Big Biology

David Lodge discusses environmental DNA as a tool for detecting invasive species and the challenges of translating ecological evidence into policy. The conversation follows invasive-carp detection in river water, scrutiny in legal proceedings, long-term crayfish observations, and the respective roles of researchers and decision-makers.

Hosted by Marty Martin, John Drake

Susanne Renner and Alan Cohen reflect on Bob Ricklefs’s contributions to ecology and evolutionary biology. The discussion considers biogeography, life-history research and the value of sustained, careful scientific work. Ricklefs is the subject of the tribute, rather than a participant in this recording.

David George Haskell discusses the evolution and ecological importance of flowering plants. The conversation follows the innovations that enabled their diversification and their relationships with animals and ecosystems.

Hosted by Clayton Glasgow

Diego Vázquez explores networks of plant-pollinator interactions and what determines which species interact. The conversation contrasts coevolutionary explanations with neutral models driven by abundance, examines the limits of prediction, and considers long-term bee monitoring and the challenges of maintaining ecological research in Argentina.

Hosted by Marty Martin, John Drake

Science writer Matt Kaplan discusses researchers whose ideas met institutional resistance, including Ignaz Semmelweis and Katalin Karikó. Drawing on his book I Told You So!, he considers how scientific incentives and organizational structures shape acceptance of new findings, and what reforms might better support high-risk research.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

John Wingfield and Fran Bonier discuss how hormones help wild animals respond to social challenges, seasons and environmental stress. The conversation examines the challenge hypothesis, emergency life-history transitions and allostasis, drawing on studies of wild birds. Wingfield also reflects on scientific leadership and advice for early-career researchers.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Daniel Simberloff discusses biological invasions, ecological theory and evidence from field experiments. The conversation explores how introduced species alter communities and ecosystems, and how long-running research informs conservation and management decisions.

Brad Gemmell discusses how changing environmental conditions affect the behaviour and ecology of small marine organisms. Topics include ctenophore predation, diatoms and ocean carbon cycling, and the role of upside-down Cassiopea jellyfish as ecosystem engineers. The conversation connects organismal physiology and movement with broader changes in marine ecosystems.

Hosted by Marty Martin

Kathryn Paige Harden examines the contribution of genetic variation to complex human behaviour. The discussion explores why genetic effects are rarely simple or direct and how experience and chance complicate claims about responsibility. Drawing on her book about genetics and vice, it considers implications for blame, punishment and forgiveness without reducing moral behaviour to individual genes.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Nachum Ulanovsky discusses studying nervous systems during natural behaviour. The conversation considers what researchers gain from observing animals in ecologically meaningful conditions and how new methods can connect neuroscience with evolution and ecology.

David Reznick discusses field research on Trinidadian guppies and the evidence it provides for rapid evolutionary changes in life histories. The episode explores feedback between ecological conditions and evolution, then considers the emergence of placentas in live-bearing fishes and what comparative research can reveal about that transition.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Mwezi Mugerwa discusses conservation of the elusive African golden cat using camera traps in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The conversation examines how field observations support study of a rarely seen species and how locally led projects, including Embaka, encourage community involvement in protecting it.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Katie Lotterhos discusses a survey of the effects of US policy changes on ecology, evolution, marine and environmental research. The conversation then turns to oysters as a system for studying local adaptation and the genomic vulnerability of populations facing environmental change.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Rae Wynn-Grant discusses wildlife ecology, conservation storytelling and making science accessible to communities underrepresented in research. She reflects on her path into the field, her work on Wild Kingdom and the role that nature programmes can play in public understanding and future scientific careers.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Drew Harvell explores the unusual adaptations of marine invertebrates, including sponges, corals and sea stars. The discussion connects these biological capabilities with disease outbreaks, environmental change and ocean conservation, considering how resilience may help—or fail to protect—organisms under human-driven pressures.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Martin Wagner examines microplastics and chemicals associated with plastics, including their effects on natural ecosystems and human health. The conversation connects environmental toxicology with international negotiations on a plastics treaty and considers how changes in plastic production and use could address pollution.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Jancitha Ellers, Enrico Rezende and Wilco Verberk join Cameron Ghalambor to discuss predicting ecological responses to warming. Topics include measuring heat tolerance in ectotherms, integrating trait data and improving models of species responses to high temperatures. The conversation was recorded around a predictive-ecology symposium in Granada.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Trevor Price discusses the evolution of bird species through research in the Galápagos and Himalayas. The conversation examines reproductive isolation, hybridisation, tropical diversity and elevational limits on distributions, alongside phenotypic plasticity and the practical challenges of studying speciation in the wild.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Stephen Porder explores how living organisms have transformed Earth through their use of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Drawing on his book Elemental, the conversation connects these biogeochemical changes across deep time with sustainability and choices that could reduce human environmental impacts.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor

Rosemary Grant reflects on her path into biology and long-term studies of Darwin’s finches with Peter Grant. The conversation links fieldwork on Daphne Island with contributions to evolutionary biology, scientific mentorship and the realities of building a research career while raising a family.

Hosted by Marty Martin, Cameron Ghalambor