Cannibalism in nature: Brutal, but evolutionarily useful?

This week we’re sharing a special episode from the brand-new fifth season of Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, the multi-award-winning podcast from our our friends at PBS’ Nature. In this new season, host and acclaimed wildlife ecologist, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, heads out into the field to bring you closer to the people, the animals, the sounds and the stories that make these wild spaces so magical and so worth protecting. Like in today’s episode, featuring soil ecologist and social media sensation, Jordon King, who gives Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant a proper initiation into the Florida Everglades, where even the dirt has a story to tell. But with drought transforming the wetlands in one of the region's driest seasons, they're discovering that what's missing can be just as fascinating as what's beneath their feet. For more episodes like this, be sure to follow Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In nature, cannibalism is surprisingly common. Fish eat their offspring, insects consume their siblings, and some tadpoles transform into specialized cannibals with stronger jaws and a tooth. In this episode, we explore how cannibalism can shape entire ecosystems, influencing everything from fish populations to nutrient cycles, and why so many species are cannibalistic despite its costs. We discuss selfishness in nature, filial and sexual cannibalism, and the role of developmental plasticity in evolution. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The discovery of sex hormones in the 1930s led to the development of female birth control, a widely used class of drugs that reshaped cultural norms surrounding fertility and bodily autonomy. But contraception remains largely the responsibility of women. On today’s episode: the evolution of birth control and the future of male contraception. Listen to Chain Reaction by ACS wherever you get podcasts and at acs.org/chainreaction.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’d like to recommend a podcast called It Turns Out, hosted by award-winning journalist Kara Miller. The idea behind the show is that things we assume to be true are often far more complicated and surprising once you look at the research and talk to the experts who study them. We think you'll love it!

Why do humans have red blood, while other animals have green, purple, or even yellow blood? In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the surprisingly colorful world of animal blood, from Antarctic ice fish with nearly transparent blood to green-blooded skinks and purple-blooded peanut worms. Then we enter tick territory and investigate how a tick bite leaves some people unable to eat red meat and other animal products. The answer involves a condition known as alpha-gal syndrome, where a tick bite can trigger an immune response to the alpha-gal sugar found in many mammals.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Through a few serendipitous discoveries, antibiotics changed the course of history by turning deadly infections into manageable sicknesses. But it didn’t take long for  bacteria to begin outsmarting these wonder drugs. On today’s episode: The fascinating world of antibiotics and the efforts to tackle antibiotic resistance, including using AI to come up with new drugs that will only become more essential. Listen to Chain Reaction by ACS wherever you get podcasts and at acs.org/chainreaction.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We'll be publishing a 4-episode miniseries from our sister podcast Chain Reaction over the course of the next 4 weeks! Where Tiny Matters episode span all the scientific fields, Chain Reaction has more of a chemistry focus — but it’s also packed with fascinating history and societal relevance that we know will appeal to our listeners. So we wanted to bring over a recent miniseries about the drugs that have shaped humanity.You’ve likely relied on a drug at one point or another, whether it be a prescribed medication or something over the counter. So this miniseries explores the history, impact, and future of major drug classes. The first episode is on including antibiotics, followed by birth control, then antidepressants including SSRI and we bring it all home with the very trendy highly impactful, and GLP-1s. You’ll hear from experts about the scientific breakthroughs behind these medicines and the ongoing research that could shape the next generation of drugs. Be sure to tune in! You can get all of Chain Reaction's episodes wherever you listen to podcasts and at acs.org/chainreactionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For centuries, ghostly lights floating over bogs have appeared in folklore. Known by names including will-o'-the-wisp, corpse candles, and ‘Lantern Jack,’ they’ve inspired stories of supernatural tricksters leading travelers astray, sometimes to their doom. But in 2024, scientists finally uncovered the chemistry behind the phenomenon. From there, we travel deep into the strange world of bogs. These waterlogged landscapes help cool the planet and have preserved ancient artifacts — including human bodies — for thousands of years, helping teach us about what life was like many millennia ago, but also providing insight into some of the diseases that plague humanity today, including Alzheimer's.Related episodes you may enjoy: Biofilms: The sticky, slimy communities behind some of medicine's toughest infectionsForaminifera: The one-celled predators that shaped our planet (and kept the receipts)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why does your brain sometimes react to a stressful meeting or traffic jam like you’re being hunted by a lion on the savannah? In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we explore the evolutionary roots of anxiety, why our internal alarm system sometimes misfires, and how treatments can help some people. Then paleontologist and author Riley Black joins the show to talk about her new book Tyrant Lizard Queen: The Love, Life, and Terror of Earth’s Greatest Carnivore. She shares why T. rex is a much more complicated dinosaur than the movie monster we’re used to seeing. We hear about how T. rex grew, hunted, weathered dramatic environmental changes, and fit into her ecosystem. Related episodes you may enjoy: Decoding dinosaur colors and the failure of postpartum care: Tiny Show and Tell Us #57Treating Depression: Then versus now and the SSRI debateSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For decades, coal miners relied on canaries to warn them about deadly carbon monoxide underground. Canaries were retired from that work at the end of the 20th century, but today scientists still rely on certain organisms, referred to as sentinels, to reveal hidden environmental threats. In this episode, we trace the history of the canary in the coal mine to today and explore how researchers use songbirds, mussels, and oysters to monitor mercury, industrial pollution, and other contaminants that can linger in ecosystems for generations. NOAA's Mussel Watch program is celebrating 40 years! Learn more here: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/a-legacy-of-coastal-health-celebrating-40-years-of-noaas-national-mussel-watch-program/Related episodes you may enjoy: How do you save a species?: Breakthroughs from cheetahs, red wolves, and 'spicy' toadsDeep sea mining: Environmental uncertainty, ‘Law of the Sea,’ and shark potatoesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.