The Entangled Bank

Hi everyone, welcome back to the Entangled Bank Podcast! On today’s episode, your host Chetali and two special guests, Dr. Mulberry (Olivia) and Dr. Nick J (Nick) are going to be talking about the evolution of symbiosis and examples of several symbiotic relationships, and how they evolved or are maintained. We will be giving some insight on what symbiosis really is, the types of symbiosis, how endosymbiosis evolved, and we will also be paying particular attention to mutualism as one type of symbiosis. We focus on how endosymbiosis evolved and the ways in which it led to several speciation events and the acquisition of organelles such as the mitochondria and chloroplasts in eukaryotic cells. To begin our podcast, we focus on the origin of the mitochondria and chloroplast by unpacking and analyzing the evolution of endosymbiosis and the degrees of endosymbiosis. We give the redefined types of endosymbiosis which includes primary, secondary and tertiary endosymbiosis and how that a...

Welcome to GBP, the Great Biological Podcast! Join your esteemed hosts Garrison, Bo, and Pranav this week as we welcome a curious young scientist, Nicky J, onto our podcast to discuss something that many people take for granted: their thumbs! Listen along as we dive into the evolution of the modern human’s thumb and hand. Not only will we discuss how our hands evolved from a primate’s hand, but also just how unique our hands and thumbs have become and all the fun things we can do with them!   We talk to Nicky J about how the human thumb was first seen long ago with the primate Notharctus tenebrosus. From there the primate hand continue to evolve over hundreds of thousands of years until we saw the Middle Pleistocene fossil from Kenya resembling the modern human hand with a similar third metacarpal and thumb physiology. Likewise, we continued to see thumb muscles evolve from primates with different thumb muscles connecting to the forearm being slightly similar to a primate’s but...

Join us in thanking the evolution of the vertebrate auditory system as we give ear to the evolution of hearing across different species! A long-time member of the Entangled Bank podcast, Taylor G., hosts a rather vocal competition in discussing interesting facts about hearing. She is accompanied by expert guests of perspective fields: Evelyn H ( expert on fish) and Amanda O ( expert on reptiles, amphibians and of course their sister species, birds). Do you have your own theory for relations among social complexities, population size, possible environmental param eters? Do you have thoughts, opinions, or interests on what might complicate hearing sensitivities? Do you want to throw around popular, probable, or even seemingly dubious adaptationist stories? Are you interested in how humans approach vocal communication, in light of primate behavior and the human language? Yes? Excellent! Listen in to our interactive discussion pertaining to several aspects of the auditory ...

Hey y’all! Welcome to episode four, Colors of the Rainbow! Today’s podcast is brought to you by Sarah Haerle, Sara Bidarian and Akira Momozono where we will discuss the evolution of color vision in species ranging from fish to homo sapiens. First, we will discuss a few facts about color blindness and the ways in which color vision actually functions. We will then be joined by several special guests who will provide insight into their outlook on the world! Through listening, you will gain insights into the unique experiences of organisms such as the mantis shrimp, horse, bat, and primate. Listeners will also discover the interesting convergence of color pigments in humans and fish… who knew! We will answer some of your most pressing questions… Can crustaceans distinguish colors in a rainbow? Do colorblind humans see in the same way as horses do? Do bats see color even though they live in the dark? How and why did trichromatic vision evolve? Are ...

Hello listeners! Today on the Entangled Bank Podcast, the Camo-Entourage is here to take questions from different species in the style of Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation. Join Harper, Lexie, and Rachel as they delve into the intricacies of the phenomenon known as camouflage. It began as a single endosymbiotic relationship between cyanobacteria and a species called Paulinella chromatophora. Over time, the latter lost portions of its genome and became completely reliant upon the former. Through this relationship, cyanobacteria gained the beginnings of a powerful new ability: color change. By shifting either the overall number of chromatophora present, their efficiency, or even the distribution of pigment within them, some modern-day organisms such as chameleons can alter the way that they appear to both allies and enemies alike. Cape Dwarf Chameleon-- http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Bradypodion&species=pumilum Contrary to popular belief, ...

Hello everyone! Welcome back to the Entangled Bank podcast! This week’s topic explores the evolution of quadrupeds. Nikki, Sarah, and Jamie will be discussing how quadrupeds began in the water, transitioned to land, and then returned back to the water. So turn up that volume and get ready to learn about the development of limbs! As mentioned above, our story begins in the water. Paired fins (a fin on each side of the body) actually began as a single, pelvic pair before becoming the double paired fins we’re familiar with today. This development is a result of Hox gene expression. According to  Edwards (1989), there are two theories why paired fins evolved: structural use and functional use. After much research and observation, Edwards found that functionality (movement, feeding, defense, etc.) is the most likely reason. Fins are not the only type of aquatic limb; there are non-paired limbs as well, such as octopus and sea stars. Some animals felt it was time to m...

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another season of The Entangled Bank. Join Evolution students Amber, Mary, and Kat as they explore all things venom in this fun and fresh new episode. We are joined in S2E1 by our friends the slow loris, the Indian cobra, and the tarantula hawk wasp, as they embark on a life-changing, healing journey of mutual support for venomous organisms. Dive into this intimate moment where they discuss what it means to be venomous, grappling with all of the challenges that come alongside it in their newly-formed support group. They explore a multitude of questions, including: Where did venom originate? What is it used for? What are venom proteins and what do they do? How is venom delivered? Slow loris -- www.nationalgeographic.com First, these deeply disturbed and misunderstood organisms tackle the ever-changing and complex definition of venom--and clarify how it differs from poison. While both are toxic substances, they are employed in different ma...