: What's old immunity is new again 09/30/2024

TWiEVO 106: What's old immunity is new again Nels and Vincent explain how homology searches of anti-phage systems in eukaryotic genomes can be used to discover proteins of the human immune system. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the from antiphage systems (Cell Host Micro) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/33267237

TWiEVO 105: Not every rose has its thorn 09/30/2024

TWiEVO 105: Not every rose has its thorn Nels and Vincent look at how plant prickles, sharp epidermal projections that provide defense from predators and other advantages, arose by convergent evolution, the emergence of analogous traits in distantly related species. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the of plant prickles (Science) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/33266577

TWiEVO 104: Wooly mammoth prosciutto 07/31/2024

TWiEVO 104: Wooly mammoth prosciutto Nels and Vincent discuss the genome sequence of an ancient wooly mammoth, which shows that the three-dimensional architecture of the DNA can persist after 50,000 years. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Three dimensional architecture of genome (Cell) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/32366157

TWiEVO 103: Change the world by duplicating yourself 07/09/2024

TWiEVO 103: Change the world by duplicating yourself Nels and Vincent explore a direct experimental test of Ohno’s Hypothesis, which states that gene duplication can help genes tolerate new mutations and thus facilitates the evolution of new phenotypes. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Direct test of (eLive) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/32058592

TWiEVO 102: Kelp gets some viral help 05/09/2024

TWiEVO 102: Kelp gets some viral help Nels and Vincent explain how deep genomics of macroalgae illuminate multiple paths to aquatic, photosynthetic multicellularity. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Paths to aquatic, (Mol Plant) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – and the follow up Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/31213442

TWiEVO 101: 99 problems but a tail ain't one 05/08/2024

TWiEVO 101: 99 problems but a tail ain't one Nels and Vincent review the genetic basis for tail-loss evolution in humans and apes. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Genetic basis of in apes (Nature) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/31205152

TWiEVO 99: A shocking means to move genes 05/08/2024

TWiEVO 99: A shocking means to move genes Nels and Vincent reveal how electric organ discharge from the electric eel facilitates the introduction of DNA into teleost larvae. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the moves DNA into cells (Peer J) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – and G Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/31203907

TWiEVO 100: Spaces that celebrate science 03/10/2024

TWiEVO 100: Spaces that celebrate science Rich Condit joins Nels and Vincent at the Science Mill in Johnson City, Texas, where Director of STEM Education Jeehyun Park talks about the goals of the childrens’ museum. Hosts: , , and Guest: Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – and Rich – Vincent – SXSW Session ““ Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/31479582

TWiEVO 98: The worms strike back! 02/27/2024

TWiEVO 98: The worms strike back! Nels and Vincent discuss how behavioural individuality determines infection risk in clonal ant colonies. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Infection risk in (Nat Comm) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/30133793

TWiEVO 97: Germs trapping worms 02/27/2024

TWiEVO 97: Germs trapping worms Nels and Vincent review a study of the key processes required for the different stages of fungal carnivory by a nematode-trapping fungus. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Fungal carnivory by a (Plos Biol) Timestamps by Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/30117283

TWiEVO 96: Going bananas over the origins of corn 12/26/2023

TWiEVO 96: Going bananas over the origins of corn Nels and Vincent discuss the origins of two modern day agriculturally important plants: a role for two different wild teosintes in making modern maize, and the origin and evolution of the triploid cultivated banana genome. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Two teosintes made modern maize (Science) (Native Seeds) Evolution of triploid (Nature) Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Science’s 2023 and Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/29233268

TWiEVO 95: Watering the viruses until they bloom 11/14/2023

TWiEVO 95: Watering the viruses until they bloom Nels and Vincent discuss how the rewetting of seasonally dried soils, a critical event in Mediterranean grasslands that reactivates dormant soil microorganisms, leading to pulses of carbon and nitrogen mineralization, and is accompanied by a bloom of viral diversity, followed by extensive viral community turnover. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the Science Picks Nels - Vincent - Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/28645533

TWiEVO 94: A bacteria, a phage, and a selfish element walk into a cryptomonad 09/29/2023

TWiEVO 94: A bacteria, a phage, and a selfish element walk into a cryptomonad Nels and Vincent take apart an amazing symbiosis consisting of two bacteria, one bacteriophage, and seven different genomes all within a single-celled alga. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the •A single crowded (Curr Biol) • on TWiEVO 94 Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/28180514

TWiEVO 93: Faster than a speeding bacteria 08/25/2023

TWiEVO 93: Faster than a speeding bacteria Nels and Vincent review a collision of synthetic biology and experimental evolution, using a minimal synthetic bacterial cell with only 473 genes, the smallest genome of any known organism that can be grown in lab culture. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the • Evolution of a (Nature) Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/27846015

TWiEVO 92: There's algae in the jar 07/21/2023

TWiEVO 92: There's algae in the jar Nels and Vincent explain a study of how interspecies competition between two algae influences evolution of metabolism and size. Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the • during competition (Curr Biol) Science Picks Nels – () Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/27531840

TWiEVO 91: Meet your very distant cousins 07/17/2023

TWiEVO 91: Meet your very distant cousins Nels and Vincent discuss new findings using phylogenetic approaches about how complex eukaryotic cells emerged from prokaryotic ancestors, which firmly place eukaryotes as a clade nested within the Asgard archaea. Hosts: and S Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the •Heimdallarchaeial (Nature) Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/27492117

TWiEVO 90: The mystery of the mouse mummies 05/12/2023

TWiEVO 90: The mystery of the mouse mummies Nels and Vincent provide insights into the mystery of mouse mummies on the summits of >6000 m Andean volcanoes, including whether they were living there and if so why? Hosts: and Subscribe (free): , , , of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the •Mystery of (bioRxiv) Science Picks Nels – Vincent – Music on TWiEVO is performed by Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv /episode/index/show/twievo/id/26823624

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