Large groups of related organisms occasionally behave in ways similar to single multicellular organisms. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in insects, especially in the order Hymenoptera. If this order is ever split it will be unable to wear white at its wedding.

The fearsome threesome of Michael, Marschal and Jon tackle this phenomenon as well as some current science news.

Link to video podcast: https://youtu.be/V2WzbwvpRDY

The Nature Boy crew assembles sans-Marschal for a discussion of genomics. Not to be confused with gnomics, or the study of gnomes.

Link to video version of podcast: https://youtu.be/Uc_ywmn40O4

Three plant biologists finally speak about plant biology!

Video of this podcast can be found at this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/D5e5yujYp_I

Had this been uploaded when originally recorded, we would be ringing in the new year with a review of the scientific advancements made in the last decade. As it stands, this episode is uploaded in April. But like a fine wine the Nature Boy crew only gets better with age! Marvel at their slightly out of date references and stand in awe at their coverage of the most important discoveries of 2010-2020!

As of this episode's posting, we have apparently lost last month's recording. If the episode (on pain) is found, it will be published in the near future. With that out of the way, enjoy this month's episode on taste. It is widely known that listeners of this podcast have some of the best taste on the planet, so it only makes sense to provide some information relating to the perception of taste. So don't be bitter and don't get salty, sit back and enjoy this sweet episode, you bunch of sour-pusses! Ooh-mommy, it's good!

What does the new year hold for you? Some turn to the stars for answers, so listen to the 4 biggest stars in podcasting on Nature Boy! Jon returns to the studio to join in a discussion of astrology including its critics, history, and validity. 

Bank on this episode being the brightest part of your week! The Nature Boy crew discusses those defenders of diversity, those sanctums of seeds, those guardians of genetics, seed banks. Additional alliteration includes: Bastions of bulbs, caretakers of creation, shepherds of stems, friends of flowers, arbiters of achenes, saviors of samaras, root revolutionaries, stockpilers of stolons, fighters for fronds, etc.

Make learning time fun time by coming up with your own!

Jon is absent, finalizing his dissertation and finishing his degree. The slow-poke 3 are still around for this episode though, and touch on the always lighthearted subject of cancer. Steel your emotions and personal experiences for what I can only assume is a well-informed and touching discussion of one of the greatest modern medical obstacles. Personally, I don't have time to listen in, but I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

Originally recorded February 4, 2018.

Never one to avoid a challenge, Nature Boy steps well outside of its area of expertise to discuss neuroscience. However, as all hosts possess brains as well as nervous systems, they can be considered well qualified to tackle this subject. This episode provides an overview of the many disciplines which fall under this field, as well as some interesting research investigating the workings of the mind. Save yourself the time it would take to look this up on Wikipedia, and simply listen to four people who already have!

Originally recorded January 7, 2018.

Veteran fans may be aware that all hosts of the Nature Boy podcast are PhD students at UC Riverside, specifically in the department of plant biology. Often when explaining our work, the question of marijuana is brought up; mostly relating to either breeding, mechanisms of action in the body, or our future career aspirations as producers of the plant. While none of the crew plans on working in the field, it is such an interesting economic crop that we all have some familiarity with it. With recent legislation allowing for the commercial production and sale of marijuana in California, Nature Boy has taken it upon itself to explain some of the misunderstandings surrounding the plant and the current state of marijuana research, as well as providing an introduction to the new regulations surrounding use.

So turn on, tune in, and drop out with us as we get groovy in this episode of Gnarly Boy!

This episode was originally recorded December 3, 2017.

The Nature Boy podcast has been scientifically demonstrated to improve mood, reduce anxious behavior, and increase attention from potential romantic partners. These statements have not been approved by the FDA and may, in fact, be lies.

Anxiety and depression affect many people at some point in their life. Coping strategies often focus on psychological approaches, but what do scientists know about the causes and potential treatments of these disorders? Find out in this surprisingly uplifting episode! 

Oops! This episode was recorded in July of 2017, but was never posted for reasons of pure ineptitude. Many apologies, but enjoy this discussion of synthetic biology. Your favorite fabulous foursome goes beyond genetic modification of plants, and explores this complex field which involves the modification of living organisms.

Many apologies for the ongoing issues with the upload schedule, we appreciate all of our amazing fans who have stuck with us and look forward to many great episodes to come!

Jon's incredible powers of procrastination cause exasperation when the podcast nation can't hear this station! Apologies for the delayed upload, and for the absence of your favorite co-host and composer of episode descriptions, the J Train!

The geneclock genetics and genetocs, and this episode focuses on the former. Can genetic research save us from starvation? Will it rid us of disease? Or will it be leveraged by powerful corporations to impose claims of ownership on entire species? Maybe these questions are addressed in this episode, I was not there, but surely the Nature Boy crew will bring the noise and deliver the answers you crave!

Open your ears and we'll speak of the smells, like freshly baked pie or the sulfur in hell. Such wonderful senses help put up some fences to keep us from things that will make us unwell. And who can you count on to shine a bright light on the sense that serves as an animal's sight? Why, it's your faithful friends from the Nature Boy show, whose names don't fit easily into this poem.

It has been said that the most important difference between a beast and human is the comprehension of one's own mortality. An awareness of death and its inevitability, along with the fear it engenders, has resulted in the creation of religions and empires. God takes the place of the parent, and death represents the first betrayal by that trusted provider. People seek some form of immortality either by denying the reality of death, or through the creation of some legacy.

In spite of its influence, modern society often treats death as a taboo subject. Luckily you, fair listener, are with the Nature Boy crew, where nothing is off limits until we get sponsors, after which those sponsors' products will be very much off limits.

In celebration of Labor Day the Nature Boy crew profiles some of their favorite American scientists. We all know that America is the best country and that only her peoples are worthy of discovering the great truths, but just how great are those chosen few advancing the cause of American exceptionalism? Find out in this episode. Also, learn why love is dead according to our charming co-host.

The gang's all here again and life couldn't be better. Or could it? Is this the best of all worlds as Voltaire's Pangloss would say, or is evolution as an engineer not a perfectionist but an opportunist, as according to Stanislaw Lem? Listen close, listen hard, and learn the specificities of natural selection on this week's Nature Boy: The Podcast!! *fanfare*

Jon doesn't show up for this one, I'd probably just skip it. If unwary travellers do not heed these words, they shall find within a trove of wonders not of this world, phantasmagoric visions which will drive you to the brink of madness. DREAMS!

Nature Boy panders, throwing all scientific integrity out the window and bending to the will of the inebriated masses. Drugs are the topic of discussion bro, making Nature Boy the hippest, most with it podcast in town!

Birth, from the Latin Big Bertha, meaning an obese sideshow woman at ancient carnivals. Enjoy this in-depth discussion of birth, the beginning of beginnings, the bloody painful emergence into a world which promises nothing more than blood and pain.

In celebration of Valentine's Day the Nature Boy crew discusses the biggest lie we joyfully tell our children about besides Santa Claus. Love. Jon was unable to attend this episode, and is replaced by Jess Toth, our second female guest and expert on matters of the heart. Jon writes these descriptions, and didn't bother listening to this episode prior to writing this, but I'm aware that there is no mention of my absence. But that's love for you. Go choke on a chocolate.

Jon runs late today, throwing the broadcast into a tumultuous frenzy of panic. How will the remaining pioneers of podcasting handle this greatest of injustices? And what about colors and the hosts' favorite races? Listen close and listen hard, for all this and more awaits you in this month's Nature Boy!

What is communication, and how does it differ from language? This question is at the center of this week's Nature Boy, in which forms of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, are compared and discussed. As a special surprise, we are joined by the lovely Jessica Toth, a PhD student at UC Riverside. So shut your mouth and listen up as we demonstrate the finest in communicative abilities! 

Nature Boy changes it's format slightly for this week's episode, critiquing a contemporary documentary 'Seeds of Freedom'. This short film describes the current state of food security, focusing on the resource of seeds. Does industrial agriculture intentionally "hook" uninformed farmers on their seeds and chemicals? Do small-scale independent farmers have the capacity to feed the world? Is the diversity of the food we produce diminishing to a dangerous point? We may not answer these questions, but we certainly raise them in another thrilling installment of Nature Boy!

The sauciest episode of Nature Boy yet discusses sexuality, reproduction, and killing lions for some reason. Turn the lights down low, spark a bunsen burner, and enjoy as the mellodious voices of Michael, Marschal and Jon carry you off to new heights of excitement, pleasure, and awkward moments. 

This week your intrepid team delves ever deeper into the unknown with a discussion of black holes, relativity, and whether or not collaboratory is  word (it is not). Michael's triumphant return highlights this week's episode with the vivacity and verve which could only be described as Michaelish.

The final episode in this run of Michael-free shows, your stalwart heroes soldier on with a discussion of extraterrestrial life. Is it out there? We certainly don't provide any concrete answers, but enjoy our discussion! Also, read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing comic book series, as Jon will advised in this weeks episode. It's a great idea!

The most important sceintific laws are respected and accepted as true by most, in fact our view of the world is often unintentionally shaped by our acceptance of these laws. In its strictest sense, even the law of gravity has been disproved, yet laws so ingrained in our consciousness as this cannot even be dispelled by their falsification. How does any one person convince an entire population of any belief to this degree? The answer is, they do not. Behind every theory there is an entire population of scientists providing credence to those hypotheses tested, yet ready to disprove them with every experiment performed. How does this community operate? What rules do they use and how do they agree on anything? These questions and more will be answered on the first Nature Boy lacking our fearless leader Michael. To fill the void in all our hearts, we've invited Jon and Teresa,  two graduate students with hearts of gold and minds of genius. Do they compare to the dulcet tones of our missing mesiah? You decide!

It's an inconvenient truth (get it?) that our rapidly growing population is outpacing our ability to produce the resources they require. Or is the real issue the amount of resources each individual requires? The Nature Boy gang will tackle this and other hard-hitting questions in this episode of your favorite podcast!

Scope this episode out! Evolution is the topic of this episode of Nature Boy, and that first line is a reference to the Scopes monkey trial, in which substitute teacher John Scopes was found guilty of violating a Tennessee law forbidding the teaching of our topic in public schools. Have things changed? Has the modern public's understanding of this topic evolved? Well, naturally select play on your listening device and find out!

For this episode of Nature Boy, the fearless three tackle sustainability and alternative energy options. Can we support our growing population with current technologies, or are we doomed to descend into a desperate anarchistic state as we deplete the world's already scant resources? Listen close and listen well and all your doubts will be dispelled in this week's episode!

Always tackling the tough issues, today your intrepid Nature Boy Adventure Squad discusses perhaps the hottest topic in contemporary policy: climate change. Michael, Marschal and Jon will settle some arguments, discuss potential solutions, and with any luck, save the world. 

With fears of ebola on everyone's mind, the Nature Boy gang tackles the topic of infectious diseases. We'll discuss just what qualifies as a disease, and open your eyes to a myriad of new and horrible methods of demise to keep you up at night. So listen close, before your organs liquify.

Four this episode (pun, not a typo), Nature Boy and his steadfast sidekicks the Nature Lads discuss the current state of organic agriculture. They discuss some of the pros and cons, myths, and issues surrounding organic foods, and like public enemy before them, urge you to not believe the hype.  

In the second episode of Nature Boy we discuss the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. We will touch on aspects of art, biology, and the basic question of what makes something by definition "Alive". Beep boop!

Nature boy is a science-based radio show hosted by a group of graduate students at UC Riverside. This episode introduces the Nature Boy radio show as well as your 3 hosts. Michael, Jon, and Marschall will discuss their research and some current work from other scientific fields.