Finding Genius Podcast

Bees as ant trackers? Turning off a species’ immune or motor neuron system? Drones used for precision delivery of products? These are just a couple of the topics explored by ant specialist and resear…

Can the immune response to viral infection be strengthened to the point that the impact of the infection is greatly reduced, and later or latent infection is prevented? This is the question at the …

“…Their society and community is so complicated, that in fact you cannot really have a straight answer for why something is happening. You need to see it from a global perspective, and look at it fro…

The world’s first human bionic eye is here, which means several conditions leading to blindness might (eventually) not be. What does it look like? How does a bionic eye work? What will the patient e…

It's easy to overlook an ant, but look again. As one not-so-small part of the ecological role of insects, ants have a profound impact, from their mutualistic relationship with plants to their ability…

Bees can generate five pounds of honey a day under prime nectar-gathering conditions. Numerous factors make that possible and researchers like William Meikle work on modeling honey bee populations, k…

Pesticides, poor nutrition, pests, and parasites: these are the four factors influencing bee health around the world, and the amount of information we have about each—how exactly they impact bees, wh…

The rabies virus kills at least 60,000 people a year, worldwide. Because it is far more prevalent in lower economic status countries, it doesn't receive adequate funding for better vaccines or treatm…

The queen bee has to get it right when she mates, because she only has one intense mating session for the duration of her life. The queen bee's anatomy and basic honey bee biology work together for …

From smelly footprints and dances to furry coats and long tongues, Professor Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex talks about it all. We often refer to “bees” as though there’s only one kind, b…

Disinfectant compounds are touted as virus killing but what else can they do to our health? Are disinfectants and COVID-19 both cause for concern? An exposure scientist helps listeners untangle some …

One in every three bites you take are made possible by honey bee pollination. Keeping bees healthy and productive is essential. Honey bee reproduction depends on a queen's ability to have one mating …

Better diabetes care includes more than nutrition and fitness facts or discussions on the relationship between obesity and type 2 diabetes. "If we empower people with their own data, how do they take…

Bee keeping is an ancient practice: even prehistoric cave paintings in Spain depict a keeper reaching for a hive to collect honey while holding a smoker to calm the bees. Cameron Jack shares some of …

We think about heart disease prevention, but what about bone health? Margie Bissinger brings listeners numerous bone health boosters and facts, keeping listeners flexible and stronger. Listen and le…

He set out to prove his wife wrong. That's what lead Physician Assistant Kevin Davis to first research keto diet plans and efficacy. But the more he researched, the more he found she might be on to …

They're everywhere, even the trees. Petr Klimes researches the ecological roles of insects, especially ants in Papa New Guinea, where many species are less accessible for research. He shares interest…

All light is not the same, and Eran Ben-Shmuel has produced a technology that will make that clearer than ever. They've remade how light is produced, resulting in a high-quality, high-functioning, an…

Those tiny ants are actually heavy weights. In terms of biomass, ants make up about 10% of all animal weight on earth. That means if humans are on one side of the scale, ants can balance us out on th…

It's estimated that 20% of our food is dependent on honey bee pollination. Meanwhile, recent news has highlighted concerns like viral diseases of the honey bee to mites to invading "killer" bees. It…