The Biologic Podcast

Welcome to Episode 123! Today we move deeper into the Malacostraca by exploring the Astacidea, the lobsters and crayfish, as well as their many relatives.

Welcome to Episode 122! Today, we'll begin our exploration of the large and diverse clade Malacostraca, which includes the shrimp, lobsters, and crabs. We'll start with the earliest branches and offshoot groups, many of which, like the krill, have become widespread, abundant, and critically important for global ecosystems.

Welcome to Episode 121! Today we are introducing a new series on the crustaceans! In today's show, we'll dive into the early evolutionary history of the crustaceans, and take a closer look at a handful of the most basal groups in the clade. 

Hello and welcome to Episode 120! Today we'll be wrapping up our series on the myriapods by looking at the long historical relationship between humans and our many-legged friends. From prehistorical mythology to the cutting edge of modern day technology, myriapods have quietly achieved a unique kind of cultural significance. 

Welcome to Episode 119! Today we will take a closer look at the class Chilopoda, also known as the centipedes. These are a uniquely predatory group of myriapods, with many fascinating adaptations for their ecological niche. 

Welcome to Episode 118! In today's show, we return our focus to the myriapods by examining one of the more well-known groups, the millipedes of Diplopoda. They are a curious branch of arthropods, with many fascinating traits and behaviors that may seem otherwordly in their strangeness, or uncanny in their familiarity. 

Welcome to Episode 117! In today's special episode, we'll be stepping back from the myriapods to examine the soil biome itself. We will explore all aspects of the soil, from its material composition and chemical qualities, to its ecological role as a foundational substrate for life. This episode will transform the way you think about the dirt under your feet, and pull back the curtain to reveal th...

Welcome to Episode 116! Today we will take a look at some of the smallest terrestrial creatures, some of the most obscure myriapods, oft left unseen as they crawl around in the soil. 

Welcome to Episode 115! Today we're beginning a new series about the myriapods, those cryptic and classic creepy crawlies that dwell in the soils of the world. In this episode, we'll begin with a broad overview of the evolution and diversification of the myriapods. 

Welcome to Episode 114! In today's show, we'll wrap up our series on the arachnids by exploring their relationship with humans, from our evolution and prehistory, to the modern day. In human cultural lore, arachnids are nuanced and complex entities. They have inspired many technologies, their biochemistry has provided many medicinal chemicals, and their influence on human culture and experience ha...

Welcome to Episode 113! We're finishing up the two-part mini-series on the true spiders of Araneae with this in-depth look at the Araneomorphae. This group comprises the vast majority of modern spiders, and demonstrates a bewildering degree of biodiversity and ecological contribution. 

Welcome to Episode 112! Today's show will explore the early evolution of the true spiders, their anatomy and physiology, and the life strategies and behavior of early spider groups like the Mesothelae and Mygalomorphae. This is part 1 in the Araneae mini-series; part 2 will explore the Araneomorphae. 

In today's show, we'll take a look at the infamous scorpion, as well as several of its near relatives. It will be an exciting adventure in the life of a scorpion or scorpion-like creature, as they scuttle along in deserts or forests, using their claws or venomous tail to attack prey. These are incredible, charismatic and cryptic creatures, representing a modern scientific frontier waiting to be st...

Hello and welcome to Episode 110! Today we will explore the anatomy, lifestyle and ecology of two major arachnid groups; the acariformes and the parasitiformes, more commonly known as the mites and the ticks. Although they're most well known for the handful of groups that parasitize animals and sometimes even eat blood, most of them are herbivores whose collective consumption and metabolic activit...

Welcome to Episode 109! Today's episode is an important one. It marks the beginning of our four part mega series on the arthropods. In this first part, we introduce the most basal arthropod clade, the arachnids, and explore their evolutionary origins. We'll look at the ecological challenges they faced, and the friends and relatives they made along the way. Today's show will set the stage for the r...