This Week in Evolution

TWiEVO 125: Evolution's egg timer

Nels and Vincent discuss the development of a comprehensive transcriptomic atlas of early embryogenesis from 61 animal species to understand the control of gene expression transitions from maternally deposited products to newly transcribed zygotic RNA. Hosts: Nels Elde [http://cellvolution.org/] and Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello] Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-evolution/id1067573465], RSS [http://twievo.libsyn.com/rss], email [http://eepurl.com/Gcw59] Become a patron [https://www.microbe.tv/contribute] of TWiEVO Links for this episode * Join the MicrobeTV Discord server [https://discord.gg/vmnCyBPQds] * Evolutionary landscapes of zygotic genome activation [https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.16.718233v1.full.pdf] across animals (bioRxiv) * Timestamps by Jolene [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/] Science Picks Nels – Biologists Confirm Not Much Evolution Happened Today [https://theonion.com/biologists-confirm-not-much-evolution-happened-today/] Vincent – How Trains Take Electricity from Wires Without Breaking Contact [https://youtu.be/dsYmhQ01KjE?si=K9FYHeg_w6tZwIut] Music on TWiEVO is performed by Trampled by Turtles [http://trampledbyturtles.com/] Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv

TWiEVO 124: The little ribozyme that could

Nels and Vincent discuss the discovery of a short RNA with the ability to catalyze its own synthesis. Hosts: Nels Elde [http://cellvolution.org/] and Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello] Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-evolution/id1067573465], RSS [http://twievo.libsyn.com/rss], email [http://eepurl.com/Gcw59] Become a patron [https://www.microbe.tv/contribute] of TWiEVO Links for this episode * Join the MicrobeTV Discord server [https://discord.gg/vmnCyBPQds] * A small polymerase ribozyme [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt2760] (Science) * Timestamps by Jolene [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/] Science Picks Nels – The University of Illinois Just Released a Popcorn So Good It Doesn't Need Butter [https://www.foodandwine.com/university-of-illinois-new-popcorn-11922114] Vincent – Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5X41ZQY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_digi_asin_title_351] by Alexander Clapp Music on TWiEVO is performed by Trampled by Turtles [http://trampledbyturtles.com/] Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv

TWiEVO 123: Stinkbug eggs with a schmear of fungus

Nels and Vincent explain how stinkbug females smear fungus on their eggs to protect them from wasp parasitism. Hosts: Nels Elde [http://cellvolution.org/] and Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello] Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-evolution/id1067573465], RSS [http://twievo.libsyn.com/rss], email [http://eepurl.com/Gcw59] Become a patron [https://www.microbe.tv/contribute] of TWiEVO Links for this episode * Join the MicrobeTV Discord server [https://discord.gg/vmnCyBPQds] * Defensive fungal symbiosis [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp6699] on insect hindlegs (Science) * Timestamps by Jolene [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/] Science Picks Nels – Meet the Olympic superstar who trains under the radar in Utah [https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/nx-s1-5565238/plus.npr.org/plus.npr.org/throughline] Vincent – The Discovery That Changed the Universe [https://youtu.be/5vBpqY8PYsA?si=IE7SgJPyFcP1gCKD] Music on TWiEVO is performed by Trampled by Turtles [http://trampledbyturtles.com/] Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv

TWiEVO 122: The evolution of selfishness

Nels and Vincent explain how selfishness evolved multiple times from an essential tRNA synthetase gene in a nematode. Hosts: Nels Elde [http://cellvolution.org/] and Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello] Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-evolution/id1067573465], RSS [http://twievo.libsyn.com/rss], email [http://eepurl.com/Gcw59] Become a patron [https://www.microbe.tv/contribute] of TWiEVO Links for this episode * Join the MicrobeTV Discord server [https://discord.gg/vmnCyBPQds] * Evolution of selfishness [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02894-2] from a tRNA synthetase gene (Nat Ecol Evol) * Timestamps by Jolene [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/] Science Picks Nels - From Where Does it STEM? [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-where-does-it-stem/id1532124078] Vincent - An Act of Cosmic Sabotage [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/02/trump-nasa-budget-american-space-program/685332/] Music on TWiEVO is performed by Trampled by Turtles [http://trampledbyturtles.com/] Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv

TWiEVO 121: AI imagines viruses

Nels and Vincent examines the use of AI and genome language models to design novel derivatives of bacteriophage phiX174. Hosts: Nels Elde [http://cellvolution.org/] and Vincent Racaniello [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello] Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-evolution/id1067573465], RSS [http://twievo.libsyn.com/rss], email [http://eepurl.com/Gcw59] Become a patron [https://www.microbe.tv/contribute] of TWiEVO Links for this episode * Join the MicrobeTV Discord server [https://discord.gg/vmnCyBPQds] * AI design [https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.12.675911v1] of bacteriophage phiX174 derivatives (bioRxiv) * Timestamps by Jolene [https://ramseylab.vercel.app/] Science Picks Nels – NIH official resigns after flap over risks of seasonal flu virus study [https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-official-resigns-after-flap-over-risks-seasonal-flu-virus-study] and The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requests input from all interested parties on Federal policy updates that aim to accelerate the American scientific enterprise, enable groundbreaking discoveries, and ensure that scientific progress and technological innovation benefit all Americans [https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/26/2025-21150/notice-of-request-for-information-accelerating-the-american-scientific-enterprise?utm_campaign=17868873-Advocacy%20Town%20Hall%20Meetings&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=395655848&utm_content=395655848&utm_source=hs_email]. Vincent – One Plus One Equals One: Symbiosis and the evolution of complex life [https://www.amazon.com/One-Plus-Equals-Symbiosis-evolution-ebook/dp/B00KQK8ZRE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34QD1SN6X5HG5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hLFw-ZfKRxv4Il5wFfdsYZo6DqCgubriumU_nyIWnKA.WVUrQzDugAJc9s-sqY2Xy7pSaCl_5plOgE2XPqaDRxs&dib_tag=se&keywords=John+Archibald+one+plus+one+plus+one&qid=1766588906&sprefix=john+archibald+one+plus+one+plus+one%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-1] by John Archibald Music on TWiEVO is performed by Trampled by Turtles [http://trampledbyturtles.com/] Send your evolution questions and comments to twievo@microbe.tv