Season 5

2021 · 24 episodes · 4h 1m in all

1. The Dark History of Sea Monkeys
30 Aug 2021 · 11 min
2. What Is Mold and Why Does It Love Bread?
6 Sept 2021 · 9 min
It's time to dive into our collection of spores, molds, and fungus!
3. Why Do Microbes Explode Under UV Light?
13 Sept 2021 · 11 min
4. The Purple Bacteria That Are Afraid of Oxygen
20 Sept 2021 · 10 min
“But wait!” you might be saying to yourself. “How can an organism be photosynthetic and so afraid of oxygen? Doesn’t photosynthesis create oxygen?” And yes, you would be correct—most of the time...
5. Slime Tubes in Search of Sunlight
11 Oct 2021 · 10 min
There are only a few groups of bacteria that do this kind of gliding, but they’re found across a plethora of environments, including ponds, soil, and, surprise, in our own mouths.
6. Journey Through the Body of a Rotifer
19 Oct 2021 · 11 min
Rotifers don’t really get a lot of love when it comes to microscopic animals. At least as far as the public imagination goes, the rotifer is overshadowed by its fellow metazoan of the microcosmos: the tardigrade. And we might be part of the problem.
7. The Fish Sucking Lice That Aren’t Lice
25 Oct 2021 · 8 min
Arugulus sure know how to get under a fish's skin, literally. Fish will actually throw themselves out of the water to get an Aruglus off of their side.
8. Tumbling Down Invisible Highways
2 Nov 2021 · 10 min
When we look at bacteria under a microscope, they appear to be tumbling around chaotically, but over the centuries we realized that their pathways have a purpose.
9. The Arachnid Whose Poop Is Making You Sneeze
8 Nov 2021 · 11 min
10. Dileptus: The Toxic Micro Elephant With an Insatiable Appetite
15 Nov 2021 · 10 min
11. Copepods: The Diatom-Devouring King of Plankton
22 Nov 2021 · 10 min
Scientists have observed some copepods eating over 300,000 diatoms in a single day!
12. Microbes in Slow Motion
30 Nov 2021 · 10 min
While our journeys are often enjoyed at a slow pace, when we go just a little bit slower and look a little bit deeper there’s always something new to find.
13. The Tiny Crustacean With the Oldest Penis
7 Dec 2021 · 10 min
14. Looking for Answers in the Skull of a Zebrafish
13 Dec 2021 · 10 min
15. Creepy Crawly Close-Ups
27 Dec 2021 · 10 min
16. Adventures in Being Eaten
3 Jan 2022 · 10 min
17. The Complicated Relationships of the Microcosmos
11 Jan 2022 · 10 min
18. The Double Life of a Fake Jellyfish
17 Jan 2022 · 10 min
19. The Tiny Worlds Inside of Single-Celled Organisms
25 Jan 2022 · 10 min
We often focus on the organisms, but what about the even smaller world inside of them?
20. Microbe Hunting in Antarctica
31 Jan 2022 · 10 min
21. Nematodes: The Worm That Sculpted The World
14 Feb 2022 · 10 min
When it comes to the muses of the animal kingdom, the nematode seems like an unlikely well of inspiration, but over the past century, they’ve become one nonetheless.
22. Aeolosoma: Polka-Dotted Vacuum Worms
21 Feb 2022 · 10 min
Worms, despite their seemingly simple bodies, are a diverse bunch. Which is why we thought that for today, it might be fun to visit with a less famous worm, and like one of those relatives you don’t know very much about, but every time you see them, there’s a new, strange story to unpack.
23. What Even Is A Species?
28 Feb 2022 · 10 min
If you know about the species Lacrymaria olor, then you know what you’re getting when you see it under a microscope. It has a distinct shape, a distinct way of life—the combination of its own genetics and its surrounding environment.
24. The Spatula-Shaped Ciliate Family
7 Mar 2022 · 10 min
The family Spathidiidae is made up of around 20 genera, which encompass around 250 known species. And there’s a lot of variety in the Spathidiid family to sort through.