| May 15, 2012 |
Raven Relationships
- Ravens remember other ravens as friendly or adversarial, even years later.
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| May 11, 2012 |
Podcast for 11 May 2012
- BIRDS & DINOSAURS - Scientists discover T. Rex's feathered cousin, did dino gas warm the ancient earth? And giant fleas that may have pestered the prehistoric giants. Also: why the amorous pursuits of an Australian bird has turned it into a horticulturalist, and how ravens keep track of friend and foe.
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| May 8, 2012 |
Gardening Birds
- Male Spotted Bowerbirds unintentionally cultivate ornamental plants while attempting to woo the opposite sex.
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| April 26, 2012 |
Predators & Plants
- Eliminating bears, wolves, and other top predators has far-reaching consequences.
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| April 23, 2012 |
Penguins from Space
- Researchers have estimated the total number of Emperor Penguins in Antarctica using satellite images.
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| April 20, 2012 |
Podcast for 20 April 2012
- SOUND SCIENCE - Can sounds influence dreams? Emotional similarities between music and speech. Does a deeper voice lead people to vote for a political candidate? Baboons that recognize words. And baby goats with accents.
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| April 10, 2012 |
Sugar-Free Carnivores
- Each group of carnivores has a different set of genetic mutations that has knocked out its sweet tooth.
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| April 5, 2012 |
NYC Frog
- Researchers found a previously unknown frog species in New York City.
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| April 3, 2012 |
Monkey Miscarriages
- Wild gelada monkeys spontaneously abort pregnancies when a new male takes over the group.
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| March 26, 2012 |
Australian Extinction
- Human hunters drove Australia’s largest animals to extinction around 40,000 years ago.
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| March 23, 2012 |
Podcast for 23 March 2012
- EVOLUTION & EXTINCTION - 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.
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| January 20, 2012 |
Podcast for 20 January 2012
- ANIMALS & PEOPLE - Levitating flies, what dogs and babies have in common, how oxytocin makes kinder, gentler monkeys, a fish that mimics an octopus that mimics a fish, and how bats hear with both sides of the brain.
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| January 18, 2012 |
Mimic Mimic
- When an Indonesian octopus mimics poisonous fish, a smaller fish takes advantage.
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| January 16, 2012 |
Bat Brains
- Like humans, bats process some types of sounds on the right side of their brains and other sounds on the left side of their brains.
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| December 30, 2011 |
Critter Chemicals Roundup
- Some of the most potent antibiotics and insecticides come from animals. Researchers have identified some promising new candidates, derived from ants and frogs.
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| December 16, 2011 |
Podcast for 16 December 2011
- BEHAVIOR, ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT - why dirty laundry could be damaging the environment, how to make wine growing compatible with wildlife, what the Monarch butterfly genome can tell us about their epic migrations, and how wasps see faces.
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| December 9, 2011 |
DNA Fingerprint Roundup
- New uses for DNA fingerprinting include tracking deadly tse-tse flies and identifying species from ancient soil samples.
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| November 24, 2011 |
Wine & Wildlife
- Wildlife often suffer from our insatiable need for agricultural land. But researchers in California are finding that birds and vineyards can actually benefit each other.
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| November 18, 2011 |
Critters & Climate Roundup
- Could the swimming of sea creatures be influencing climate change?
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| November 11, 2011 |
Podcast for 11 November 2011
- ANIMALS & HEALTH - Why one insect's mating habits could lead to its downfall, why predators are literally scaring dragonflies to death, and pythons reveal the benefits of having a big heart. Also: why animals swimming in the ocean may be affecting the global climate.
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| September 27, 2011 |
Endangered Stem Cells
- Stem cell research could help bring drill monkeys and northern white rhinos back from the brink of extinction.
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| September 23, 2011 |
Marine Roundup
- A fish out of water makes a name for itself, and how corals avoid sunburn.
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| September 20, 2011 |
Six Butterflies in One
- One species of butterfly mimics six different species to avoid predators.
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| September 13, 2011 |
Contagious Stress
- Early stress in a zebra finch’s life not only cuts its life short, but takes a serious toll on its mate’s life as well.
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| September 9, 2011 |
Podcast for 9 September 2011
- MARVELS OF EVOLUTION - A prehistoric pregnancy clears up a Mesozoic mystery. The economics of plant-fungi cooperation. How to get six butterflies in one. Counting up the species on earth. And how your stress could be bad news for your mate if you're a finch.
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Species Roundup
- A new study documents the rate at which species are moving toward the poles or up the sides of mountains to escape climate change.
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| August 11, 2011 |
Frog Feet
- A new study reveals how tree frogs clean their feet as they hop.
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| August 5, 2011 |
Podcast for 5 August 2011
- BATS & DOLPHINS: Dolphins that heal themselves, and dolphins that use electroreception in addition to echolocation. Also, How vampire bats find their prey, and how a Cuban plant takes advantage of a bat's ability to echolocate.
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Backyard Roundup
- Opossums and snakes are locked in a battle of evolutionary proportions.
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| July 29, 2011 |
Podcast for 29 July 2011
- REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS - Fossil anatomy sheds light on whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded, why some lizards are smarter than you think, opossums and snakes locked in a deadly arms race, and why frogs don't lose their grip.
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| July 27, 2011 |
Killer Whale Microphone
- An underwater microphone takes inspiration from the ears of killer whales.
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| July 20, 2011 |
Pigeons Watch Us
- Pigeons remember the people who feed them.
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| July 18, 2011 |
Bat Navigation
- Bats have tiny hairs on their wings that help them maneuver in complete darkness.
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| July 15, 2011 |
Podcast for 15 July 2011
- THE SCIENCE OF FACES: when pigeons look at us, and the genes behind how we look at faces. Also: what causes hot flashes, determining your age from your DNA, and the hormone behind stress eating.
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| July 11, 2011 |
Double Dolphin Sonar
- Using precision instruments, scientists have discovered a second dolphin echolocation signal previously unknown to science.
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| July 8, 2011 |
Podcast for 8 July 2011
- NOISE & NAVIGATION: Bats maneuver in the dark with the help of microscopic wing hairs, researchers expose a dolphin's secret sonar, killer whale ears inspire better microphones, and how a tiny bug with a big sound has eluded biologists for centuries. Also: Do humans have an internal compass?
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| July 7, 2011 |
Bird Colors
- A new study looks at the world through the eyes of birds.
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| July 1, 2011 |
Nature Roundup
- Scientists are sequencing the genomes of thousands of insect species.
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| June 27, 2011 |
Reindeer Vision
- Reindeer can detect ultraviolet light with their retinas, which may help them survive dark Arctic winters.
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| June 24, 2011 |
Podcast for 24 June 2011 – Birds of a Feather
- The genes behind unfaithful finches, mapping the diversity of bird plumage colors, what feathers can tell us about pollution, and what baby birds drink. Also: could living with a dog or cat decrease a child's risk of developing allergies?
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| June 23, 2011 |
A Nestling Mystery
- A listener asks: How do baby birds get enough water when they’re still in the nest?
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| June 3, 2011 |
Toxic Animal Roundup
- Cats are transmitting a dangerous brain disease to wildlife.
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| May 25, 2011 |
Tsunamis & Sealife
- A listener asks: What happens to the seafloor and to sealife when tsunamis hit?
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| April 29, 2011 |
Podcast for 29 April 2011 – Whale Songs & Zebra Stripes
- Cultural revolutions in humpback whale songs, a barcode scanner for zebra stripes, a prehistoric toothache, and changing skull sizes in the Iberian Peninsula.
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| April 25, 2011 |
Zebra Barcodes
- Zebra stripes resemble barcodes, and could help researchers keep track of each member of the herd.
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| March 31, 2011 |
Everglades Pythons
- Invasive Burmese pythons are feasting on native birds in the Everglades.
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| March 28, 2011 |
Gibbon Dialects
- Gibbons in Southeast Asia have identifiable regional dialects.
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| March 21, 2011 |
Aeroecology
- The new science of aeroecology uses modern tools such as radar and thermasl imaging to follow the migrations of flying birds, bats, and insects.
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| March 14, 2011 |
Slimy Frog Skin
- A listener asks: Why is frog skin slimy?
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| March 11, 2011 |
Podcast for 11 March 2011: Animal Adaptations
- Regional dialects in gibbons, a squid attack pheromone, bats and carnivorous plants, and why frogs are slimy.
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