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Quanta Podcast

Susan Valot narrates in-depth news episodes based on Quanta Magazine's articles about mathematics, physics, biology and computer science.

All Episodes about biology

Marbles representing memories fall onto an abstracted head which contains a maze with holes. Some of the marbles land in the holes or roll into them, while others fall off the side.

Electric ‘Ripples’ in the Resting Brain Tag Memories for Storage

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A close-up of a bee’s head, showing its large eyes, antennae and fuzzy body.

Insects and Other Animals Have Consciousness, Experts Declare

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An illustration shows a bright ball of light slowing down brain waves.

Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Explain Value of Shock Therapy

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New Cell Atlases Reveal Untold Variety in the Brain and Beyond

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In the Gut’s ‘Second Brain,’ Key Agents of Health Emerge

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During Pregnancy, a Fake ‘Infection’ Protects the Fetus

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Why the Human Brain Perceives Small Numbers Better

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What Makes Life Tick? Mitochondria May Keep Time for Cells

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Illustration of a bacterial cell in mid-fission. Its threads of DNA and other internal molecules are divided between the cells. A constriction on the midline marks where the daughter cells are splitting.

Even Synthetic Life Forms With a Tiny Genome Can Evolve

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The curling bodies of two differently colored roundworms overlap with a virus-shaped element in the background.

Selfish, Virus-Like DNA Can Carry Genes Between Species

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Underground Cells Make ‘Dark Oxygen’ Without Light

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Illustration of a brain surrounded by castle walls that keep out blood vessels.

How the Brain Protects Itself From Blood-Borne Threats

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A person stares at a thought bubble.

Is It Real or Imagined? How Your Brain Tells the Difference.

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Global Microbiome Study Gives New View of Shared Health Risks

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Human figures in fetal positions float through a dim, twilit space.

How Loneliness Reshapes the Brain

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A stylized illustration showing half the heads and brains of a lizard and a mouse in cross-section side by side.

Gene Expression in Neurons Solves a Brain Evolution Puzzle

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