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Tiny Living Beings

Tiny Living Beings

De : Julia Van Etten
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 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.Julia Van Etten 2021-2025 Nature et écologie Science
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    Épisodes
    • Introducing the Fire Amoeba - with Angela Oliverio and Beryl Rappaport

      Introducing the Fire Amoeba - with Angela Oliverio and Beryl Rappaport
      Dec 22 2025
      Eukaryotes are "complex" organisms with nuclei and membrane-bound organelles: plants, animals, fungi, and protists. Protists include many understudied lineages of fascinating organisms that challenge our understanding of cell biology, and so many protist species remain undiscovered. This week Dr. Angela Oliverio and Beryl Rappaport come on the podcast to discuss a new amoeba species called Incendiamoeba cascadensis that lives and reproduces at the highest temperature ever described for a eukaryote, earning the title of "fire amoeba". Angela and Beryl take us through their research and discovery process, highlighting the collaborative nature of their groundbreaking work. You can read about the structure, function, behavior, and genome of I. cascadensis in their recent preprint. On the episode, we discuss what this amoeba looks like, how it moves, its relatives, the volcanic lake it was found in, and current hypotheses for how it is able to survive in such hot temperatures. Angela explains how studying a novel species like this can leave us with more questions than answers which means that there is more exciting work to come! Angela Oliverio is an assistant professor of Biology at Syracuse University and Beryl Rappaport is a PhD student studying microbial eukaryote evolution and occasionally fermented foods in the Oliverio lab. You can follow them on Bluesky at @oliverio.bsky.social and @hbrappap@bsky.social, and learn more about their research at http://oliveriolab.org/ and their Google Scholar pages (Angela, Beryl). They've also provided some links and photos for further reading, and make sure to read their preprint! A great thread by BerylA geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes preprintExtreme environments offer an unprecedented opportunity to understand microbial eukaryotic ecology, evolution, and genome biology perspective paper Lessons from Extremophiles: Functional Adaptations and Genomic Innovations across the Eukaryotic Tree of Life articlePopular media articles about the fire amoeba in Nature and Scientific AmericanMore about amoebozoan amoebas: WikipediaBrief history about Thermus aquaticus (bacteria) and the advent of PCR from USGS For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch! The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution.
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      1 h et 5 min
    • Parasites in our pets' poop - with Ben Alverson

      Parasites in our pets' poop - with Ben Alverson
      May 26 2025

      Microbes are everywhere, including inside our pets! This week, Ben Alverson comes on to give us a crash course in veterinary parasitology. He discusses the variety of worms and protists that can live inside mammals and cause problems ranging from being a mild nuisance to causing death. We talk about the different types of animals that get tested for these parasites including cats and dogs, zoo animals like big cats, and farm animals. Ben does a great job explaining how diagnoses are made from examining poop samples, what that process looks like, how identifications of different eggs and and parasites are made using microscopy, and treatment options. This episode showcases a non-academic career path in microbiology that's absolutely fascinating! (But it is not for the squeamish!)

      Ben Alverson is a microbiologist with experience in the veterinary field. He runs the brilliant Instagram account @veterinary_parasitology_ where he posts photos of ova (eggs) and parasites found in his work. I HIGHLY recommend following him! You can also find him on Twitter.

      Resources from this episode:

      1. Textbook recommendation: Diagnostic Parasitology for Veterinary Technicians (I posted the link from the publisher but I recommend looking for this used or free online)
      2. Vetpocket app

      For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch!

      The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution or funder.
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      1 h
    • Is science political? - with Kevin Bird

      Is science political? - with Kevin Bird
      May 5 2025

      American science has been under attack since this Trump administration began. Tens of thousands of scientists and federal workers have lost their jobs and the effects are starting to permeate through society. This week I have Dr. Kevin Bird on to explain the events of the last 3 months, how science is funded in the United States, why it is being attacked so aggressively, and the ideologies behind these attacks. He also gives us a history lesson on movements of the past that sought to protect the scientific enterprise. It is really important to protect science. Publicly-funded research benefits us all! (Also, sorry for the choppy editing on this episode; I wanted to get this one out quickly!)

      Kevin is a NSF Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UC Davis studying the evolutionary impact of structural variation in plant genomes. He also researches scientific racism and posts lots of interesting stuff on his Bluesky account. You can also learn more about his work on his website or Google Scholar page.

      Here are some articles Kevin recommends:

      1. Brand new article about the NSF freeze
      2. Article about the impacts on US science
      3. Article about US brain drain
      4. USDA and food security
      5. US-AID labs that were cut
      6. Article on the admin's resegregationism and Project 2025
      7. Article about TESCREAL
      8. Article about neoreaction
      9. Radical science movements from the past

      For more info on microbes and to follow updates of this podcast, find @couch_microscopy on Instagram or visit www.couchmicroscopy.com/store for merch!

      The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution or funding agency.
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      1 h et 30 min
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