Ugly Animal Preservation Society
The Ugly Animal Preservation Society uses humor to raise awareness about nature's less attractive endangered animals.
Podcast for 6 September 2013
The Ugly Animal Preservation society uses humor to raise awareness about conservation. Why whales have to worry about sunburns. And an ancient terror bird that wasn't so terrible after all. Also: transplanting gut bacteria from obese humans makes mice fat.
Seal Bombs
Underwater explosions scare sea lions away from commercial fishing operations. But the noise could be impacting whales and dolphins.
Fish Schools
Making fish hatcheries more mentally stimulating may increase the fish's chance of survival in the wild.
Podcast for 19 July 2013
ANCIENT ANATOMY - What dental records from the Mesozoic era can tell us about the lives of dinosaurs. How humans are uniquely adapted to throw baseballs. Also: an automated nature recording system that's monitoring environmental change. And, could vaccinating children protect the elderly as well?
Listening to Environmental Change
Automated nature recordings track the effects of climate change and habitat disturbance.
Podcast for 12 July 2013
AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS - Male lyrebirds groove to their own music. Young fairywrens learn who their enemies are by watching their parents. Robotic seals help improve the quality of life of dementia patients. Also, could rats could help people keep their voices strong in old age?
Foe-Foiling Fairywrens
Young Australian birds learn who their enemies are by watching their parents.
Kin-Seeking Fish
Social fish gravitate toward their relatives even if they've never met.
Podcast for 28 June 2013
BRAINS & BEHAVIOR - When apes take a gamble. The value of precision in negotiations. And a new approach to targeting drug addiction in the brain. Also: what above-ground nuclear tests in the mid-20th century can tell scientists about the brain.
The Lyrebird’s Dance
The superb lyrebird of Australia combines its songs with specific dance moves to create an elaborate courtship ritual.
Toucans & Trees
When large animals like toucans are removed from tropical rainforests, the trees suffer.
Turtle Shell Evolution
A 260 million-year-old fossil could be the ancestor of turtles.
Unusual Species Roundup
Rare species can have a surprising impact on ecosystems.
Brainy Baby Seals
Weddell seal pups survive infancy with the help of surprisingly large brains.
Podcast for 31 May 2013
EAT OR BE EATEN - Cannibal baby sharks, ladybugs that eat other ladybugs, and monkeys that adopt the local cuisine. Also: how baby seals learn to hunt. And, why global warming could turn snowshoe hares into easy prey.
Medicine from Animals Roundup
Some of the most useful medicines come from dangerous toxins found in nature.
Arthropod Roundup
Greater wax moths have evolved the ability to hear sounds at frequencies even their predators can't detect.
Seabirds & Pollution
Seabirds and their eggs help scientists track global pollution.
Shark Siblicide
Unborn baby sharks gobble up their brothers and sisters in the womb.
Monkey Food Culture
Vervet monkeys usually adopt the food preferences of whatever social group they join.
Sea Creature Roundup
An invasive species could be an unexpected boon for salt marshes.
Changing Hare Color
Climate change could make snowshoe hare camouflage less protective.
Giant Snail Invasion
Giant East African land snails are wreaking havoc in South Florida.