Episode 47

Parasites

Jimmy Bernot

Jun 22, 2021 | Science

In this episode, marine biologist Jimmy Bernot joins me to tell me all about parasitic copepods!

Most of animal diversity is less than 5mm long. If you were to count up all of the animal species in the world, and line them up by their size, more than half of animal species are these small things. The vast amount of life on this planet is very small to us. They're things that we need a microscope to look at.

About This Episode

In this episode, we’ll be exploring the world of parasitic copepods! We’ll also talk about Jimmy’s decision to be infected with 50 hookworms in the name of science!

Visit Jimmy’s website: https://jimmybernot.com/

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmybernot?lang=en

Visit Planet B612 on the web: https://planetb612.fm/

Follow Planet B612 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlanetB612fm

Support Planet B612 on Patreon: https://patreon.com/juliesworld

Topics and Timestamps

(0:00:49) Working at the Natural History Museum: Parasitic Copepods.
(0:02:24) How do you tell if a copepod is parasitic?
(0:04:28) What parasitic copepods live on.
(0:05:34) Once a host is infected, is it still edible?
(0:06:50) How to find a parasitic copepod on a specimen.
(0:07:39) Rock bass and the parasites that live on them: Trematodes.
(0:09:55) White spots on fish.
(0:10:26) Parasitic copepods in the ocean.
(0:11:44) Copepods and parasitic copepods on corals.
(0:13:48) Studying parasitic copepods: Where all the data comes from.
(0:15:19) The coolest copepods: Marine invertebrates and sea squirts.
(0:18:01) Notodelphyidae and the search for photos.
(0:19:58) The World Association of Copepodologists.
(0:21:54) Parasitic copepods and climate change.
(0:23:31) Evolving parasites: The generalist and the specialist.
(0:24:56) The early life cycle of a parasitic copepod.
(0:27:01) The mating process of parasitic copepods.
(0:28:38) The journey to studying parasitic copepods: Dr.Janine Caira and tapeworms.
(0:31:23) The captivating process and longevity of sample preparation.
(0:33:32) The study of parasites and how it changes how we see the world.
(0:36:25) The dramatic and diverse microscopic world.
(0:39:59) Planarians.
(0:42:52) Jumping to the study of copepods: A fascination about evolution.
(0:46:00) The problems with parasitic nematodes and our health.
(0:48:06) Developing a vaccine for hookworms: A challenge study.
(0:49:31) Being infected with 50 hookworms.
(0:52:00) Hookworm secretions and seasonal allergies.
(0:53:59) Weightlifting, volleyball and a love of reading.
(0:54:57) The Left Hand of Darkness: Ahead of its time.

Follow Planet B612 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlanetB612fm

Support Planet B612 on Patreon: https://patreon.com/juliesworld

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