Science, Medicine and Wildlife collide inside the abdomen of an adventurous eel lover.

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Get a concentrated blast of migratory bird fun, and then visit https://scistarter.org/flyways to find out how you can help scientists working to monitor and protect birds; see what’s happening in your local area; and view the amazing film Flyways!

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Billions of birds are on the move for the fall migration, flying to points south, with many covering thousands of miles. In this podcast, world-renowned ornithologist Pete Marra discusses the migration and the challenges that migratory birds face, as well as what we can do to help monitor and protect them. (presented in partnership with our friends at SciStarter.org!)

Projects and Websites in this episode:

The Earth Commons, Georgetown University https://earthcommons.georgetown.edu/

SciStarter.org/Flyways https://scistarter.org/flyways?utm_ca…

Image Credits: Geese flying by orange moon Alamy Stock Photo

Arrow Stork Image: Zoologische Sammlung der Universität Rostock, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index…

White Stork Migration Map: Image Credit: Bamse CC BY-SA 3.0

Magnolia Warbler Susan Young, Lantana Preserve Flickr Creative Common, public domain https://flic.kr/p/2oDHDdE

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The Bee Lab is, or was, the epitome of efficiency in government, performing world class research on a shoestring. But that didn't stop DOGE and the Trump Administration from targeting it, and hundreds of other labs, for performing work they either didn't like or didn't understand. Taking a chainsaw to American research, both federal and academic, will ultimately cost many times more than was saved, in dollars, environmental quality and human health.

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At the premier screening of the new NOVA series Human, I got to meet paleoanthropologist and series host Ella Al-Shamahi. Human airs on NOVA for five consecutive Wednesdays starting September 17, and is also available at https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/

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The brain is so tightly packed with neurons that it’s impossible to see what’s connected to what. In the journal Nature, scientists describe a new technique that embeds brain tissue in absorbent plastic matrices that expand in water, pulling apart the nerves enough that they can be examined with a light microscope.
Original Journal Article:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08985-1

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The humble cotton tampon, coupled with a black light flashlight, reveals the presence of raw sewage in waterways through a technique known as “tampling.” Scout troops and community groups are tampling their streams to monitor bacteria levels and track down sewage leaks. Learn how you can tample at https://scistarter.org/tampling-optical-brightener-water-quality-sampling

NOTE: When tampling, use organic cotton tampons that don’t themselves contain optical brighteners. You can test one with the black light flashlight; if they glow blue right out of the package, they already have optical brighteners present and can’t be used for tampling.

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Did you know that a group of moths is called an "eclipse?" I sure didn't, which is too bad, because I would have included that fact in this MOTHAPALOOZA video. Learn more about our fuzzy butterflies in this YouTube short, and visit https://nationaltoday.com/national-moth-week/ to participate in an entire eclipse of moth activities and citizen science geared around National Moth Week (July 19 – 27, 2025, but really, shouldn’t every week moth week?)

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Check out this killer swarm of bee information, and learn how you can help bee researchers studying and protecting bees.

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