BioScience Talks

We hope you enjoy these in-depth discussions of recently published BioScience articles and other science stories. Each episode of our interview series delves into the research behind a highlighted story, giving listeners unique insight into scientists' work.

BIOFAIR to Solve Key Challenges

For this episode, we were joined by members of the Biodiversity Collections Network, who discussed the NSF-funded BIOFAIR project, the subject of a recent Special Report in BioScience entitled, "Integrating biological and environmental data to solve key scientific and societal challenges." Learn more.

10-15
41:20

Socioeconomics, Biodiversity, and Birdsong Beats, with Diego Ellis Soto

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Diego Ellis Soto, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and a research scientist at the California Academy of Science. He's an ecologist working at the intersection of technology, conservation, policy, and environmental justice. And there's even some music in the mix, as you'll soon hear.  You can find links to more of Dr. Ellis Soto's work on his personal website and more music on Spotify and SoundCloud. 

09-03
42:23

iNaturalist and Biodiversity Research, with Brittany Mason and Corey Callaghan

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by two guests, Brittany Mason, a Data Management Analyst at the University of Florida, and Corey Callaghan, Assistant Professor at the University of Florida in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. They were here to discuss their recent BioScience article, iNaturalist Accelerates Biodiversity Research.  

08-05
21:46

Science Storytelling, with Kristy Ferraro and Adam Meyer

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we were joined by Dr. Kristy Ferraro, who is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Adam Meyer, a PhD candidate in the Ecosystem Ecology Lab, also at Memorial University. They were here to talk about their recent article in BioScience, "Beyond hero and villain narratives in ecology and conservation science," in which they discuss storytelling and narratives in science writing—and explain which approaches work best.

07-16
28:41

Systemic Sexism in Academia, with Olivia del Giorgio, María Piquer-Rodríguez, and Silvia Lomáscolo

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Olivia del Giorgio, at McGill University Department of Geography, in Montreal, Quebec, María Piquer-Rodríguez, at the Institute of Geographical Sciences, at Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, and Silvia Lomáscolo, at the Institute of Regional Ecology at University of Tucumán and CONICET, in Argentina. They were here to discuss their recent BioScience Viewpoint "Systemic Sexism in Academia - An Early Career Viewpoint."

07-01
29:41

Urban Rewilding, with Patt Finnerty

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Dr. Patt Finnerty, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Global Ecology Lab at the University of Sydney. We discussed his recent BioScience article, Urban Rewilding to Combat Global Biodiversity Decline. More information on Writing for Impact and Influence can be found here. 

06-17
24:08

Drones in Fieldwork, with Thilina Surasinghe, Kunwar Singh, and Amy Frazier

For today's episode, we are joined by Thilina Surasinghe, Professor at Bridgewater State University in the Department of Biological Sciences, Kunwar Singh, Senior Geospatial Scientist at AidData and affiliate faculty at the Center for Geospatial Analysis, at the College of William & Mary, and Amy Frazier, Professor and the Jack and Laura Dangermond Chair of Conservation Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the Department of Geography. They joined us to discuss their BioScience article about the promise that drone technology presents for undertaking biodiversity and conservation fieldwork. 

05-20
29:46

Moving Beyond Crisis and Ecological Grief, with Marco Malavasi

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Marco Malavasi, plant ecologist and cartographer at the University of Sassari, in Italy. We discussed his recent BioScience article "Beyond crisis and grief: Rethinking conservation narratives," which serves as a guide to more productively communicating about—and thinking about—conservation in a rapidly changing world. 

04-18
23:46

Gentoo Penguins in the Falklands, with John Bates, Sushma Reddy, and Rachael Herman

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by John Bates, Curator of Birds at the Field Museum, Sushma Reddy, Breckenridge Chair of Ornithology at the University of Minnesota and the Bell Museum, and Rachael Herman, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Stonybrook University.  Our guests were here to chat about a recent research trip to the Falkland Islands, and more specifically, about the gentoo penguins they were studying on those islands.  Pictures from the trip can be viewed on YouTube. Be sure to check out the fantastic Birds of a Feather Talk Together podcast, cohosted by guest John Bates. Learn more about island vegetation restoration at Roots in the Ground, which describes the work of Giselle Hazell, discussed in the episode.

03-14
50:04

Coalition-Building for Labor Actions in Life Sciences Departments, with Aspen Ellis

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Aspen Ellis, PhD candidate at University of California, Santa Cruz, for a discussion of the largest academic strike in history and a recent BioScience article on the topic.

03-06
34:45

The Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, with Kelly Diehl

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Dr. Kelly Diehl, who has been a veterinarian for almost 40 years and currently works at Morris Animal Foundation, which is one of the largest nonprofits dedicated to animal health research in the world. She was here to talk about the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study and its implications for animal and human medicine. Learn more about the Morris Animal Foundation's important work, including the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study at morrisanimalfoundation.org.

11-25
46:10

Live from the SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're reporting from the 2024 National Diversity in STEM, or NDiSTEM, conference hosted in Phoenix, Arizona, by SACNAS (the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science). Several members of the AIBS team attended, with the aim of helping our member societies and organizations develop an understanding of the ways in which minority-serving societies like SACNAS foster inclusive communities for scientists from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. Attending the conference was extremely rewarding, and we returned with the strong sense that the future of science will be well served by continued efforts to connect and invest in the diverse communities and perspectives representing STEM worldwide. A special thank you to SACNAS for the opportunity and warm welcome. You can visit SACNAS.org to learn more about their programs and events, including the National Diversity in STEM Conference. 

11-14
57:07

"Pocosin" and Respect for Indigenous Knowledge Systems, with Ryan Emanuel

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Ryan Emanuel, Associate Professor in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. He joined us to discuss his recent article in BioScience, The Pocosin's Lesson: Translating Respect for Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Environmental Research. In the article, he debunks a widely shared translation of the word "pocosin," and the ways in which researchers—and others—can better engage with Indigenous peoples and their knowledge systems. 

11-07
21:01

Communicating Truth, with Michael Patrick Lynch

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Michael Patrick Lynch, who is the author of the new book On Truth and Politics: Why Democracy Demands It, available for presale from Princeton University Press. He is also the Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and the Provost Professor of Humanities at the University of Connecticut, and he is the author of other books like Know-It-All Society and The Internet of Us. Our discussion was focused on how scientists can effectively convey truth to a variety of audiences in our current political and technological context, as well as a number of other topics that will be of interest to all scientist–communicators.

10-24
01:05:36

CAM Plants, with Kailiang Yu, Paolo D'Odorico, and Scott Collins

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Kailiang Yu, from Princeton University, Paolo D'Odorico, from the University of California, Berkeley, and Scott Collins, from the University of New Mexico, who is also former BioScience editor in chief. They discussed their recent article in BioScience on potential expansion of CAM plants in the Anthropocene. 

09-27
25:12

Flood Ecology, with Paul Humphries

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Paul Humphries, Associate Professor in Ecology at Charles Sturt University, in the School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences. We discussed his recently published article in BioScience, Flood Ecology, and the sometimes uneasy relationship that people have with river floods, as well as some of the ways that we might improve our understanding of them. A version of this conversation can also be found on Dr. Humpries' own podcast, Rheophilia. 

09-13
30:36

Long-Term Coral Reef Monitoring, with Peter Edmunds

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Peter Edmunds, Professor of Biology at California State University, Northridge, where he has worked for over 30 years. He was here to discuss his recent article in BioScience's new Perspective and Insight category, entitled "Why keep monitoring coral reefs?". The article describes a now 38-year study of coral reefs in the US Virgin Islands and highlights the value of long-term ecological monitoring. 

08-28
32:42

A Lunar Biorepository to Preserve Biodiversity, with Mary Hagedorn

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Mary Hagedorn of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute for a discussion about biorepositories, and specifically, a plan to place a biorepository on the Moon. Described in a recent article in BioScience, such a repository would take advantage of the Moon's naturally cold temperatures to provide safe long-term storage for cryopreserved animal tissues.

07-31
32:02

Soundscape Ecology, with Bryan Pijanowski

Today's episode features Dr. Bryan Pijanowski, Professor of Soundscape Ecology in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University, in Indiana. He is the author of "Principles of Soundscape Ecology: Discovering Our Sonic World," which was just released and is a definitive guide to the field of soundscape ecology, the topic of today's episode. Dr. Pijanowski is also the author of an influential BioScience article on the field. Learn more about soundscape ecology at the Center for Global Soundscapes, and be sure to check whether the IMAX film discussed in the interview is playing near you. 

07-01
44:11

Live from the Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting

Today's episode is a mostly onsite podcast from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where BioScience Talks was graciously hosted earlier this spring by the Association of Southeastern Biologists at their annual meeting. Our guests represent a broad range of exciting research and career stages. The meeting was striking in its emphasis on providing a welcoming environment for students. Learn more about ASB here (https://www.sebiologists.org), and be sure to attend a meeting. Our guests included: Amy Allen, Lee High School; Barbara Comer, Georgia Southern University; Skyler Fox, Georgia Southern University; Heather Joesting, Georgia Southern University; Chinyere Knight, Tuskegee University; Howard Neufeld, Appalachian State University; Jeremy Rentsch, Francis Marion University; Jennifer Rhode Ward, University of North Carolina Asheville; and Ashleigh Woods, Wesleyan College.

06-10
01:00:47

Happy⚛️Heretic

Fascinating!

11-01 Reply

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