[BONUS] 'Mitochondrial Eve' and birds stealing anti-bird spikes: Tiny Show and Tell Us #41

[BONUS] 'Mitochondrial Eve' and birds stealing anti-bird spikes: Tiny Show and Tell Us #41

From Tiny Matters by Multitude

February 25, 2026 · 15 min

About this episode

This episode discusses crafty corvids and the concept of Mitochondrial Eve, featuring humorous anecdotes and a call for listener stories.

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we talk about the crafty corvids that steal anti‑bird spikes to build chaotic, spiky nests and “Mitochondrial Eve” — the most recent common maternal ancestor of modern humans. Get ready for stories of sandwich‑stealing gulls, Deboki being held hostage by a peacock, and the Mitochondrial Eve/Y Chromosomal Adam romcom no one asked for. We need your stories — they're what make these bonus episodes possible! Write in to tinymatters@acs.org * or fill out this form * with your favorite science fact or science news story for a chance to be featured. A transcript and references for this episode can be found at  acs.org/tinymatters . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Host: Deboki

Topics covered

  • Mitochondrial Eve
  • corvids
  • anti-bird spikes
  • chaotic nests
  • human ancestry
  • science stories

Keywords

  • Mitochondrial Eve
  • corvids
  • anti-bird spikes
  • nests
  • human ancestry
  • science facts
  • gulls
  • peacock

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Tiny Matters, acs.org, art19.com

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