PODCAST · science
Biopedia
by Vince's Podcasts
Biology is a fascinating subject which is well worth exploring. Its scope stretches from individual DNA strands and viruses to blue whales, metapopulations and the biosphere. We will shine the spotlight on a different biological concept in every episode. Topics I've covered in the past include the origins of cell theory, Dollo's law and the Anthropocene; however, there is still plenty more to discover. Our focus will range from the very smallest scales to the very largest; from virions to the Gaia hypothesis. So come and explore the fascinating world of biology, one episode at a time!
Episodes
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131- The Kardashev Scale of Civilisations
How do you quantify how big a civilisation is? In the 1960s, Nikolai Semenovich Kardashev came up with a scale based on how much energy hypothetical civilisations can exploit- which has been modified by others to stretch all the way from multiverse levels of energy usage down to the fabric of...
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130- Photosynthesis
It's long overdue, but we're finally tackling photosynthesis on the podcast! In a process which divides into the light-dependent and light-independent reactions, autotrophs convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose, oxygen and energy. Sources for this episode: TBA
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129- The Most Generations at Once
What is the record for the most generations that have been alive at the same time in a family? Let's introduce Augusta Pagel (1879-1989) to the stage. Before she died, she managed to become a great-great-great-great-grandmother! Sources for this episode: TBA
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128- Can Dolphins Detect Pregnancy?
Following another request, today we examine whether it is possible for dolphins- using their ultrasonic communication- to detect human pregnancy. The answer might be more ambiguous than you think... Sources for this episode: TBA
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Announcement- I've written a book!
Vince here- I've written a historical fiction book set in Constantinople in 1081! Well, kind of. The first draft of the manuscript is complete at about 59,000 words across 34 chapters. I am planning to to do a reading of the prologue as it currently stands on this feed, and after that prepare the...
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127- Life Expectancy of Hobbits
A bit of a silly topic today. What is the average life expectancy of hobbits in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium? Along the way, we will learn something about current and historic human life expectancy. Sources for this episode: TBA Sound Effect by <a...
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126- Moles
As requested by listener GT, we are going to talk all about moles today! Join us for the evolutionary history of the Talpidae family, English prophecies about moles, how much a mole head is worth in 2026 money according to the 1533 Vermin Act, and a lot of Red List data. Sources for this episode:...
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125- Pollinator Decline Debate Part II: A Dissenting Voice
Last week we introduced some discussion on bee/pollinator declines. This week, we will discuss a perspective by Jaboury Ghazoul- a professor at ETH Zurich- who argued in a 2005 paper that labelling a pollinator decline crisis was, in fact, premature. Sources for this episode: TBA
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124- Pollinator Decline Debate Part I: Non-Bee Pollinators
Once again adapting a blog post into an episode, we are going to be examining a paper from 2016 which gives a potential new perspective on bee/pollinator declines. It argues that the contribution of non-bee pollinators to pollination services might be greater than we think. Sources for this...
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123- Calculating Inbreeding Coefficient
There is a number we use in genetics to represent how inbred a particular individual- e.g.: Charles II of Spain, Ptolemy XIII or Danaerys Targaryen- is. On today's episode, thanks to guidance from a blog post I found very helpful on the subject, we are going to take you through how this number is...
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122- How to Build a Phylogenetic Tree
The term phylogenetic tree often gets bandied about, but how exactly do you construct one? Using three exemplar snake species and the differences in amino acid sequences in a common protein, let's build one together and explore how the process works. Sources for this episode: TBA
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121- Biofilms and Alzheimer's
We're going to be adapting an old Biopedia blog post today and examining how biofilms might be relevant in the generation of Alzheimer's. Sources for this episode: TBA
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Darwin Day 2026- The Ancestry of Charles Darwin
Happy seventh Darwin Day! Today on the podcast, we are going to examine the family tree of Charles Robert Darwin. Let's explore more than ten generations of Darwins, starting all the way back in the 16th century with William Darwin Sr. Sources for this episode: TBA
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Announcement- The F1 Generation
I have become a father! My firstborn daughter is here and is of course wonderful. However, the fact of her existence means that there may be some disruption to the podcast schedule. Thank you for your understanding!
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120- Olive Trees
As part of a triple feature with After Alexander and Autocrat, we will be discussing the olive tree today. Let's explore the biology and ecology of a tree species that is central to a myth covered on Autocrat, in a city which After Alexander explores the history of... Sources for this episode: TBA
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119- The Human Era Calendar
Happy 2026! Or rather- 12,026. At least, according to one interpretation. It has been suggested that the Anno Domini/Common Era system of timekeeping has some limitations. So, Cesare Emiliani created a calendar in 1993 to combat these issues. Get ready to discuss a calendar which begins when…
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118- A Calendar for Mars
It goes without saying that the Red Planet is very different to our own world. For one thing, the day and year length of Mars differ from those experienced on Earth. So how would hypothetical colonists deal with this? On our last episode of 2025, let's discuss the Suran calendar- originating from…
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117- Total Mass of Humanity's X Chromosomes
A silly question today- if you were to add together all of the X chromosomes of all of the people in the world, what would their total mass be? To answer this, we are going to have to estimate the mass of an X chromosome, examine how many cells are in a human body, and just how many people there...
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116- Generations
Generation Beta is, according to futurist Mark McCrindle, just starting to appear in the world. So, today, let's examine the generations that have been given a label in societal consciousness since the Lost Generation all the way back in the late 1800s. Sources for this episode: TBA
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115- Pregnancy Outcomes and Interpregnancy Intervals
Today, we are going to examine a paper studying the impact both age at first pregnancy and the interval between pregnancies has on the probability of various negative outcomes associated with childbirth. Sources for this episode: TBA
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114- Voyage of the Beagle Part III
Charles Darwin makes his way south from Rio de Janeiro to Maldonaldo and the south of South America. Along the way, he witnesses some local activities and has time to show off technological marvels to the locals. NOTE: I have found out since recording that St Elmo's light or fire is a weather...
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113- Sex Ratios and Family Size in the 1790 US Census
In a sort of unofficial Part II to our discussion in episode 112, we are going to examine the data from the 1790 US census focussed on the towns of Danbury and Brookfield in Fairfield County, Connecticut. We will be using the data for each household to answer two questions- does the ratio between...
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112- How Common Are Suffix Chains?
Something a bit different today- we are going to be following up from our discussion of namesaking and looking at suffix chains! Examples of links in such chains would include people like Theodore Roosevelt VII or John Smith III. Let's look at some real-life data- including data from the 1790 US...
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111- Could Two People Repopulate the Earth? Part I
Today, we will be wiping out humanity to ask a simple question- what would happen if there really were only two people left to repopulate the planet? Let's meet our hypothetical protagonists Cornelius and Cornelia, and in the first part of this scenario we will examine how many children the pair...
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110- The World's Smallest Snake
A few weeks ago in episode 108, we talked about the largest species of snake to ever exist. Well, today we are travelling to the other end of the size spectrum to talk about the smallest snake in the world. This is Tetracheilostoma carlae, the Barbados threadsnake- which was thought to have gone...
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109- Colestein Veglin
Throughout history, there have been several claims of unusual longevity. For example, Pliny the Elder mentions several cases of people claiming to be 140 in a first century CE census. Moreover, there is a man in England who supposedly died at the age of 169 in 1670. However, they don't quite...
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108- Titanoboa
Previous episodes of the podcast have established the precedent of examining specific species or taxa. On today's episode, we are going to examine a snake. Not just any snake- the biggest snake to have ever lived... Sources for this episode: TBA
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107- Pascal's Triangle in Biology
Pascal's Triangle is a useful concept in binomial theorem. However, it also has uses in biology. Today, we use it to answer the question- if you have X number of kids in a family or randomly chosen people in a sample, what is the probability of ending up with at least Y males and/or Z females?...
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106- Mitochondrial Eve and Y-Chromosomal Adam
Adam and Eve, Ask and Embla, Deucalion and Pyrrha... The cultures of the world seemingly love the idea of humanity descending from two founders. While this notion may not be in line with scientific thought, there are two individuals who everyone can trace either maternal or paternal ancestry to....
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105- Former Estimates of Earth's Age
We know today that our planet Earth is billions of years old. However, the people of a few centuries ago would have been equally convinced it was only a few thousand years old. So what were some of these old ages, and how big a shift is it from there to the age we've arrived at today? Sources for...
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104- Ming the Mollusc
It was one of the oldest individual organisms to have lived. And yet, in 2006, its story would come to an end. To find out how, come and join us on this adaptation of a post on the Biopedia website into audio format. Sources for this episode: TBA
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103- The Gaia Hypothesis
Tackling James Lovelock's most famous theorem is no easy task. However, that's exactly what we're going to do today. Join us for a breakdown of the Gaia Hypothesis, a discussion of altruism, a throwback to the Black Queen Hypothesis in episode 21 and some speculation based on an early 2000s book…
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102- Hyperdontia and Hypodontia
As it turns out, Louis XIII of France and Drypetina of Pontus have something in common. They have hyperdontia, or too many teeth. Today, we go through the phenomena of hyperdontia, hypodontia and concomitant hypo-hyperdontia. Sources for this episode: Ammianus Marcellinus (1956) in Three Volumes...
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101- Walruses
An episode all about a suggested topic- the walrus! Let's explore how one species used to many, and the challenges the sole surviving species faces in the modern day... Sources for this episode: TBA
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100- Germ Theory and Spontaneous Generation
WE DID IT! 100 episodes. It feels crazy to say that the beginning of Biopedia in late 2020 is four and a half years ago when this episode comes out. Thank you all so much for listening and I look forward to many more episodes to come! To celebrate our milestone, we are discussing a milestone in...
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99- The Laws of Thermodynamics in Evolution
Don't worry, you have not in fact stumbled onto a physics podcast. However, the Laws of Thermodynamics do have a rather significant connection to evolutionary biology. This is because, at first glance, they appear to lead to a rather startling conclusion- life should not be able to evolve at…
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98- Cryptic Species
Quick correction: I call the episode on sibling species episode 37 in the audio, but it's actually episode 47! Way back in the early days of Biopedia, we discussed the concept of sibling species. Now, we're talking about cryptic species. Are these the same concept? Well, as we will see today…
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97- The Hottest Summer in 2000 Years
2023 was a warm year. But let's put it into context. To do that, a 2024 study looked at temperature and tree core data to assemble summer temperatures all the way back to 1 CE. As for the result- the title speaks for itself... Sources for this episode: Bianchi, G. G., & McCave, I. N. (1999)....
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Darwin Day 2025- Charles Darwin Represented in Science Fiction
A bit of an unusual one this year- I was recently given a Dr Who book featuring Charles Darwin. So, let's examine the historical details of this novella and see how they represented Darwin. Have they done him justice? Sources for this episode: TBA
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96- Ancestors versus Human Population
Your number of ancestors double every generation. Two parents, four grandparents, and so on. If we compare these numbers to the total number of people alive on the planet as we go back in time, what do we find? And what do researchers say on the subject? Sources for this episode: Bell, S., Phys...
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95- Rewind: Fossil Fuels
For a podcast which has talked several times before about global warming and climate change, we haven't addressed fossil fuels yet. So, let's redress that today! Sources for this episode: Hine, R. S. (2019), Oxford Dictionary of Biology (8th edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kalair, A.,...
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94- Galactic Cycles Part II
In episode 71, we treated a galactic cycle of about 220 million years as a unit of time with which to view evolution. Today, we'll be picking up where we left off and seeing the story through all the way to the end- or rather, the beginning... Sources for this episode: Cox, B. and Cohen, A.…
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93- Biological Impacts of Chernobyl
In 1986, the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl- then in the USSR, now in Ukraine- experienced meltdown. This disaster is one of the worst in nuclear history. However, there are some biological consequences we should explore. Sources for this episode: The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2020),...
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92- The UK Sand Eel Fishing Ban
Recently in conservation news, the UK brought in a ban on sand eel fishing effective as of March 2024. This is connected to how important sand eel are to seabirds. However, as we will see today, there are political repercussions of such an announcement... Let's watch the political and the...
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91- Climate Change and Day Length
Back to talking about the impacts of climate change, and this time it's something pretty fundamental that's being impacted- the length of a day... Sources for this episode: Agnew, D. C. (2024), A global timekeeping problem postponed by global warming. Nature 628: 333-336. Mitchell, R. N. and...
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90- Trees on Mars
The record for the tallest tree is a sequoia that is just over 116 metres tall. Would this be different on other planets? Find out in today's episode- plus an appearance from the transpiration stream and transpiration. Sources for this episode: Cox, B. and Cohen, A. (2013), Wonders of Life.…
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89- Voyage of the Beagle Part II
We catch up with Darwin and see what exactly he got up to in the Empire of Brazil! Sources for this episode: Cardoso, D., et al. (2020), Amazon plant diversity revealed by a taxonomically verified species list. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America…
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Update- Ask Me Anything and Patreon Question
As we'll soon be reaching 100 episodes, I was wondering whether you would be interested in an Ask Me Anything (or AMA) when we get there. If so, feel free to send me questions to the show's email address! I look forward to hearing from you. This update also tentatively raises the idea of a…
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88- Different Types of Cousin
First cousins, second cousins, fourth cousins three times removed... What's the difference? And if all three billion letters of your genetic code were unique, how distant a relation would you have to have before the two of you didn't share any of these original letters anymore? This scenario has...
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87- The Permian Extinction
Twenty-one episodes ago, we discussed the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years before the present. However, this isn't the only mass extinction event the Earth has witnessed. Let's go back to 252 million years ago and watch the Great Dying unfold... Sources for this episode: Campbell, N....
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Biology is a fascinating subject which is well worth exploring. Its scope stretches from individual DNA strands and viruses to blue whales, metapopulations and the biosphere. We will shine the spotlight on a different biological concept in every episode. Topics I've covered in the past include the origins of cell theory, Dollo's law and the Anthropocene; however, there is still plenty more to discover. Our focus will range from the very smallest scales to the very largest; from virions to the Gaia hypothesis. So come and explore the fascinating world of biology, one episode at a time!
HOSTED BY
Vince's Podcasts
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Biopedia have?
Biopedia currently has 154 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Biopedia about?
Biology is a fascinating subject which is well worth exploring. Its scope stretches from individual DNA strands and viruses to blue whales, metapopulations and the biosphere. We will shine the spotlight on a different biological concept in every episode. Topics I've covered in the past include the...
How often does Biopedia release new episodes?
Biopedia publishes regularly with 154 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Biopedia?
You can listen to Biopedia on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Biopedia?
Biopedia is created and hosted by Vince's Podcasts.
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