Nels and Vincent discuss an ultra reduced archaeal genome, the closest cellular entity to date that approaches a viral strategy of existence. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Ultra-reduced archaeal genome (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – The Bethesda Declaration Vincent – US to Drop Guidance to Limit Alcohol to One or Two Drinks Per Day, Sour...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 115
Nels and Vincent review the properties of Mendel’s pea genes through the lens of modern genetic analysis. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Insights into Mendel’s pea genes (Nature) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Evolution related game Vincent – Should Unvaccinated Patients Get Organ Transplants? Ethicist Weighs In Music on TWiEVO is performed by Tram...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 114
Nels and Vincent explain the ancestry and evolution of the extinct dire wolf. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Evolution and ancestry of dire wolf (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Navigating to the forefront of innovation: A celebration of immigrant scientists Vincent – Exclusive: a Nature analysis signals the beginnings of a US science brain...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 113
Nels and Vincent explain the ancient evolutionary origin of sex in cephalopods. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Evolution of sex in cephalopods (Current Biol) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Speaking into a microphone? Your audio quality can impact the way people view you Vincent – Remedy Supported by Kennedy Leaves Some Measles Patients More Ill Mus...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 112
Nels and Vincent explain how template switching during DNA replication is a widespread source of adaptive gene amplification. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Template switching and gene amplification (eLife) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Jeremy Berg on Bluesky – jeremymberg.bsky.social Vincent – Dickson Despommier, 84 Music on TWiEVO is performed b...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 111
Nels and Vincent reveal that worker ants amputate their colleagues injured leg to prevent infections. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Wound-dependent leg amputation in ants (Curr Biol) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – The Science Bridge Vincent – US withdraws from WHO Music on TWiEVO is performed by Trampled by Turtles Send your evolution questions an...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 110
Nels and Vincent discuss the molecular and genetic origins of sex-linked orange coat color in cats. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Orange coat color in cats (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – AI takes up science podcasting Vincent – Humans evolved for distance running – but ancestor ‘Lucy’ didn’t go far or fast Music on TWiEVO is performed by...
Dec 31, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 109
Nels and Vincent review the identification of a novel virus associated with the pathogen Plasmodium knowlsei and which is part part of a diverse and unclassified viral taxon. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Virus associated with P. knowlsei (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – The peace of wild things, poem by Wendell Berry Vincent – All Life on...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 108
Nels and Vincent discuss the origins of eukaryotes, with contributions from at least 3 bacteria (alphaproteobacteria) and a large contribution from DNA viruses with large genomes. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Complex symbiotic interactions during eukaryogenesis (bioRxiv) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Pathoplexus.org Vincent – Can science cure it...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 107
Nels and Vincent explain how homology searches of anti-phage systems in eukaryotic genomes can be used to discover proteins of the human immune system. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Human antiviral effectors from antiphage systems (Cell Host Micro) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Pathoplexus.org Vincent – Can science cure its addiction to plastic? ...
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 106
Nels and Vincent look at how plant prickles, sharp epidermal projections that provide defense from predators and other advantages, arose by convergent evolution, the emergence of analogous traits in distantly related species. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Convergent evolution of plant prickles (Science) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Ne...
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 105
Nels and Vincent discuss the genome sequence of an ancient wooly mammoth, which shows that the three-dimensional architecture of the DNA can persist after 50,000 years. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Three dimensional architecture of 50,000 year old wooly mammoth genome (Cell) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Mysterious SARS-CoV-2 v...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 104
Nels and Vincent explore a direct experimental test of Ohno’s Hypothesis, which states that gene duplication can help genes tolerate new mutations and thus facilitates the evolution of new phenotypes. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Direct test of Ohno’s Hypothesis (eLive) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Experimental Evolution and t...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 103
Nels and Vincent explain how deep genomics of macroalgae illuminate multiple paths to aquatic, photosynthetic multicellularity. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Paths to aquatic, photosynthetic multicellularity (Mol Plant) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – 12-sided Roman relic baffles archaeologists, spawns countless theories Vincent –...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 102
Nels and Vincent review the genetic basis for tail-loss evolution in humans and apes. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Genetic basis of tail loss evolution in apes (Nature) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Will Brie and Camembert Cheeses Go Extinct? Vincent – A True Human Tail in a Neonate: Case report and literature review Music on T...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 101
Nels and Vincent reveal how electric organ discharge from the electric eel facilitates the introduction of DNA into teleost larvae. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Electric eel discharge moves DNA into cells (Peer J) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – “ The Jump” quilt by Cristina Arcenegui Bono Vincent – T4 bacteriophage art object an...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 99
Rich Condit joins Nels and Vincent at the Science Mill in Johnson City, Texas, where Director of STEM Education Jeehyun Park talks about the goals of the childrens’ museum. Hosts: Nels Elde , Vincent Racaniello , and Rich Condit Guest: Jeehyun Park Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server The Science Mill Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Science Mill: More Than a Museum and Elde La...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 100
Nels and Vincent discuss how behavioural individuality determines infection risk in clonal ant colonies. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Infection risk in clonal ant colonies (Nat Comm) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Fungi (lichens) in Space Vincent – Polar bear energetic and behavioral strategies on land with implications for surv...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 98
Nels and Vincent review a study of the key processes required for the different stages of fungal carnivory by a nematode-trapping fungus. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Fungal carnivory by a nematode-trapping fungus (Plos Biol) Timestamps by Jolene Science Picks Nels – Openly available illustrations as tools to describe eukaryotic microbial ...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 97
Nels and Vincent discuss the origins of two modern day agriculturally important plants: a role for two different wild teosintes in making modern maize, and the origin and evolution of the triploid cultivated banana genome. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord server Two teosintes made modern maize (Science) Teosinte (Native Seeds) Evolution of triploid b...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 96
Nels and Vincent discuss how the rewetting of seasonally dried soils, a critical event in Mediterranean grasslands that reactivates dormant soil microorganisms, leading to pulses of carbon and nitrogen mineralization, and is accompanied by a bloom of viral diversity, followed by extensive viral community turnover. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode Join the MicrobeTV Discord ser...
Nov 14, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 95
Nels and Vincent take apart an amazing symbiosis consisting of two bacteria, one bacteriophage, and seven different genomes all within a single-celled alga. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server •A single crowded cryptomonad cell (Curr Biol) • Letters read on TWiEVO 94 Science Picks Nels – What happened at NIH during the last government shutdown V...
Sep 29, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 94
Nels and Vincent review a collision of synthetic biology and experimental evolution, using a minimal synthetic bacterial cell with only 473 genes, the smallest genome of any known organism that can be grown in lab culture. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server • Evolution of a minimal cell (Nature) Science Picks Nels – Life magnified stamp collect...
Aug 25, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 93
Nels and Vincent explain a study of how interspecies competition between two algae influences evolution of metabolism and size. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server • Metabolic evolution during competition (Curr Biol) Science Picks Nels – How amino acids got their names ( Source ) Vincent – EVs Fix One Pollution Problem—And Worsen Another Music o...
Jul 21, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 92
Nels and Vincent discuss new findings using phylogenetic approaches about how complex eukaryotic cells emerged from prokaryotic ancestors, which firmly place eukaryotes as a clade nested within the Asgard archaea. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello S Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server •Heimdallarchaeial ancestry of eukaryotes (Nature) Science Picks Nels – Juneteenth issue of Cel...
Jul 17, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 91
Nels and Vincent provide insights into the mystery of mouse mummies on the summits of >6000 m Andean volcanoes, including whether they were living there and if so why? Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server •Mystery of mouse mummies (bioRxiv) Science Picks Nels – Zoonomia Vincent – SeaPhages Music on TWiEVO is performed by Trampled by Turtles Se...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 90
Nels and Vincent discuss the observation that cells on a boundary of a solid tumor have higher growth rates compared to those in the center and how to model this difference using genome sequencing data. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server •Evolutionary models of solid tumor growth (Nat Ecol Evol) Science Picks Nels – TWiV 1000 Vincent – The drea...
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 89
Nels and Vincent review a study of the dogs of Chernobyl which reveals that genetically distinct populations with different amounts of western breed contributions to their genomes, the first step in assessing the effects of exposure to long-term ionizing radiation. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server • The dogs of Chernobyl (Science Adv) •What t...
Mar 26, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 88
Nathan joins Nels and Vincent to discuss his approach to understanding how species adopt novel traits to overcome challenges, and its application to identifying coding and noncoding sequence changes that underlie mammalian hairlessness. Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Guest: Nathan Clark Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server •Gene loss in marine mammals ( TWiEVO 34 ) •Gene chang...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 87
Nels and Vincent discuss how evolution of changes in stop codon assignment might occur, and a novel mechanism for altering the meaning of translation stop codons discovered in a trypanosomatid with the apropos name, Blastocrithidia nonstop . Hosts: Nels Elde and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , RSS , email Become a patron of TWiEVO Links for this episode •Join the MicrobeTV Discord server •Novel stop codon reassignment mechanisms (Nature) Science Picks Nels...
Feb 05, 2023•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 86
