Changing Foliage
Climate change may affect fall foliage in many different ways.
Delayed Ripening
Naturally occurring soil bacteria can make fruit ripen more slowly – potentially saving a lot of food and money.
Podcast for 1 August 2014
LESSONS FROM THE DEAD (Encore Presentation) - Scientists attempt to bring back an extinct frog. Mummies showing signs of heart disease make researchers rethink assumptions about lifestyle and diet. The mysterious death zone within African "fairy circles" explained. Also: a miniature laboratory under the skin monitors blood chemistry.
Ancient Cat History
Humans and cats kept close company in a Chinese village 5,300 years ago.
Moth Scent Detection
Odor pollution could impede moths’ abilities to pollinate flowers.
Saving Monarchs
Scientists are looking into the causes of the monarch butterfly’s decline.
Birds & Elephant Trees
Migratory gray vireos help elephant trees disperse their seeds in Baja, California.
Pepper Origins
Researchers trace the origins of pepper domestication to central Mexico.
EVOLUTION & EXTINCTION
EVOLUTION & EXTINCTION - (Encore Presentation) What really happened to Australia's missing megafauna, how carnivores lost their sweet tooth, why lovelorn fruit flies resort to alcohol, strategic miscarriages in monkeys, and a new frog species is discovered in plain sight.
Toxic Seeds & Birds
A Hawaiian bird faces extinction because its favorite food is threatened.
Walden Trees
Trees described by Henry David Thoreau in Walden are adapting to
earlier spring thaws, but face stiff competition from invasive species.
Cretaceous Flowers
A sprig of eighteen flowers has been preserved in amber for 100 million years.
Boosting Photosynthesis
Researchers are trying to boost the efficiency of photosynthesis in crops like soybeans, rice and potatoes to feed the world’s growing population.
Ancient Cat History
Humans and cats kept close company in a Chinese village 5,300 years ago.
Million Orchid Project
Scientists are bringing orchids back to Miami’s trees.
Ant Payola
A Central American tree indirectly pays its ant security system with sweet syrup.
Changing Foliage
Climate change may affect fall foliage in many different ways.
Podcast for 27 September 2013
INSECTS & SPIDERS - Could spider venom be the next insecticide? Why mosquitoes smell you better at night. And debunking the myth of extracting dinosaur DNA from insects preserved in amber. Also, insect legs that bear an uncanny resemblance to modern machinery.
Prehistoric Spice Roundup
Did prehistoric humans spice up their meals with mustard?
Archaeology Roundup
Researchers have unearthed the earliest known evidence for the use of flowers to adorn human graves.
Toucans & Trees
When large animals like toucans are removed from tropical rainforests, the trees suffer.
Re-Awakened Plants
Plants that were frozen in glaciers 400 years ago are growing again as those glaciers melt away.