Naturally Speaking

As consumers, we hope that the animals that provide our meat, milk, eggs, etc. are well cared-for and are kept in good welfare conditions. But what does this really mean in practice? This is the second of a pair of episodes that explore different aspects of farm animal welfare. In this episode, Naturally Speaking’s Taya […]

Have you ever wondered what animal internet would look like? In this episode, Naturally Speaking’s Mohammad Saiful Islam Sajib and Taya Forde interview Dr. Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, a Lecturer in the School of Computing Science, and an associate at IBAHCM. Here, they talk about Ilyena’s work on Animal Connected Interfaces and how technology can play an […]

Feature image courtesy of Eleanor Duncan, 2022 Don’t forget you can subscribe to automatically receive all our latest content, or just our podcasts. We are also available on iTunes and other podcast catchers. Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod[CC BY 3.0]

Ever wondered what it’s like inside a dead whale? In this podcast Masters student Sreedevi Gummuluri and Senior Research Fellow, Lucy Gilbert talk to Dr. Andrew Brownlow, a Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Epidemiology at IBAHCM. To celebrate Andrew’s 1st Anniversary at IBAHCM, he entertains us with tales from his lead role in the Scottish Marine Animal […]

In this podcast, recent Masters graduate Emma Plant interviews Jeanne Robinson, the Hunterian Museum’s curator of entomology. Tune in to hear about this fascinating collection and its origins, what it involves to take care of thousands of unique specimens, and how Jeanne came to find herself in this interesting role. Jeanne Robinson disguised as a […]

Leading up to the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, which will be held in Glasgow between October 31 and November 12, 2021, the Naturally Speaking team felt it was only fitting to highlight some of the brilliant climate change-related research going on within the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine. In this podcast, […]

In our latest interview, Joey Humble and Taya Forde chat with Paul Baker – a Lecturer in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Glasgow Caledonian University and self-described ‘twitcher’ (or ‘birdwatcher’ for those who don’t know the lingo!). In fact, Paul now works on several bird monitoring projects connected with the University of Glasgow. Tune in […]

Ever wondered who plants the wildflowers on campus? Or how many species you might spot on a walk around Glasgow? In this episode, Naturally Speaking’s Emma Plant and Alexa Roditi interview not one, but three guests in a roundtable discussion about wildlife on campus. Agnes Berner, the biodiversity coordinator of Glasgow University’s Environmental Sustainability Team (GUEST), and Dr Lydia Bach tell […]

Efforts to return Scotland’s land to a more natural state could be spurred on by an unlikely helper: an independent, hardy and terribly cute breed of horse, the Exmoor pony. In this podcast, Naturally Speaking’s Joey Humble interviews PhD student Debbie Davy, a guardian and advocate for the Exmoor pony, who has recently introduced a […]

Plastic seems to be everywhere. In this podcast, Naturally Speaking’s Dr Keila Meginnis, Dr Lucy Gilbert, and Eleni Christoforou, joined by Institute researcher  Rachel Francoeur, meet to discuss and explore different areas of research around plastics. The unfortunate truth is that plastic is having effects in almost every ecosystem on our planet. Tune in to […]

We are highlighting this archived episode in celebration of Pint of Science, which will be held this coming week, May 20-22, 2019: https://pintofscience.co.uk/events/glasgow

Economics is not something usually associated with an “Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine”. Professor Nick Hanley joined the Institute in 2017 as Chair of Environmental and One Health Economics. In this interview, Naturally Speaking’s Keila Meginnis and Lucy Gilbert speak with Nick about his research and find out how economics can […]

Killing them softly The welfare of farm animals is an issue very much in the public eye. While we often think about welfare in terms of animals’ quality of life, a less-considered aspect is the quality of death. In this episode, University of Glasgow researcher Dr Dorothy McKeegan tells us about her research in this […]

In this episode of Naturally Speaking, Mar Pineda catches up with fellow Masters of Research (MRes) student Bugge Vick to talk about some of his field work. Bugge’s research project focused on the South American grey fox (Lycalopex griseus), recently introduced onto the Falkland Islands – a remote archipelago in the South Atlantic. In […]

Species at being lost at an alarming rate around the world. Luckily, there are large-scale efforts underway to document and utilize population genetic diversity for species conservation. In this episode, we are joined by Dr Klaus-Peter Koepfli, a research scientist from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Species Survival and visiting speaker within the […]

We hope that the UK will never see another major livestock disease outbreak such as foot and mouth disease or avian influenza. But if we do, we will be much better prepared to deal with it thanks to EPIC, the Centre of Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks. This interdisciplinary group of researchers from several Scottish […]

Visiting speaker and workshop facilitator Dr Ana Payo Payo speaks about her research on migratory birds and her involvement in promoting equal opportunities for women and men in STEM

For International Women’s Day this year, the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine celebrated with a special social event in the museum, where an extra special speech was given by one of our highly respected senior academics. In this episode, we capture the highlights of Prof Pat Monaghan‘s Women’s Day talk, wherein she […]

The aquaculture industry is growing at a rapid rate, but our understanding of the factors that contribute to fish ‘performance’ – that is, how to ensure optimal health and growth – is not keeping pace. Rather than conduct costly field experiments, researchers at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine are taking a […]

Imagine being able to predict the reservoir species for a newly-found virus just from its genetic code. Using cutting edge machine learning techniques, that is precisely what researchers from the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine and the Centre for Virus Research have managed to do. Join us in this […]

Episode 2: What lies beneath? Join us again aboard the Royal Research Ship Discovery, cruising towards the mid-Atlantic to an area known as the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. As we heard in the previous episode, this unique cruise brought together researchers from multiple disciplines to apply their specialist skills to collect data in the region. In […]

This podcast celebrates the past, present and future of the Hunterian Zoology Museum located in the Graham Kerr Building at the University of Glasgow. And who better than our Museum’s specialist curator to reveal the life and times of this majestic place? In this Naturally Speaking episode, Maggie Reilly tells Naturally Speaking editor Martina Quaggiotto […]

Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine researcher Prof Rod Page was recently awarded the Ebbe Nielsen prize for his proposal to help document the biodiversity of Australia by linking a variety of open sources of data. Tune in to hear about the challenges and opportunities associated with the exciting field of ‘biodiversity informatics’ […]

Malaria – a disease transmitted between people by mosquitoes – remains a major cause of death globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. While recent efforts to control mosquitoes have been very successful in reducing malaria, particularly insecticide-treated bed nets, mosquito populations seem to be persisting. In this episode of Naturally Speaking, editors Ellen Hughes and Taya […]

Episode 1: The Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone On the 6th June 2017, an international team of scientists led by Dr. Ewan Wakefield departed Southampton on the Royal Research Ship Discovery. Their cruise number was DY080 and their aim was to gather multiple data from an area in the mid-Atlantic where the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ) interrupts […]

Episode 61: Linked Migrations “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but nature has the magical ability to charm everyone. Scientists want to know more about its secrets through research, while artists study every minute detail to portray it on canvas. Naturally Speaking brings you some insights into the work and experiences of Derek […]

Join us in another celebration of the Institute as we look back at the highlights from the month of April (2017). Listen as Laurie Baker, Taya Forde, Karen Hotopp and James Burgon discuss recent publications, awards and achievements by Institute researchers.

“Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by sixty-five million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?” –Alan Grant Jurassic Park was released more than 20 years ago at a time when the idea of de-extinction was just taking off. […]

Every year on the 12th of February, Charles Darwin’s birthday, the scientific community recognises Darwin Day. This is a celebration of evolutionary biology and all that we have learnt since Darwin introduced us to the concept of natural selection. To mark the event, the Institute holds an annual Darwin Lecture. This is a highly prestigious […]

Episode 59: Resilience in Academia It’s unlikely that anyone has ever said that a career in academic research is easy. It is highly competitive, requires an incredibly large skill set, and “rejection” is essentially part of the job description. However, despite all these challenges, most of us couldn’t imagine doing anything else! In this episode, […]

Episode 58: Lumped together – explaining species co-existence The competitive exclusion principle states that in the long term, the number of species should never exceed the number of available resources. Phytoplankton species paradoxically violate this rule. Instead, species with similar traits co-exist in “clumps” in which there is redundancy among species occupying the same niche, […]

Episode 57: Of Mice and microbes Are parasites always harmful? How diverse are the microbial communities living within individual hosts? These are questions that Dr Sarah Knowles – a researcher at the Royal Veterinary College in London – has set out to address. She visited IBAHCM in January as a guest lecturer in the Institute’s […]

Episode 56: Seasonal Cheer at IBAHCM Every year in December, the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine takes a look back on the year and celebrates its successes in the form of a potluck and  Ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance). This year, Naturally Speaking editors Jacqueline Jacot and Laurie Baker interviewed Institute members at […]

Episode 55: “Recent” IBAHCM Highlights Autumn seems to have run away with us… just too many exciting things happening! In this episode, the Naturally Speaking team reflect on some of the Institute’s many achievements of the last few months (July – October, 2017). Steve Larcombe, James Burgon and Taya Forde discuss some of their favourite […]

Listen in as James Burgon, Laurie Baker, Stephen Larcombe, Taya Forde and Karen Hotopp talk about the publications, staff advancements and other exciting news coming out of the Institute from May and June.

In this episode of Naturally Speaking, Dr Caroline Millins and Dr Roman Biek from the Institute, along with Prof. Des Thompson from Scottish Natural Heritage, discuss their recent publication reviewing the effects of conservation management on Lyme disease.

Playing out one of nature's greatest theatres are grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, cougars, elk, and bison in the greater yellowstone ecosystem. A haven for biologists, these species also come with their own set of diseases making the greater yellowstone ecosystem a hotspot for wildlife disease research.

Fish may be more intelligent than you realise—from their ability to form complicated 3D mind maps, to learning to visually discriminate among over 40 human faces! Join Taya Forde as she speaks to 2016 Buckland Professor of Fisheries Felicity Huntingford, biologist Dr Martina Quaggiotto, and life-long fishers Charles Jardine Marshall Bissett to discuss how smart fish really are.

There are many ways to study life strategies of small passerines. Professor Jan-Ake Nilsson of the University of Lund sat down with us to talk about his studies, and the fantastic little birds that he has worked with.

As the year draws to a close, Naturally Speaking’s Laurie Baker, Taya Forde, Karen Hotopp and James Burgon reflect upon the highlights of another great year communicating the work of the Institute.

Prof Ruth Zadoks tells us about her research into the factors that can allow disease-causing bacteria to make the jump between species.

In this episode we speak to wildlife ecologist (and field veterinarian) Dr Martin Gilbert to learn about his PhD research on a deadly virus affecting Amur tigers in the Russian Far East.

A voracious appetite for books and an unlikely encounter with a strange animal in a petshop led Dr Mark Wilkinson (from the Natural History Museum in London) to study a little known group of amphibians called caecilians, or naked snakes. Listen to find out all about these unusual and enigmatic animals.

What is life like in an anthrax-endemic area of Tanzania? Join our anthrax research team on a journey to Maasai communities of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

In this episode of Naturally Speaking Shorts, Taya Forde and Karen Hotopp catch up with distinguished Professor Rita Colwell, of the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, to talk about the impact of her work on cholera and the changing opportunities for women in science.

FEATURED: Our most visited post of 2016 – In this episode of Naturally Speaking Shorts Laurie Baker speaks to R-guru Hadley Wickham, Chief Scientist at RStudio, about his work to make programming and data analysis in the statistical programme R less painful.

Episode 40 The sex life – or lack of it – of Trypanosomes: Interview with Dr Willie Weir “Zero Sex is a Killer” “Bug’s Weird Sex Life could make it go extinct, say Scottish Scientists”:  Dr Willie Weir, a researcher from the Institute—and one of the Scottish scientists responsible for these recent headlines—joins Steve Larcombe […]

Evolution plays a central role in the field of zoology, with new questions to be chased and an ever expanding field of research. In this Naturally Speaking Short, Karen Hotopp (@KarenHotopp) interviews visiting researcher Professor Walter Salzburger of the University of Basel, and asks him about his research on adaptive radiation and the colourful cichlids […]

“Technology provides the tools and biology the problems”              – Stanley Fields   Episode 38: Sparking ideas-the creative minds building bioelectronics for biologists   Scientific advances depend not only on novel ideas and conceptual leaps, but also to a large extent on technological advances. Most scientists use some form of […]

A special #DarwinDay podcast where we asked five of our Institute PhD students (each of whose work builds on evolutionary theory) ‘what does Darwin mean to you?’

Bird researcher, Prof. Jane Reid, never set out to become an academic, in fact, she tried her very best not to. Having developed an interest in birds from a young age, her great ambition was to work for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). But, she figured to work there she would […]

Welcome to the third and final episode in our special three-part series of podcasts: “MASTERS OF SCIENCE (and Research)”. Here, Naturally Speaking’s James Burgon (@JamesBurgon) and Karen Hotopp (@KarenHotopp) are taking on the Institute’s three Masters courses one by one: MSc. in Quantitative Methods in Biodiversity, Conservation and Epidemiology MSc. Animal Welfare Science, Ethics & Law MRes. […]

Welcome to the second episode in a three-part series of podcasts we like to call    “MASTERS OF SCIENCE (and Research)”. Here, Naturally Speaking’s James Burgon (@JamesBurgon) and Karen Hotopp (@KarenHotopp) are taking on the Institute’s three Masters courses one by one: MSc. in Quantitative Methods in Biodiversity, Conservation and Epidemiology MSc. Animal Welfare Science, Ethics & Law […]

Welcome to the first in a three-part series of podcasts we like to call “MASTERS OF SCIENCE (and Research)”. Here, Naturally Speaking’s James Burgon (@JamesBurgon) and Karen Hotopp (@KarenHotopp, in her podcast debut) are taking on the Institute’s three Masters courses one by one: MSc in Quantitative Methods in Biodiversity, Conservation and Epidemiology MSc. Animal Welfare Science, Ethics […]

Humans have a complex relationship and checkered history with elephants. Once the revered subjects of myths and legends, elephants have increasingly become the objects of economic greed and the victims of habitat loss. Episode 32 – Nature’s Greatest Masterpiece-An interview with Phyllis Lee   In this episode of Naturally Speaking Shorts, Laurie Baker (@llbaker1707) is joined by elephant […]

At the Helm of chronobiology Why do we wake up early on our days off? Or notice it is almost lunchtime after our stomachs emit a rumble of hunger? Like all living organisms we have clocks inside us—internal timing mechanisms that guide everything from fine scale molecular processes to seasonal migrations. The study of these […]

Earth, Wind, Water, Fire. . . and Competition? Understanding tree community dynamics across the savanna landscape. Have you ever wondered why trees grow in some areas but not in others? In the African savanna landscape, this pattern may be explained with a little help from the natural elements and ecological relationships. Professor Ricardo Holdo of […]

In this week’s episode we revisit the topic that we examined in our first ever episode of Naturally Speaking—the dreaded PhD viva (also known as the defence in some countries). This is the final oral examination faced by PhD students before they can be awarded their degree. This episode features a panel discussion with Prof Neil Metcalfe, […]

Globally around one billion people are infected by parasitic nematodes, and their impact on livestock can be devastating. For millennia, parasites and hosts have been locked in an evolutionary war, an arms race with ever changing goal posts. However, scientists are using modern technology to bring new weapons to the fore. Here, Naturally Speaker James […]

In this Episode, statistician and population geneticist Paul Johnson (@PaulCDJo) of the University of Glasgow tells Shaun Killen (@shaunkillen) about his unusual career route into academics, how he fell in love with stats, and what he wishes more biologists would understand about statistical analyses. Paul has rare gift for clearly explaining complex concepts so it’s […]

Infected by the science bug: from fungal frogs to badger culls ­ Scientists tend to be nosy, curious, and can’t help themselves asking “why?” … At least those are the character traits Dr Jon Bielby thinks drew him inexorably towards the world of science. A Research Fellow at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Jon […]

It is difficult to find a scientific paper that does not include p-values in some capacity. Most often, p-values are used to statistically interpret whether the results of a given study are “significant” or if a real effect is being observed. However, a number of recent papers have begun to challenge this paradigm, suggesting that p-values […]

In our College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences we have a brilliant and diverse group of veterinary researchers who split their time between dealing with disease and duelling with data. Among them is Ian Ramsey, Professor of Small Animal Medicine at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Associate Academic of the Institute. Primarily a vet, Ian’s research has […]

Human activities can dramatically alter the types, abundance, and distribution of resources—such as food—available to wildlife. A growing number of studies indicate that resources produced in human-dominated environments can alter the interactions between pathogens and their hosts, leading to either increased or decreased infection risk for wildlife and humans. In a recent paper out in Ecology […]

What happens to a river when it is polluted or invaded by non-native species? Can they be restored to their previous state or are the communities and functional groups permanently altered? How does the ecology change? These are the questions driving University of Glasgow and IBIS researcher Dr Jennifer Dodd. An aquatic ecologist “with a […]

Known for its vastness and incredible wildebeest migration, the Serengeti ecosystem in East Africa continues to captivate both tourists and scientists alike. Professor Tony Sinclair of the University of British Columbia joins Laurie Baker to talk about how his interest in biology at a young age sparked a lifetime studying the history and biology of one […]

In this instalment of Naturally Speaking Shorts we present a double-interview as Shaun Killen chats with Prof Mark Haussmann (Bucknell University) and Dr Simon Babayan (University of Glasgow). Mark studies the physiological and ecological factors underlying ageing in animals, while Simon studies how ecology interacts with the mechanics of the immune system in wild and laboratory […]

This is the first in our series of Naturally Speaking Shorts where we interview visiting and IBAHCM researchers about their work and how they ended up in science. In this episode, we interview University of Glasgow alumnus, Dr. Richard Phillips (British Antarctic Survey), about his work with albatrosses in South Georgia and his advice for young […]

This is the first in our series of joint podcasts with theGIST, a student science magazine, blog, podcast and YouTube channel run by students from the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde . In this episode, we interviewed Prof. Ted Leighton, the former director of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, after he gave a talk to […]

Episode 17 – Social Media and Science Communication In the latest instalment in our Survivor’s Guide to Academia, we discuss how researchers can use social media to connect with other scientists, and more importantly, the general public. Shaun Killen asks James Grecian, Jim Caryl, and Jamie Gallagher about their experiences with using social media, the various […]

This latest episode of the Naturally Speaking podcast explores the increasingly prominent issue of gender inequality in science and engineering. With the help of four Institute researchers: Prof. Dan Haydon, Dr Michelle Bellingham, Dr Winnie Boner and Dr Richard Orton, we first explore the evidence for women being underrepresented in scientific research and why this […]

In this episode, we feature a Q&A discussion that followed a recent screening of the 1975 film Jaws held at the Glasgow film theatre as part of the 2014 Glasgow Science Festival. Dr David Bailey, Dr Deborah McNeill and Dr Shaun Killen are the experts answering the questions and exploring the relative risk of shark […]

FEATURED: Our most visited post of 2014 – in this episode we chat to colleagues across the Institute about how they've successfully communicated science into policy.

This episode marks the first in a series in which we discuss the science behind some of our favourite science fiction movies. Why start with Jurassic Park? Well, it’s loaded with sciencey concepts, but this year is also 20 years (!) since it was first released and so we thought it would be a good […]

In this Research Roundup episode we summarise three recent research papers published by Institute members. First we discuss Maureen Bain’s recent work examining the extent to which bacteria may pass through the shells of the chicken eggs we use for food. We then chat about Colin Selman’s recent paper showing that dietary antioxidant supplements may […]

In the second part of this episode, James Grecian, James Buckley, and Shaun Killen are joined by institute PhD student Darryl McLennan to expand on some of the topics raised in the live show (listen here), and to banter about all kinds of other topics ranging from the effects of climate change on zombies to […]

In this very special episode we chat about the science of zombie-ism! Could zombies actually exist? Do zombies sleep? We discuss all this and more! The first part of this episode contains the recording from a live event during the Glasgow Science festival, which took place at Nice ‘n Sleazy’s pub here in Glasgow. In […]

Hello and welcome to our 10th podcast! In this episode we talk with Jo Halliday and Sunny Townsend about their research into epidemiology, the study of patterns, causes and effects of disease. Jo talks us through her work on the transmission of disease between people and livestock in Tanzania, and her recent paper in Philospohical […]

How do we understand and quantify the way animals move and interact with their environment? In the first podcastt of 2013 we talk with Grant Hopcraft and Jason Matthiopoulos who have recently joined IBAHCM and are both interested in spatial and movement ecology. Grant talks us through his work in the Serengeti and a recent […]

In the last podcast of 2012 we discuss how to source research funding and how to write successful grant proposals. Tune in for some top tips and advice from Barbara Mable, Neil Metcalfe and Kathy Dunlop! Episode 8 – How to get research funding There are hundreds of organisations that fund research, but here are […]

After a bit of a hiatus during the summer we’re back with a somewhat fish-themed episode in which we talk with two new faculty members in the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow. Listen as Kevin Parsons talks about his work looking at the evolutionary biology of fishes, […]

In this Research Round Table episode we discuss three recent research papers from within the institute: a paper by James Grecian and colleagues examining sex-based differences in foraging behaviour in gannets; a study by Who-Seung Lee, Pat Monaghan, and Neil Metcalfe studying the costs of rapid growth in sticklebacks; and a paper by Annabelle Haudry, […]

With several big conferences rapidly approaching, many students will find themselves at their first scientific conference this summer!  In this edition of the Survivor’s Guide to Academia, David Bailey, Rob Critchlow, Zara Gladman, and Shaun Killen chat about how to survive a conference. Tune in for tips on talks and posters, effective networking, making the most […]

In this episode James Buckley and Shaun Killen chat with Institute researchers Dominic McCafferty and Donald Reid. Dominic tells us about how he’s used thermal imaging to see how baby rabbits – which are born completely without fur – are able to help keep themselves warm by huddling together. Donald then talks about how, for juvenile […]

This episode is the first of what we’re calling “Research Round Tables”, in which we’ll be summarizing some recent work from the Institute. Other episodes will also feature interviews/discussions with institute researchers about specific projects, but with these episodes we hope to briefly cover a wider range of research topics (and have a bit of […]

Finally! Our first ever podcast episode, in which Zara Gladman, Leoni de Wert, Rowland Kao, and Shaun Killen discuss how to survive your viva – the oral examination that every PhD student must pass before receiving their degree. Have a listen and let us know what you think! Naturally Speaking Episode 1 UPDATE: We revisited […]