In this week’s episode, we learn all about the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae, the wolverine, and why they’re so special.
Part 1: During her first research project in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Katie Moriarty thinks she might have spotted the impossible: a wolverine.
Part 2: Science Journalist Katherine J. Wu interviews wildlife eco ... Show More
Aug 22
Becoming Your Hero: Stories about embodying a role model
In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers transform into someone they admire—one quite literally, the other more figuratively.Part 1: While juggling climate science studies and a budding comedy career, Rollie Williams finds an unexpected niche impersonating his environment ... Show More
25m 47s
Aug 8
Sticky Fingers: Stories about theft
In this week’s episode, we explore what pushes someone to steal, and how it feels to be the one robbed.Part 1: With a potential cancer diagnosis looming and his health insurance about to vanish, David Crabb finds an envelope stuffed with $100 bills. Part 2: When Zakiya Whatley bo ... Show More
31m 36s
Nov 2021
Nancy Langston, "Climate Ghosts: Migratory Species in the Anthropocene" (Brandeis UP, 2021)
In her new book Climate Ghosts: Migratory Species in the Anthropocene (Brandeis UP, 2021), environmental historian Nancy Langston explores three “ghost species” in the Great Lakes watershed—woodland caribou, common loons, and lake sturgeon. Ghost species are those that have not g ... Show More
42m 23s
Jun 2023
Synthetic embryos, Suzie Fletcher, Eco-anxiety, Lynzy Billing
Scientists have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells that sidestep the need for eggs or sperm. The news was presented yesterday at the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s annual meeting and the full details will be published at a later date. This could have ... Show More
57m 15s
Mar 2022
Ep221 - Jess Phoenix | Ms. Adventure: My Wild Explorations in Science, Lava, and Life
Volcanologist and natural hazards expert Jess Phoenix has dedicated her life to scientific exploration. Her career path—hard-earned in the still male-dominated world of science—has shoved her headlong into deep sea submersibles, congressional races, glittering cocktail parties at ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2023
Gene Editing Ethics, Killer Whale Mummy's Boys and Ancient Hippo Butchery
Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui caused international outrage when in 2018 when he used the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR Cas-9 to edit the genomes of two human embryos. That experiment, described by the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology described as ‘abominable’, resu ... Show More
29m 3s