Would you fly to the top of a volcano that’s about to erupt at any moment? Volcanologist Helena Buurman did, and survived to tell the tale! In 2008, Helena was monitoring Mount Redoubt in Alaska, when the ground beneath the volcano began to shake. What follows is a tale of volcanic adventure, involving earthquakes, helicopters, and a massive eruption!
Tumbl ... Show More
Mar 6
Who Invented the Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich? (with The Past and the Curious)
Who invented the peanut butter and jelly sandwich? And how did it become one of the most famous lunches in America? In this episode, a question from listener Leila sends us on a trip through history to find out how peanut butter, jelly, and sliced bread came together to make the ... Show More
38m 4s
Aug 2024
Krakatoa!
The awesome, brutal power of the Krakatoa eruption, which had the explosive force of a 200-megatonne bomb, killed more than 36,000 people and cooled the entire Earth by an average of 0.6°C.
Curiously, Krakatoa is not the most powerful volcanic eruption in history, but it is perh ... Show More
11m 45s
Jun 2024
E65 Sta Helena, La Dama de las Montañas
At 8:32 a.m. PDT on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, a volcanic peak in southwestern Washington, suffered a massive eruption, killing 57 people and devastating some 210 square miles of wilderness.Mount St. Helens is located in the Cascade Range and stood 9,680 feet before its erup ... Show More
30m 54s
May 2025
The view from inside a volcano
The magma chambers at the heart of volcanoes are very deep and very hot. So naturally, some researchers want to build an observatory in one. Guests: Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory; Yan Lavallée, chair of magmatic petrology and volcanology ... Show More
23m 53s
Feb 2025
Threads of fire: uncovering volcanic secrets with Pele’s hair and tears
Volcanoes are awe-inspiring beasts. They spew molten rivers, towering ash plumes, and – in rarer cases – delicate glassy formations known as Pele’s hair and Pele’s tears. These volcanic materials, named after the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire, are the focus of the latest ... Show More
52m 39s