CrowdScience - Why am I symmetrical?

Why do we have two eyes? Two ears? Two arms and two legs? Why is one side of the human body – externally at least – pretty much a mirror image of the other side?

CrowdScience listener Kevin from Trinidad and Tobago is intrigued. He wants to know why human beings – and indeed most animals - have a line of symmetry in their bodies. Yet, beyond their flowers and fruits, plants don’t seem to have any obvious symmetry. It seems that they can branch in any direction.

Anand Jagatia sets out to find out why the animal kingdom settled on bilateral symmetry as the ideal body plan. And it takes him into the deep oceans of 570 million years ago. Paleobiologist Dr. Frankie Dunn is his guide to a time when animal life was experimenting with all sorts of different body plans and symmetries.

Frankie shows Anand a fossil of the animals which changed everything. When creatures with bilateral symmetry emerged they began to re-engineer their environment, outcompeting everything else and dooming them to extinction.

Well... nearly everything else. One very successful group of animals which have an utterly different symmetry are the echinoderms. That includes animals with pentaradial - or five-fold - symmetry like starfish and sea urchins. And that body shape poses some intriguing questions... like “where’s a starfish’s head?” Dr. Imran Rahman introduces us to the extraordinary, weird world of echinoderms.

To answer the second part of Kevin’s question - why plants don’t seem to have symmetry – Anand turns to botanist Prof. Sophie Nadot. She tells him that there is symmetry in plants... you just have to know where to look! Beyond flowers and fruits, there’s also symmetry in a plants leaves and stem. The overall shape of a plant might start out symmetrical but environmental factors like wind, the direction of the sun and grazing by animals throws it off-kilter.

And, while the human body may be symmetrical on the outside, when you look inside, it’s a very different story. As listener Kevin says, “our internal organs are a bit all over the place!” Prof. Mike Levin studies the mechanisms which control biological asymmetry. He tells Anand why asymmetry is so important... and also why it’s so difficult to achieve consistently.

Contributors: Dr. Frankie Dunn, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, UK Dr. Imran Rahman, Natural History Museum, London, UK Prof. Sophie Nadot, Université Paris-Saclay, France Prof. Mike Levin, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA

Presenter: Anand Jagatia Producer: Jeremy Grange Editor: Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Manager: Andrew Garratt

(Image: Orange oakleaf butterfly (Kallima inachus) on tropical flower, Credit: Darrell Gulin/The Image Bank via Getty Images)

The Indicator from Planet Money - How much would you do this job for? And other indicators

Welcome to another edition of Indicators of the Week! On today's show, the large downward revision to jobs numbers, the awkward release of that news and a survey that asks U.S. workers for the minimum salary they would accept a new job for.

Related listening:
Getting more men into so-called pink collar jobs (Apple / Spotify)
Do I need a four-year degree? (Apple / Spotify)
Indicator exploder: jobs and inflation
Our 2023 Valentines

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by
Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Lost Debate - Grading the DNC, Kamala’s Risks, YIMBY, Billionaire City

Ravi kicks off the show by reflecting on the final day of the DNC convention, how the past four days could impact Democrats’ chances against Trump in November, and the implications of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pending withdrawal from the race.

Ravi then welcomes New York Times housing reporter Conor Dougherty to the show to discuss the current state of the housing crisis, how political dynamics influence progress, and why Obama may have decided to use his speech at the DNC to advocate for reform within the outdated housing market. Finally, Ravi and Conor delve into Silicon Valley billionaires’ efforts to create a new city in California.


Time Stamps:

Grading the DNC - 0:01

Kamala's Risks - 6:14

YIMBY - 9:00

Billionaire City - 27:15


Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570


Subscribe to our feed on Spotify: http://bitly.ws/zC9K

Subscribe to our Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/


Follow The Branch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebranchmedia/

Follow The Branch on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebranchmedia

Follow The Branch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebranchmedia

The Branch website: http://thebranchmedia.org/

The Branch channel: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/the-branch/id6483055204 


Lost Debate is also available on the following platforms: 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vTERJNTc1ODE3Mzk3Nw 

iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-lost-debate-88330217/

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/752ca262-2801-466d-9654-2024de72bd1f/the-lost-debate

CoinDesk Podcast Network - MARKETS DAILY: CoinDesk Markets Week In Review

CoinDesk Indices presents notable data insights from the week, followed by additional analysis from David Attermann, Head of Web3 Investments at M31 Capital.

To get the show every day, follow the podcast here.

The CoinDesk Market Index (CMI) functions as a benchmark for the performance of the digital asset market, delivering institutional quality information to digital asset investors. Subsets of the CoinDesk Market Index (CMI) are investible CoinDesk Crypto Sectors and the CoinDesk 20 Index, designed to measure the performance of the top digital assets. Today’s takeaways are provided by Tracy Stephens, senior index manager at CoinDesk Indices with additional analysis from David Attermann, Head of Web3 Investments at M31 Capital.

For more on CoinDesk Indices, visit: coindeskmarkets.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Bulwark Podcast - A.B. Stoddard: Only in America

Kamala delivered a real work of art—a perfect American story filled with love of country, democracy, family, and the pursuit of big dreams. She also spoke to the center of the electorate, and conveyed a strength to take on the bullies and protect the nation, all with a feminine touch. Meanwhile, the sitting black VP has positioned herself as the challenger against an incumbent Trump, infuriating him in the process. A.B. Stoddard joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

show notes:

Elaina Plott Calabro interview about Kamala that Tim referenced
Tim's playlist

CoinDesk Podcast Network - UNCHAINED: Pendle Ripped in Early 2024, But Usage Has Slowed Down. Can It Recover?

Pendle Finance saw massive growth earlier this year but has recently faced a significant drop in TVL. How will it bounce back?


Pendle Finance, an innovative protocol that lets users trade yield, surged in popularity earlier this year but is now grappling with a downturn in usage. 

In this episode, founder TN Lee shares insights into Pendle's approach, the factors behind its recent success, and the challenges it faces in recovering user engagement and TVL. Plus, since Pendle’s rise was driven by the points narrative, TN talks about how the protocol can keep growing. 

Show highlights:

  • What Pendle is, how the idea for it was born, and how it works
  • Why Pendle has exploded this year, even though it launched years ago
  • Whether Pendle is an app for sophisticated traders and the most common strategies in the protocol
  • How users are able to leverage their earned points in several protocols
  • Besides market risks, what the risks are of trading in Pendle and how they try to mitigate them
  • Pendle’s recent significant drop in TVL and plans to recover
  • If the points narrative ends, will Pendle remain relevant?


Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

Thank you to our sponsors!


Guest:

  • TN Lee, Founder of Pendle Finance


Unchained Podcast is Produced by Laura Shin Media, LLC. Distributed by CoinDesk.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CoinDesk Podcast Network - COINDESK DAILY: Donald Trump Promotes Family-Run DeFi Project; Sony Starts Its Own Blockchain

Host Jennifer Sanasie breaks down the news in the crypto industry from Donald Trump's crypto project to Sony starting its own blockchain.

"CoinDesk Daily" host Jennifer Sanasie breaks down the biggest headlines in the crypto industry today, as Donald Trump is pushing a family-run crypto project as he positions himself as a pro-crypto candidate ahead of the November election. Plus, Steno Research says DeFi summer is making a come back, and Sony is starting its own blockchain.

-

This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and Melissa Montañez and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What A Day - No Beyoncé, No Problem: Kamala Harris Captivates The DNC

Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination for President Thursday night on the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. On a star-studded night that included appearances from Kerry Washington, Reverend Al Sharpton, and NOT Beyoncé, the energy on the convention floor was electric as Democrats anticipate the general election, less than 75 days away.

Harris’s speech included touching moments from her life story, remarks on the economy and the war in Gaza, and even a few jabs at former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump. “What a Day” host Juanita Tolliver joins us from the convention floor to tell us whether Harris’ speech met expectations and to give us an inside look at the excitement as the DNC comes to a close.

 

Show Notes: