Episode Details

Probably the episode I'm most excited about so far - a talk with the kind, humble and brilliant Bruce Baldwin, an expert in the largest (second in number of species only  to the Orchid Family) and most ecologically successful plant family in the world, the Asteraceae, also known as "composites" because of their composite flowerheads, consisting of many tiny "florets" (which are the true flowers).

We cover a lot of stuff here, and the last five minutes of the episode seem to wrap up a potential answer to the modern human predicament that we're in. But prior to that, we of course cover the incredible ecology and evolution (and genetics!) of the most successful plant family on Planet Earth.

Photo in the thumbnail is one of the "dinosaur sunflowers", Nassauvia lagascae from the High Andes of Chile.