Beyond Blathers

This week we're going to talk about the huge (and not-so-terrifying) goliath beetle! Tune in to learn more about where they live, what they eat, and why it's so hard to figure out the real weight of insects! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. We're...

Come along with us as we explore the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at the University of British Columbia! We're on the hunt for the insects, fish, and fossils you can find at Blathers' museum. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Olivia is also open for commis...

This week we're talking about the huge and beautiful Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly! Join us as we talk about this butterfly's biology, and go off on tangents into conservation and the fascinating Wikipedia page of Walter Rothschild.  If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-mad...

This spooky Halloween weekend, we're bringing you an episode on the slithery, slimy moray eel! What is up with their jaws and teeth? Are they as fierce predators as they seem? Listen to find out! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Olivia is also open for comm...

This week we're talking about an interesting fossil — the acanthostega! Were they an evolutionary stepping stone to get from water to land? The answer is a bit more complicated than that! Listen to find out more. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Don't...

This week we're talking about the Mantis Shrimp, a crustacean that's gained a lot of popularity recently, and for good reason! But with fame comes gossip, and we're here to unpack all the flim flam, from their deadly punch to their renowned eyesight. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, an...

This week we're diving into the violin beetle, an insect that is as cool as it is mysterious! Not a ton is known about these critters, but we get into what has been discovered. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a r...

This week we're excited to talk about the sea anemone, a beautiful and prolific ocean predator! Listen to learn more about how they bud, hunt, and even fight each other! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a rating a...

This week we're talking about the lovely clownfish! Is Finding Nemo scientifically accurate? And what really is the nature of the relationship between clownfish and anemones? Listen to find out! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. We're currently having a...

This week we're excited to be talking about the iguanodon, a dinosaur who is very important to palaeontological history! Listen to learn more about its discovery and impact. You may have noticed that this episode came out on a Friday, that's because we will be releasing our new episodes on Fridays instead of Wednesdays for the foreseeable future as it works better for our schedules. So c...

This week we're talking about the pondskater, an insect that can literally walk on water! How do they do that???? Listen to learn more. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments.  Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a rating and review. To stay up to date and...

This week, we're airing an episode that Sofia helped write and produce for Terra Informa, an environmental news radio show/podcast on CJSR 88.5 FM in Edmonton, Alberta.  Sofia and Lizzy talked with Dr. Anne Bissonnette, a professor and fashion historian, about athleisure, fast fashion, and sustainability. If you like Beyond Blathers, make sure to check out Terra Informa for more environmental...

Olivia's busy in the field at the moment so we're re-releasing our dung beetle episode from January! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. We're currently having a sale so make sure to take a look! Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a rating a...

This week we're talking about sea grapes, an amazing single-celled organism that is also a very tasty snack! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. We're currently having a sale so make sure to take a look! Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a ratin...

This week we're talking about the giant clam, the second largest invertebrate in the world (after the giant squid)! These babies can grow up to nearly 500 pounds and live for 100 years! Listen to find out more about their reproduction, conservation status, and symbiotic relationship with algae. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell...

This week we're talking about the juramaia, the first placental mammal, and learning all about the evolutionary history of mammals! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a rating and review. To stay up to date and see...

This week, we're airing an episode that Sofia wrote and produced for Terra Informa, an environmental news radio show/podcast on CJSR 88.5 FM in Edmonton, Alberta.  Sofia talked to experts about how walking and getting out into nature helps mental health, especially during the pandemic, and why access to green spaces is so important. If you like Beyond Blathers, make sure to check out Terra In...

This week we're talking about the remora, AKA suckerfish, those cool fish that attach themselves to the back of sharks, whales, and other marine animals! Listen to learn more about what they eat, how humans use them for fishing, and how they evolved to have their cheese grater suction cups! Also make sure to support Minorities in Shark Sciences and check out our episode on the great white sha...

This week we're getting a bit ~spooky~ and talking about the pufferfish — a toxic, inflatable fish that makes alien-like crop circles on the ocean floor! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a rating and review. To st...

This week we're talking about the bagworm, a type of caterpillar that makes its case from poop wallpaper and materials like leaves and sticks! Listen to learn more about this interesting insect, its life cycle, and why it's seen as a major pest in many parts of the world. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcar...

This week we're talking about the venus flower basket, a species of glass sponge that can tell us a lot about engineering, and even romance! Listen to learn more about this living work of art. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Don't forget to subscribe...

And we're back with the final instalment of our special on the mammoth! This week, we're talking about how mammoth fossils are discovered, the controversy around mammoth ivory, and whether mammoths can be brought back from the dead.  For more information on mammoths, check out PBS Eons and The Brain Scoop on YouTube! You can also find Sofia's full episode on de-extinction here . If...

We're celebrating our fiftieth episode and one year anniversary (!!!) by sharing a special two-part episode on the mammoth! Check out the first part here and make sure to tune in next week to hear part two. If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keychains, and hand-made needle-felted ornaments. Don't forget...

This week we're going far far back in time to talk about the anomalocaris, a strange looking arthropod from the Cambrian Period. They may look straight out of Star Wars, but they're actually an example of one of the first ever apex predators. Listen to learn more! If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store over on Etsy where we sell stickers, postcards, keyc...

This week we're talking about one of the cutest creatures in existence, the umbrella octopus! This deep-sea dwelling octopus has big eyes, ear-like fins, and no ink! Listen to learn more about their habitat, reproduction, and how much we love them.  If you'd like to support the show, please check out our merch store where we sell stickers and postcards featuring Olivia's illustratio...