podcasts

The Quanta Podcast

Every Tuesday, editor in chief Samir Patel sits down with writers and editors to discuss our most thought-provoking stories in science and math. Audio editions of Quanta’s stories with Susan Valot will appear biweekly on Thursdays.

All Episodes about biology

Art for "Ancient DNA Yields Snapshots of Vanished Ecosystems"

Ancient DNA Yields Snapshots of Vanished Ecosystems

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Art for "Dormant Microbes Bide Their Time Over Decades - Old Fires"

Heat-Loving Microbes, Once Dormant, Thrive Over Decades-Old Fire

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Art for "The Math That Tells Cells What They Are"

The Math That Tells Cells What They Are

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Art for "How the Brain Creates a Timeline of the Past"

How the Brain Creates a Timeline of the Past

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Art for "The Brain Maps Out Ideas and Memories Like Spaces"

The Brain Maps Out Ideas and Memories Like Spaces

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Art for "Biology and Computer Science Explore Algorithmic Evolution"

Mathematical Simplicity May Drive Evolution’s Speed

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Should Evolution Treat Our Microbes as Part of Us?

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Art for "In the Nucleus, Genes’ Activity Might Depend on Their Position"

In the Nucleus, Genes’ Activity Might Depend on Their Location

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Illustration for "To Remember, the Brain Must Actively Forget"

To Remember, the Brain Must Actively Forget

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Art for "To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future"

To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future

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Illustration for "Overtaxed Working Memory Knocks the Brain out of Sync"

Overtaxed Working Memory Knocks the Brain Out of Sync

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Art for "A Thermodynamic Answer to Why Birds Migrate"

A Thermodynamic Answer to Why Birds Migrate

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Illustration of life evolving to use oxygen

Oxygen and Stem Cells May Have Reshaped Early Complex Animals

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Quanta Writers and Editors Discuss Trends in Science and Math

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Thumbnail illustration for cell incubation time.

Why Don’t Patients Get Sick in Sync? Modelers Find Statistical Clues.

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Thumbnail photo of a dingo

A Domesticated Dingo? No, but Some Are Getting Less Wild

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