{"podcast":{"title":"Instant Genius","slug":"instant-genius-226559","podcast_index_feed_id":226559,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/GLT7732401960","website_url":"http://www.sciencefocus.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/f7c186ec-ab83-11ed-876d-531b385da704/image/1e3aeeafe7dbc619978cf0eccb54d269.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Our Media","episode_count":652,"summary":"Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you two bite-sized masterclasses on a new subject each week. New episodes are released every Monday and Friday and you can subscribe to Instant Genius on Apple Podcasts to access all new episodes ad-free and all old episodes of Instant Genius Extra. Watch full episodes of Instant Genius on BBC Science Focus Magazine's YouTube channel. Follow us on X: @SFIGPod","last_synced_at":"2026-06-19T10:17:02.929921+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559"},"episode":{"title":"Why this tiny organism is essential for the health of the planet","slug":"why-this-tiny-organism-is-essential-for-the-health-of-the-planet","published_at":"2026-06-11T23:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559/why-this-tiny-organism-is-essential-for-the-health-of-the-planet","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR5186401546.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR5186401546.mp3","summary":"Although it often goes unnoticed, plankton is the most abundant form of life in Earth’s oceans, making up 95 per cent of all oceanic biomass. These tiny organisms are responsible for generating around half of the planet’s oxygen, play a vital role in the oceans’ food chains and were around for millions of years before we humans came onto the scene. Simply put, without plankton, the world would be a very different place. As part of our Nature's Unsung Heroes miniseries, we’re joined by senior advisor to the United Nations on oceans Vincent Doumeizel to talk about his latest book, The Power of Plankton – How Plankton Made Life on Earth Possible and Why It’s Key to Our Future. He tells us how these often-ignored organisms played an essential part in the evolution of life on Earth, tells us the many ways plankton acts as the caretaker of the entire planet, and makes a passionate case for why we should be paying more attention to these fascinating, ancient organisms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"Although it often goes unnoticed, plankton is the most abundant form of life in Earth’s oceans, making up 95 per cent of all oceanic biomass. These tiny o…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2161,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/instant-genius-226559/episodes/why-this-tiny-organism-is-essential-for-the-health-of-the-planet/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559/why-this-tiny-organism-is-essential-for-the-health-of-the-planet.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}