Barks & Biomes

In this episode, I explore the microscopic world of plankton – the drifting organisms that underpin marine food webs and help produce the oxygen we breathe.  We look at phytoplankton and zooplankton, their role in food chains, climate regulation, and why changing oceans make these “invisible” communities so important to understand. Key topics in this episode ·       What plankton are and why “drif...

July Is a Global Plastic-Free Month – Microplastics, Nanoplastics, Nutrition and Your Microbiome Episode length note: This is a slightly longer pod than usual, with deep dives into cell biology, gene expression, microplastics and nanoplastics, and what this means for nutrition and microbiomes around the 18:42 mark. Tiny plastics are reaching our gut microbiome – and July’s the perfect time to talk...

Podcast: Barks and Biomes Season: 1 Episode: 4 – Now and Superpowers Length: 7:34 In this bite‑sized episode of Barks and Biomes , Helen takes you on a twilight dog walk to explore what it means to share the present moment with an animal and leave your phone – the “third walker” – in your pocket. As breath, footsteps and smells come into focus, we’re reminded how time in green spaces, shared air,...

Barks and Biomes – Season 1, Episode 3: Flight or Fight Length: 13:11 In this episode, Helen explores the biology of fight or flight through the eyes of prey animals, predators and people. From a grazing deer and a stalking lion to exams, crowded trains and everyday stress, this episode looks at how the nervous system responds to danger and why ancient survival pathways still shape modern anxiety....

BARKS & BIOMES Episode 2– The Power of Connection: Community, Longevity, and a Very Unlikely Friendship in the Amazon Runtime: 14 mins 13 secs In this episode Helen explores how community shapes health – in humans, dogs, and even wild animals. From a small Italian-American town where neighbourly connection seemed to protect hearts, to Okinawan moai friendship groups, we look at why strong soci...

Barks and Biomes – Season 1, Episode 1: Welcome Length: 13:11 In this welcome episode of Barks and Biomes, Helen asks a deceptively simple question: what is the “best” food for pets, people and wildlife if we care about health, longevity and the planet we share? From muddy English country lanes and Amazon rivers to Florida’s algae‑closed beaches, she weaves together stories of dogs, jaguars and hu...