Snails & Mosquitoes
In Florida, invasive, disease-carrying tiger mosquitoes are breeding in the shells of an invasive snail.
Arctic Pioneers
Like the pioneers of the American West, the birds that are now settling the Arctic frontier in response to climate change aren’t necessarily the biggest or the strongest, but may instead be castoffs from more hospitable settled areas.
Shark Isotopes
Researchers are testing better ways to find out what sharks eat.
Condor Culture
Captive-bred California Condors lack role models to show them how to survive in the wild. But wildlife biologists are there to help them navigate the modern world.
Podcast for 6 December 2013
LIFE ON THE EGDE - The challenges facing endangered California Condors when they return to the wild. Could armadillos help end blindness? How scientists can tell that sharks really are what they eat. Fuel from the sea. And, unraveling the mysteries of glowing blue slime.
Reviving Extinct Species
Using frozen DNA, researchers have created early-stage embryos of an extinct frog.
3-D Underwater Microscope
Scientists are testing a new 3-D underwater microscope to study tiny marine predators.
Glowing Slime
Glowing blue slime from the sea could be useful in biomedical research.
Squirrel Hoarding
A listener inquires about the lengths squirrels will go to to hide their nuts.
Mice & Autism
A common drug reverses social deficits and repetitive behaviors in mice with autism-like symptoms.
Armadillo Vision
The armadillo’s poor eyesight is helping researchers understand the genes behind certain forms of blindness.
Podcast for 15 November 2013
YOUNG BRAINS - Just how long does the teenage brain take to mature? How teenagers with autism see things differently. And, scientists reverse autistic-like symptoms in adolescent mice. Also: can you put barcodes on brain cells? And, what casino rats can tell us about gambling addiction.
Ant Payola
A Central American tree indirectly pays its ant security system with sweet syrup.
Animal Cancer
Cancer affects much of the animal kingdom, and we still have a lot to learn about it.
Endangered Whale Detector
Engineers are developing “whale detectors” to help ships avoid striking them.
Rat Casinos
Miniature “casinos” built specially for rats are helping researchers understand gambling addiction in humans.
Podcast for 3 November 2013
ANIMAL & HUMAN HEALTH - A special report on the relationship between animal and human health, from pet obesity to cancer in tigers. Also, why spiders have prompted a massive Toyota recall. And, a citizen science project that’s pretty batty.
Pet Obesity
The obesity epidemic extends to pets, but studying them could help us as well.
Bat Detective
Researchers have created a citizen science website called Bat Detective to get the public involved in analyzing bat calls.
Spiders in Cars
Spiders in air conditioners have prompted a recall of over 800,000 Toyota vehicles.
Zoobiquity
The Zoobiquity project teams up physicians with veterinarians to study diseases that affect humans and other animals.
Cheating Fairywrens
Female fairy wrens are more likely to cheat with males that have red plumage.