Rat Vocal Training
A vocal coaching experiment in rats could lead to better ways to keep our voices strong as we age.
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.
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.
A Beetle Battle
An invasive ladybird beetle kills off native species with microorganisms in its body.
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.
Podcast for 17 May 2013
VISION SCIENCE - A camera modeled after the compound eyes of insects. How the brain compensates for worsening color vision as we age. And, could electrical simulation to the brain improve math performance? Also: Young people are still flocking to tanning booths, despite the risk of developing life-threatening melanoma.
Monkey Food Culture
Vervet monkeys usually adopt the food preferences of whatever social group they join.
Insect-Inspired Camera
The compound eyes of insects have inspired the design of a new camera.
Sea Creature Roundup
An invasive species could be an unexpected boon for salt marshes.
Podcast for 19 April 2013
GIANT SNAILS & ANCIENT TREES - Giant aliens attack Florida, unsticking geckos, the worlds within carnivorous plants, and mapless migrant monarchs.
Giant Snail Invasion
Giant East African land snails are wreaking havoc in South Florida.
Zapping Cocaine Addiction
Lasers can eliminate cocaine addiction in rats, pointing to new therapies for humans.