JELLYFISH with Rebecca Helm
4/23/202626 min
What even *is* a jellyfish?! How do they eat? What are they made of? Do they breathe? Where are their brains? Your new favorite Medusologist, Dr. Rebecca Helm, is a ray of human sunshine in the depths of the deep sea. Truly one of the finest biology conversations you may ever hear. Get ready for fuzzy babies, clones, the biggest and smallest jellies, new band names, live medusas, and the lengths that she will go to to see a jelly bloom.
Check out Dr. Rebecca Helm’s Jellyfish Blog and lab
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A donation went to The Vancouver Aquarium
Full-length (*not* G-rated) Medusology episode + tons of science links
More kid-friendly Smologies episodes!
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Sound editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jake Chaffee, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media & Steven Ray Morris
Made possible by work from Noel Dilworth, Susan Hale, Kelly R. Dwyer, Aveline Malek and Erin Talbert
Smologies theme song by Harold Malcolm
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
We know that weeknights are not for the weak.
Alie Ward· Host0:02
[dog barks] Mom.
Speaker 00:03
But are you gonna throw in the kitchen towel and order takeout? No way. You've got Land O'Lakes butter, a skillet, and a plan. Land O'Lakes. Eat it like you own it.
Speaker 20:15
[upbeat music] I checked Allstate first and saved hundreds on my car insurance. Really smart. Unfortunately, I didn't check if I left the pizza box on top of my car before driving home. Not smart. Oh, and a semi just turned my deep dish into a thin crust.
Speaker 30:33
Yeah, checking first is smart, so check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. Potential savings vary. Subject to terms, conditions, and availability. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates. Northbrook, Illinois.
Alie Ward· Host0:45
Welcome to the deep sea of Smologies. Smologies are for anyone really. They're for kids, they're classroom safe, kid friendly, G-rated. They're for anyone who wants a shorter digest of our episodes. They're small. So welcome to Jellyfish. I loved making this one. What are jellyfish? What do they look like? What are they doing? You're about to find out. Okay, so medusology, it is a word. It's the study of jellyfish, and it comes from Linnaeus, who named jellyfish Medusae after the Greek Gorgon who had snakes for hair and turned men into stone, and according to many scholars, is a symbol for female rage. So I don't know what kind of complex feelings Linnaeus had about women or jellyfish,