Ep. 440 - Plants, Bees, and the Microbes They...

Plants don't have ears, a nervous system, or any sort of brain-like organ, yet they have the capacity to detect and respond to sounds. Moreover, the vibrations they are exposed to, AKA their 'vibroscape,' is highly complex and we are only beginning to understand this on a deeper ...  Show more

Bee cognition is an important topic in the world of plants and pollination. How various bumblebees learn and remember to visit various flowers influences how plants reproduce and evolve. Plants also have a major role to play in the form of floral traits as well as nectar and poll ...  Show more

YA LIKE BEES? You will -- after this short, edited-for-all-ages Smologies cut of our classic Melittology episode featuring urban beekeeper Amanda “Mandy” Shaw. We chat about honeybees vs. native ones, hives vs. nests, honey, how to become a beekeeper, social structures, why a ...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you’ve probably heard about the human microbiome. Research into the composition, function, and importance of the galaxy of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that, when we’re healthy, live in symbiotic balance in and ...  Show more

BEES! Hives, honey, and how to keep them as outdoor pets. Meet melittologist and President of the Urban Beekeepers Association, Amanda Shaw. She and Alie cozy up in a weird hotel in Portland to chat about honeybees vs. native ones, how to become a beekeeper, social savagery th ...

Honeybees get all the attention, but native bees are the underbugs to root for. Photographer, author, and National Geographic Explorer Krystle Hickman shows us the wonders of indigenous bees through her lens focused on conservation of bees and their habitats. She covers their ...