Curiosity

Michael McNeil

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SCIENCE

Science. Made simple. Dive into the fascinating worlds of biology, chemistry, physics, and the social sciences—without the headache. Each episode breaks down complex topics into bite-sized, easy-to-digest insights. Whether you’re powering through high school, prepping for the MCAT, catching up on Psych 101, or just feeding your curiosity, Curiosity has you covered. Hosted by Michael McNeil.

13 JAN

Biology: Eukaryotic Cells

What's it like to dive into a cell? In Part 2 of our exploration of eukaryotes, we get up close and personal. Hosted by Michael McNeil. Guest voices: Tiffany Aleman, Deja Fleming, Adrianna Graulau, Josee Ishimwe, Grace Odondi, and Jordan Reid. Cover art: "Chloroplast, 2011" by David S. Goodsell. doi: 10.2210/rcsb_pdb/goodsell-gallery-010 To explore the cell even more, check out the work of the Allen Institute at https://alleninstitute.org/division/cell-science/. View David Goodsell's illustrations at https://pdb101.rcsb.org/sci-art/goodsell-gallery. Follow Curiosity on Instagram (www.instagram.com/newwaytowonder) and YouTube (youtube.com/@curiosityeducation) and share your thoughts and burning science questions with our host by emailing contact@mdmcneil.com. 0:00 - Part 0: Introduction 1:14 - Part 1: The Nucleus, Nucleolus, and Nuclear Bodies 5:28 - Part 2: Ribosomes and Ribosome Biogenesis 8:26 - Part 3: The Endomembrane System (Endoplasmic Reticula, Golgi Bodies, Lysosomes, Vesicles, and Vacuoles) 31:22 - Part 4: The Cytoskeleton (Microtubules, Microfilaments, Intermediate Filaments, Centrosomes, and Transport Proteins) 46:15 - Part 5: Peroxisomes and Reactive Oxygen Species 48:53 - Part 6: Chloroplasts, Mitochondria, and the Endosymbiotic Theory

1h 4m
23/07/2025 · BONUS

Minisode: Biological Macromolecules

Welcome to Curiosity Minisodes—where we tackle high-order questions from high-yield topics in 10 minutes or less. Today, we’re exploring a few features of the four classes of biomolecules. Hosted by Michael McNeil. Follow Curiosity on Instagram (www.instagram.com/newwaytowonder) and YouTube (youtube.com/@curiosityeducation) and share your thoughts and burning science questions with our host by emailing contact@mdmcneil.com.

10 min
20/07/2025 · BONUS

Minisode: Elements of Life

Welcome to Curiosity Minisodes—where we tackle high-order questions from high-yield topics in 10 minutes or less. Today, we’re digging into basic biological functional groups. Hosted by Michael McNeil. Follow Curiosity on Instagram (www.instagram.com/newwaytowonder) and YouTube (youtube.com/@curiosityeducation) and share your thoughts and burning science questions with our host by emailing contact@mdmcneil.com.

10 min
15/07/2025 · BONUS

Minisode: Properties of Water

Welcome to Curiosity Minisodes—where we tackle high-order questions from high-yield topics in 10 minutes or less. Today, we’re digging into the properties of water. Hosted by Michael McNeil. Follow Curiosity on Instagram (www.instagram.com/newwaytowonder) and YouTube (youtube.com/@curiosityeducation) and share your thoughts and burning science questions with our host by emailing contact@mdmcneil.com.

9 min
04/07/2025 · BONUS

Minisode: Biological Classification

Welcome to Curiosity Minisodes—where we tackle high-order questions from high-yield topics in 10 minutes or less. Today, we’re digging into biological classification. Hosted by Michael McNeil. Follow Curiosity on Instagram (www.instagram.com/newwaytowonder) and YouTube (youtube.com/@curiosityeducation) and share your thoughts and burning science questions with our host by emailing contact@mdmcneil.com.

10 min
06/06/2025

Biology: Eukaryotes

Why does taxonomy matter—and what can it teach us about our place among life on Earth? In Part 1 of our two-part exploration of eukaryotic cells, we unpack the history of classification, from Aristotle to Linnaeus to us, and take a closer look at how emergence supports the intricacy and complexity of our experience of life. Hosted by Michael McNeil. Special thanks to T. Aleman, A. Graulau, J. Ishimwe, and J. Reid. Cover art: "Autophagy, 2011" by David S. Goodsell and Daniel Klionsky. doi: 10.2210/rcsb_pdb/goodsell-gallery-012 Follow Curiosity on Instagram (www.instagram.com/newwaytowonder) and YouTube (youtube.com/@curiosityeducation) and share your thoughts and burning science questions with our host by emailing contact@mdmcneil.com. 0:00 - Part 0: Introduction 1:50 - Part 1: Biological Emergence 7:07 - Part 2: History of Biological Classification 25:13 - Part 3: Eukaryotic Taxonomy

43 min
20/04/2025

Biology: Prokaryotes

Earth is home to an estimated 10 million forms of life, but we can't see most of them with our own eyes. In today's episode, we'll take a peek behind the curtain. We'll explore the bizarre structures, lethal defenses, and fascinating mating habits of bacteria. And we'll finally get introduced to archaea, the newest, oddest, and least understood members of the family tree. 0:00 - Part 0: Introduction 5:56 - Part 1: General Prokaryotic Features 26:02 - Part 2: Gram Staining 34:23 - Part 3: Additional Prokaryotic Structures 51:30 - Part 4: Prokaryotic Growth and Metabolism Considerations 53:32 - Part 5: Prokaryotic Reproduction and Gene Exchange 1:04:34 - Part 6: Bacteria vs Archaea Correction - At 34:49, Michael misspoke. Capsules connect to peptidoglycan in Gram-positive bacteria and to the outer cell membrane in Gram-negative bacteria, not the other way around. Special Thanks - University of Wisconsin-Madison - U.S. National Park System - T. Aleman, J. Ishimwe, J. Wilson, and A. Graulau Cover Art "Escherichia coli Bacterium, 2021" by David S. Goodsell, RCSB Protein Data Bank. doi: 10.2210/rcsb_pdb/goodsell-gallery-028

1h 14m
14/03/2025

Biology: Viruses and Subviral Particles

What is life? What makes something alive? And how do viruses fit into those criteria? In this episode, we'll explore the structure, diversity, and behavior of viruses. We'll also discuss the pathology of subviral particles like prions and viroids. 0:00 - Part 0: Introduction 2:29 - Part 1: The History of Viral Discovery 8:40 - Part 2: Viral Structure 13:00 - Part 3: Bacteriophages 28:06 - Part 4: Bacterial Defenses 37:44 - Part 5: Animal Viruses 42:38 - Part 6: Animal Virus Classification 53:26 - Part 7: Prions 57:57 - Part 8: Viroids Correction - At 16:55, Michael misspoke. He said "lysosome" but meant to say "lysozyme." Both these structures carry out reactions that degrade cellular components, but bacteriophages specifically mobilize the lysozyme (in this context) to degrade the bacterial cell wall. Cover Art "SARS-CoV-2 Fusion, 2020" by David S. Goodsell, RCSB Protein Data Bank; doi: 10.2210/rcsb_pdb/goodsell-gallery-026

1h 2m

Science. Made simple. Dive into the fascinating worlds of biology, chemistry, physics, and the social sciences—without the headache. Each episode breaks down complex topics into bite-sized, easy-to-digest insights. Whether you’re powering through high school, prepping for the MCAT, catching up on Psych 101, or just feeding your curiosity, Curiosity has you covered. Hosted by Michael McNeil.

Creator

Michael McNeil
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

14
Copyright

© Michael McNeil