Journey to the Microcosmos (Season 4)

Can Algae Fuel Our Cars? (Episode 1)

Air date: 2021-02-22

Runtime: 10 min

Overview: As the search for alternative energy sources continues, scientists are looking to the microcosmos and wondering: Can we use algae oil to power our cars, our airplanes, and maybe even our spaceships?

How Do Microorganisms Pee? (Episode 2)

Air date: 2021-03-01

Runtime: 10 min

Becoming Your Own Baby Through Conjugation (Episode 3)

Air date: 2021-03-08

Runtime: 10 min

Getting to Know Our Single-Celled Ancestors (Episode 4)

Air date: 2021-03-15

Runtime: 10 min

Your Screen Is Covered In Human Blood (Episode 5)

Air date: 2021-03-22

Runtime: 10 min

Heliozoa: Round, Sticky, and Covered in Spikes (Episode 6)

Air date: 2021-03-29

Runtime: 10 min

How Diatoms Build Their Beautiful Shells (Episode 7)

Air date: 2021-04-05

Runtime: 10 min

Leeuwenhoek: The First Master of Microscopes (Episode 8)

Air date: 2021-04-12

Runtime: 10 min

The Fantastic Feet of the Microcosmos (Episode 9)

Air date: 2021-04-19

Runtime: 10 min

The Chaotic Life of Seashore Ciliates (Episode 10)

Air date: 2021-04-26

Runtime: 10 min

We Found a Super Rare Microbe! (Episode 11)

Air date: 2021-05-03

Runtime: 10 min

Overview: After over three years of searching for it, our Master of Microscopes has found a Spirostomum semivirescens!

Bursaria: Giant Gravity-Sensing Vacuums (Episode 12)

Air date: 2021-05-11

Runtime: 10 min

Overview: The big Roomba of the microcosmos is fascinating to watch as it lives its sink or swim life.

The Diversity of Shapes in the Microcosmos (Episode 13)

Air date: 2021-05-17

Runtime: 10 min

Overview: From trumpets and spirals to floral arrangements, single cell organisms take on many strange and unique shapes. But they don't look like that just for fun, their shapes can help them with movement, hunting, and even defending themselves.

Looking at Tardigrade Sperm and Other Reproducing Swimmers (Episode 14)

Air date: 2021-05-31

Runtime: 10 min

Overview: Original Title: Tardigrade Sperm and Other Reproducing Swimmers Not all hypotheses need to be good. In fact, many of them are terrible. It’s just that when you’re trying to understand the world, you might find yourself believing that there are tiny humans living inside the heads of sperm, and we're here to tell you, that's not how it works.

Flinching Saves Lives in the Microcosmos (Episode 15)

Air date: 2021-06-07

Runtime: 10 min

Some Eggs Don't Need Sperm to Make Babies (Episode 16)

Air date: 2021-06-14

Runtime: 10 min

We Upgraded Our Microscope... Again! (Episode 17)

Air date: 2021-06-21

Runtime: 10 min

Unsolved Mysteries of the Microcosmos (Episode 18)

Air date: 2021-06-28

Runtime: 10 min

Overview: Sometimes we come across microbes that we just can't learn much about, or that don't fit into a larger story. So, this week we're sharing a few of those mysterious microbes with you.

The Beautiful, Brutal Tentacles of Hydra (Episode 19)

Air date: 2021-07-05

Runtime: 10 min

We Dipped Our Lens in Oil to See More Detail (Episode 20)

Air date: 2021-07-13

Runtime: 10 min

Overview: Oil immersion is an interesting and complex microscopy tool.

The Secret Things Living In Your Drains (Episode 21)

Air date: 2021-07-19

Runtime: 10 min

Revealing the Hidden Colors of the Microcosmos (Episode 22)

Air date: 2021-07-26

Runtime: 10 min

These Algae Curl Up Into a Ball When They Get Stressed Out (Episode 23)

Air date: 2021-08-02

Runtime: 10 min

Where Is This Anemone Really From? (Episode 24)

Air date: 2021-08-10

Runtime: 10 min

The Gruesome Tale of the Hitchhiking Parasite (Episode 25)

Air date: 2021-08-16

Runtime: 10 min