logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
13m 57s

Pumpkin Toadlet: Neither Pumpkin, Nor To...

NPR
About this episode
Being small has its advantages - and some limitations. One organism that intimately knows the pros and cons of being mini is the pumpkin toadlet.

As an adult, the animal reaches merely the size of a chickpea. At that scale, the frog's inner ear is so small, it's not fully functional. That means the frog's movements seem haphazard. Today, with the help of Atlantic science writer Katie Wu, we investigate: If a frog can't jump well, is it still a frog? (encore)

Read Katie Wu's piece in The Atlantic, A Frog So Small, It Could Not Frog.


Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
How To Disagree Better
Many people are gearing up for holiday conversation with loved ones who may disagree with them -- on everything from politics to religion and lifestyle choices. These conversations can get personal and come to a halt quickly. But today on the show, we get into neuroscience and ps ... Show More
15m 28s
Nov 25
Nature Quest: The Earthquake Prediction Problem
Their whole life, producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1255819925/hannah-chinn"target="_blank" >Hannah Chinn</a> has known about the Big One: a massive earthquake forecasted to hit the West Coast. Scientists say it’ll destroy buildings, collapse bridges, flood coastal t ... Show More
14m 35s
Nov 24
SNAP Delays: The Science Of Hunger And Food Insecurity
<p dir="ltr">One in every eight households in the U.S. isn’t always sure where the next meal will come from. Limited food access can spell hunger – and that can affect the body and mind. So can cheaper, less nutritious foods. Hunger has a huge impact on individuals – and whole so ... Show More
12m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
#151: “The Bad Vegan” (Case of Sarma Melngailis)
<p>Have you heard about how to boil a frog? They say if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water - it will jump out.</p><p>But if you throw a frog in a pot of cool water… and you slowly start turning up the heat. </p><p>Slowly but surely. So slow that it’s just incremental ch ... Show More
1h 46m
Apr 2024
Emotions - The Excited Frog - Excited
This is a short story in simple English. Learn English with beginner vocabulary for kids. This story is about an excited frog. Anna sees a green frog. The frog jumps on the flowers. The green frog changes to many colors. Practice 3 vocabulary words: Excited. Clap. Surprise. Watch ... Show More
4m 43s
Dec 2022
The Frog Prince
Today’s story is about a princess who makes a deal with a frog that changes her life forever. It’s called, “The Frog Prince”. 
13m 45s
Jul 2023
The Frog Prince
When a princess loses her ball in the pond, she makes a promise to a frog if he will help her retrieve it for her. The princess never intended to keep her promise, but the frog has other plans.  Did you know Granny MacDuff has a Patreon? Subscribe now to get games, puzzles, and m ... Show More
9m 4s
Jul 2024
These frog 'saunas’ could help endangered species fight off a deadly fungus
00:47 Searching for dark matter in black holesResearchers have been scanning the skies looking for black holes that formed at the very beginning of the Universe — one place where elusive and mysterious dark matter is thought to be located. If these black holes did contain dark ma ... Show More
36m 31s
Jun 2014
Bertie and the Frog Princess
What would it be like to be a frog? Have you ever wanted to be one just for a day? 
22m 1s