In this new episode of Yackety Science, screwworm maggots wriggle and bore their way back into the US. (!) And in other news, embryo editing makes a giant leap forward. Also: Matt reveals himself to be quite the Titanium fanboy. And finally, Brian visits with one Mo O’Leary — the bright and engaging Chimpkeeper at the Tulsa Zoo — about chimp politics, bullfrog bartering, and...well...the relatively large size of Bonzo's testicles. (That is, why chimps are so well-endowed, biologically speaking, when compared with other primates.)
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Episode art: Image by B. Cross.
Theme music: “Funky Machine” (ID874) by Lobo Loco (Accessed through FreeMusicArchive.org.; CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Production help provided by PRT's Scott Gregory.
Yackety Science is recorded at the studios of Public Radio Tulsa in Kendall Hall at The University of Tulsa, and at the Center for Creativity at Tulsa Community College.
Links:
Screwworm Redux:
To find out more about screwworm biology and the current status of the US outbreak, go to https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm
Gene Editing:
"Efficient base editing and development in human embryos without chromosomal alterations," Jerabek et al., 2026. (bioRXiv Preprint)
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.30.728989v1
Guest info:
Maureen "Mo" O’Leary of the Tulsa Zoo
Mo is one of the most experienced primate keepers now working anywhere in the world. She has worked with chimpanzees at the Tulsa Zoo for over 30 years.
For more information about the Captive Primate Safety Act, go here:
https://www.aza.org/connect-stories/stories/primates-are-not-pets-the-need-for-the-captive-primate-safety-act
Ourobookos: A Yackety Science Book Club
Our Next Book Selection:
"The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)" by Katie Mack
"A mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos’s possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, 'The End of Everything' is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know." — As per the writeup for this work at the Magic City Books website; see link below.
https://magiccitybooks.com/item/rPCoGQ_-yAUK4cWTOF56zw
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