The biggest biology podcast for the biggest science and biology fans. Featuring in-depth discussions with scientists tackling the biggest questions in evolution, genetics, ecology, climate, neuroscience, diseases, the origins of life, psychology and more. If it's biological, groundbreaking, philosophical or mysterious you'll find it here. bigbiology.substack.com

Latest episodes

Conservation in a cup with David Lodge

October 1, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

How do you find an invasive species that no net can catch? What happens to the scientist whose research samples end up in federal court? In this episode, we talk with David Lodge, a freshwater ecologist at Cornell University and past…
A tribute to slow science: remembering Bob Ricklefs

September 10, 2026 · 1 hr 11 min

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.com What was distinctive about Bob Ricklefs’ mentorship style, and how did he influence his students and collaborators? What were Bob’s major contributions…
Flower power (Ep 153)

August 13, 2026 · 58 min

How have flowers shaped the modern world? Why do we and many other species have such intimate and long-term relationships with them? On this special episode, we talk with David George Haskell, a writer and biologist. We discuss his most…
A coevolutionary conundrum (Ep 152)

July 23, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min

When a bee visits a flower, what decides the match? How can a neutral model explain community assemblages? Why are long-term ecological studies so important? In this episode, we talk with Diego Vázquez, a community ecologist at CONICET in…
The cost of correctness (Ep 151)

July 2, 2026 · 49 min

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.com What have so many influential scientists been at some time been ridiculed and disbelieved by their peers or institutions? What reforms could foster…
Hormones gone wild (Ep 150)

June 4, 2026 · 1 hr 20 min

How do hormones help animals cope with stress, seasons, and climate change? What is allostasis? In this episode, our guest is John Wingfield, Emeritus Professor of Physiology and Behavior, at the University of California, Davis. John…
Invasion of the ecosystem snatchers (Ep 149)

May 14, 2026 · 35 min

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.com How do you experimentally test theories of island biogeography? Who were the Tallahassee Mafia? Why do some introduced species become invasive and…
The Voracious Ctenophore and the Silent Sea (Ep 148)

April 23, 2026 · 30 min

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit bigbiology.substack.com How is climate change affecting the movements of small predators in the sea? How do diatoms affect ocean carbon cycling? How do Cassiopea jellyfish act…