Episodes
Monday Feb 24, 2020
WSS S4E11: Can I join? The Social Behaviour of Animals
Monday Feb 24, 2020
Monday Feb 24, 2020
Dr. Anne Simon joins Western Science Speaks to talk about the processes within group behaviour in a variety of animals. Later, Dr. Simon talks about her own research with fruit flies and the impact of experiences on genetic predispositions.
Monday Feb 10, 2020
WSS S4E10: Will you be my Valentine?
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Amanda Moehring and Geoff Wild join Western Science Speaks to discuss mating, courtship, and everything you need to know about love.
Monday Jan 20, 2020
WSS S4E9: Ground Up Perspectives: Projecting the Future of Plants
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Monday Jan 20, 2020
Professor Dani Way from the Department of Biology joins the show to discuss her work predicting future climate realities on Earth - and what that means for our plants and trees.
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
WSS S4E7: Are we alone? Examining the recipe for intelligent life in the universe
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
Dr. Jan Cami joins the podcast to discuss the origins of life on Earth, the process of finding other Earth-like planets, and the likelihood that we will ever find company out in the Universe.
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
WSS S4E4: The Rise of Fish Farming in Canada
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
Thursday Oct 03, 2019
Dr. Bryan Neff from the Department of Biology joins the podcast to discuss the rise of sustainable fish farming in Canada, why we’re hesitant to eat genetically modified food, and his research in restoring salmon to Canadian lakes.
Thursday Sep 19, 2019
WSS S4E3: Back to square one: The role of metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease
Thursday Sep 19, 2019
Thursday Sep 19, 2019
Evidence suggests that metabolism is connected to Alzheimer's disease. In fact, lifestyle habits contribute to your susceptibility of getting Alzheimer’s. But exactly how remains a mystery. Robert Cumming and his lab research how age-dependent alterations in brain metabolism affect memory and contribute to neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Thursday Aug 22, 2019
WSS S4E1: Spreading Avian Malaria in the Tropics: The Middleman Mosquito
Thursday Aug 22, 2019
Thursday Aug 22, 2019
Malaria is a serious disease that threatens human life. This illness, however, is not unique to us and understanding how it effects and is transmitted among other species can be important for controlling it among our own populations. On this episode of Western Science Speaks, our guest, Leticia de Souza Soares from the Department of Biology, talks about how birds specifically pass Malaria to one another through a middleman; the infamous mosquito.
Monday Apr 08, 2019
WSS S3E13: X Marks the Spot: Understanding Social Behavior Through the Brain
Monday Apr 08, 2019
Monday Apr 08, 2019
About 1% of the Canadian population is affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder; 100,000 Ontarians alone currently live with ASD, which presents with a number of symptoms including difficulty with social interaction. On this episode of Western Science Speaks, graduate student Wes Robinson from the Department of Biology shares his insights the how the brain deciphers social cues, what has happened when it can’t, and how his research may contribute to a better understanding of how to treat autism.
Thursday Feb 07, 2019
WSS S3E10: Staying one step ahead in the evolutionary arms race
Thursday Feb 07, 2019
Thursday Feb 07, 2019
Predictive mathematical models are a useful tool for just about any type of research in science. Just how useful can they be in helping us to understand the nature of evolution? Dr. Lindi Wahl from the Department of Applied Mathematics at Western University develops models to help capture the evolution of microbes, specifically viruses and bacteria. Western Science Speaks host Henry Standage chats with Dr. Wahl about the mechanisms viruses have or develop in order to avoid extinction. Discover how a better understanding of microbial evolution allows humans to stay one step ahead in the evolutionary arms race.
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
WSS S3E6: Parasitism: The Most Popular Lifestyle Choice on Earth
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
With a population in the millions of trillions, Parasites are able to evolve at a faster pace than just about anything on Earth. Through this extreme and rapid evolution, parasites are able to come up with increasingly innovative ways to attach to a host species; whether it be in the sky, or down on the ground. Beth MacDougall-Shackleton, a professor at the Western faculty of Biology, studies the way in which parasites evolve in order to find hosts. She brings her expertise to the Western Science Speaks Podcast to explain how parasitism became the most popular lifestyle choice on Earth.
Thursday Oct 18, 2018
WSS S3E4: Nice Guys Finish Last ... Or Do They?
Thursday Oct 18, 2018
Thursday Oct 18, 2018
On this episode of the Western Science Speaks podcast we explore why attributes such as kindness and selflessness have triumphed over some less altruistic traits in evolution. Geoff Wild from the Department of Applied Mathematics stops by the podcast for a discussion ranging from the evolutionary benefits of "niceness" to how to the incorporation of social media into our daily lives has changed our perceptions of one another.
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
WSS S3E3: Breaking the Code: The Adaptive Capabilities of DNA
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
Tuesday Oct 09, 2018
DNA is our biological signature. If our DNA changes, naturally so do we. So what causes these changes? Listen to this episode of Western Science Speaks to have Kathleen Hill from the Department of Biology break down how DNA is the thread that joins us to our ancestors, plus a conversation about the biological impacts of modern life.
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
WSS S2E5: The Genetic Basis for Courtship and Mating Behaviour with Amanda Moehring
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Meeting someone special is an undeniably worthwhile and necessary part of life. Unfortunately, it can often be awkward, flustering and at the worst of times, cringe-inducing. Determining how much of our success (or failure) in that domain is dictated by free will, rather than deep-rooted peculiarities is a question that fascinates researchers of behaviour. Amanda Moehring, from the Department of Biology, joins the podcast to break down the role genetics play in our courtship and mating process.
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
WSS S2E4: Explore the Revival of Atlantic Salmon in the Great Lakes
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
When you live in a fish-eat-fish world, the complexity of your environment and how you use it to survive and thrive is of critical importance. Neff Lab researcher, Chris Therrien joins us for part two in a series about the revival of Atlantic Salmon in The Great Lakes.
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
WSS S2E3: Genetics and Social Behaviour with Dr Anne Simon
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Wednesday Oct 03, 2018
Western students, professors and staff create a social community of over 30,000 people on Western's campus every day. Understanding why we are comfortable or not in these social spaces is a topic of great importance for behavioural researchers. Western Science Speaks sits down with Dr Anne Simon of Western’s Department of Biology, to explore the role genetics in the social behaviour of living things.