Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Destin has questions about the bacterial flagellum. Can they be answered?
Support: patreon.com/statedclearly
Website: statedclearly.com
Merch: sciencestatedclearly.myspreadshop.com
Here we dive head first into the classic “irreducible complexity” challenge and examine what science actually knows about the evolution of molecular machines. How do evolutionary biologists study complex systems like the flagellum? What evidence do we have? What is firmly established — and what remains hypothesis?
We’ll explore:
• How evolution is directly observed today
• How scientists reconstruct the past
• How step-by-step evolutionary models are built
• What is a molecular machine
• Why motility evolved multiple times independently
We separate what is known from what is... hypothetical... and we then head to the microscope to make our own observations.
This is part one of a multi-episode deep dive into flagellar evolution. New episodes every Thursday!
LEARN MORE
Check out the great microscopy channel of John S. Mead youtube.com/jsmead
Read the flagella evolution paper by Morgan Beeby:
academic.oup.com/femsre/article/44/3/253/5800988
Check out my second channel: youtube.com/StatedCasually
See the video by @smartereveryday on flagella: youtu.be/VPSm9gJkPxU?si=ey6pdRa67GwESPkt
And his long version showing behind the scenes at the lab: youtube.com/watch?v=X5uVsmMsiEA
Destin has questions about the bacterial flagellum. Can they be answered?
Support: patreon.com/statedclearly
Website: statedclearly.com
Merch: sciencestatedclearly.myspreadshop.com
Here we dive head first into the classic “irreducible complexity” challenge and examine what science actually knows about the evolution of molecular machines. How do evolutionary biologists study complex systems like the flagellum? What evidence do we have? What is firmly established — and what remains hypothesis?
We’ll explore:
• How evolution is directly observed today
• How scientists reconstruct the past
• How step-by-step evolutionary models are built
• What is a molecular machine
• Why motility evolved multiple times independently
We separate what is known from what is... hypothetical... and we then head to the microscope to make our own observations.
This is part one of a multi-episode deep dive into flagellar evolution. New episodes every Thursday!
LEARN MORE
Check out the great microscopy channel of John S. Mead youtube.com/jsmead
Read the flagella evolution paper by Morgan Beeby:
academic.oup.com/femsre/article/44/3/253/5800988
Check out my second channel: youtube.com/StatedCasually
See the video by @smartereveryday on flagella: youtu.be/VPSm9gJkPxU?si=ey6pdRa67GwESPkt
And his long version showing behind the scenes at the lab: youtube.com/watch?v=X5uVsmMsiEA
