Soil! Dirt! Earth. Dr. Lydia Jennings, aka Native Soil Nerd, breaks down the stuff under our feet and explains everything from mining to why soil can be different colors. Also: medicine from microbes, giving back to the land after extractive processes, collecting samples in urban rivers, elders’ ecological knowledge, planting hot Cheetos, potting soil myster ... Show More
Jan 28
Asinology (DONKEYS) with Faith Burden
Tall ears. Huge teeth. Underestimated wit. And vocalizations that would make a songbird envious. Let’s talk donkeys with researcher and Director at The Donkey Sanctuary, Asinologist Dr. Faith Burden. We cover pop culture donkeys, their road to domestication, how much they can car ... Show More
1h 15m
Jan 21
Paleohistology (WHY TEETH EXIST) with Yara Haridy
Excuse me, why do you have teeth? How did they get in your mouth and where did they come from? Let’s ask researcher, tooth enthusiast, and Paleohistologist Dr. Yara Haridy. She opened up the archives at Chicago’s Field Museum to chat about ancient skulls, drawers of bones, and th ... Show More
1h 24m
Jan 14
Marmotology (GROUNDHOGS) with Daniel Blumstein
Tongue twisters. Frosty holidays. Scandals. Big ol’ rodent butts. Let’s talk groundhogs with UCLA conservationist, field biologist, professor and Marmotologist, Dr. Daniel Blumstein. We cover what broadly is a marmot, the Buddhism and paganism of the midwinter slump, marmot paren ... Show More
1h 15m
Jan 2024
106: Building Blocks of Civilization: How the World Really Works
"Modern economies will always be tied to massive material flows, whether those of ammonia-based fertilizers to feed the still-growing global population; plastics, steel, and cement needed for new tools, machines, structures, and infrastructures; or new inputs required to produce ... Show More
1h 18m
Jun 2022
370: Germ Theory V. Natural Law
Since grade school, most of us have been taught germ theory so consistently that we may have forgotten that it is a theory in the first place. Today, Marcy Cravat, the producer of the documentary "Terrain" challenges our presumptions. She contrasts germ theory with natural law (o ... Show More
44m 17s