logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
17m 29s

The Livestock Living at the End of the W...

SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura
About this episode

The pigs once plopped on an uninhabited Auckland Island known for capturing castaways now play an important role in modern medical research. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-lives-on-auckland-islands

Up next
Yesterday
The Last Chinese Town in America
In 1915, a devastating fire destroyed the Chinatown in Walnut Grove, California. In its aftermath, a group of Chinese immigrant residents founded the town of Locke – not just another Chinatown, but a self-sustaining Chinese community nestled in the California Delta. Today, Locke ... Show More
18m 8s
Oct 13
Rites of Passage (Classic)
The Atlas Places Team bring two stories - one from the campus of Gallaudet University and the other from Cornell University to tell us about usual traditions that take place in these universities. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about ... Show More
13m 15s
Oct 10
Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame (Classic)
A basketball fan goes to the hall of fame – and no, it’s not the big one in Massachusetts that you may be thinking about. Hear the story behind a Midwest state’s special link to the sport.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/indiana-basketball-hall-of-fame- ... Show More
10m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
CLASSIC: Conquest via Bird Poop: One Island at a Time
If you land on a deserted island, you might be tempted to search for the basic stuff first -- food, water, shelter, and so on -- but don't forget to keep an eye out for guano! Why, you ask? Well, due to a relatively obscure law, the presence of guano on a deserted island may allo ... Show More
32m 45s
Feb 2009
DocArchive (1978): Nobody ever went to America to learn how to kill a pig
This is an absolute must listen - a window into the Ireland that once was - and is perhaps gone forever? One of our real oldies but goldies - a documentary about how to kill a pig on a rural Co Galway farm in the late 1970's. (First Broadcast 1978) See omnystudio.com/listener for ... Show More
40m 8s
Jan 2024
The First Irish
Over 10,000 years ago, many believe Ireland was a place where hunter-gatherers roamed. A place where the earliest human communities exchanged prizes of the hunt and crafted primitive tools to aid their survival. But what if their interactions with each other were more sophisticat ... Show More
40m 53s
Jun 2019
6. Easter Island - Where Giants Walked
On one of the world’s most isolated islands, hundreds of vast stone statues lie mouldering in the grass. In this episode, we take a look at one of archaeology’s most enduring puzzles: the mystery of Easter Island. Find out how this unique community grew up in complete isolation, ... Show More
1h 43m
Feb 2023
Ireland's Alcatraz - the Story of Spike Island
Spike Island in Cork Harbour is often referred to as 'Ireland’s Alcatraz'. While this famous island prison began life as a monastery it was transformed into a fortress during the American Revolutionary War. However Spike island gained it's notorious reputation during the Great Hu ... Show More
30m 15s
Mar 2024
SYMHC Classics: Stephens Island Wren
This 2017 episode covers the extinction of one New Zealand bird species that's often attributed to a single cat. While feline predation played a significant role in the end of the Stephens Island wren, the story is more complex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
31m 11s
Sep 2023
Strange News: Flannery Associates Revealed, A Hunt for Nessie, and Worms Move Into Brains
The mysterious group buying thousands of acres around Travis Air Force Base turns out to be a group of tech luminaries and investors -- and they plan to build a new city. A woman in Australia survives the removal of a live roundworm from her brain. Scotland recently hosted the la ... Show More
50m 17s
Oct 2023
SYMHC Classics: Poveglia
This 2018 episode covers an uninhabited Italian island that has come to be called all manner of scary things, including, "plague island," "island of ghosts," and "the Venetian island of no return."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
26m 32s
May 2019
Nosy Boraha: The Pirate's Paradise (And Cemetery)
Nowadays most people know the pirates depicted in fiction bear little resemblance to real-life, historical pirates. Few actually buried any treasure, and fewer still lived in secretive island hideouts -- however, in at least one case, the truth appears stranger than fiction. Join ... Show More
24m 15s