Episoder
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A bee’s brain is tiny, but its one million neurons make shockingly complex connections. Individual bee and bumblebee intelligence is phenomenal, from spatial memory to communication. And would you believe that bees are likely also capable of play? Two leading researchers paint a compelling picture of just how much we’ve underestimated the individual sentience of bees. The stereotype of the bee as a robot fully dependent on the hive is far from accurate. We explore fascinating bee research involving harmonic radar, machine learning, and AI—in an effort to see the world through the eyes of a bee.
Guests:
Lars Chittka, professor of Sensory and Behavioral Ecology at Queen Mary University of London and author of "The Mind of a Bee"
Tim Landgraf, professor of Machine Learning and Robotics at the Free University Berlin
connectedness, transcendence, insects, bees, sentience, miracle of life, hope, redemption, tragedy, limits of medicine, spiritual growth, emotional healing, triumph, saving lives, courage, personal stories, audio documentary, human interest, human interest stories, resilience, human resilience -
Alan Townsend describes his early professional and personal life as marked by a naïve faith in the power of science to provide answers and solve problems. Townsend was already softening his early scientific dogmatism when his wife and his daughter were diagnosed with unrelated brain cancers. One survived, while the other did not, and this father and husband then had to choose how to how to put back the pieces, both of his life and of his view of a universe that once seemed to him so clear and logical.
Guest: Alan Townsend, author of "This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist's Path from Grief to Wonder"
Health, physical health, wellness, spirituality, audio documentary, connectedness, transcendence, mental health, treatment, healing, physician, doctor, recovery, diagnosis, survival, health discoveries, miracle of life, hope, redemption, tragedy, limits of medicine, spiritual growth, emotional healing, triumph, saving lives, courage, personal stories, audio documentary, human interest, human interest stories, resilience, human resilience -
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After farmer Mas Masumoto was contacted as next-of-kin for a woman he knew almost nothing about, he set about to uncover why his disabled aunt was hidden away after WWII, and his efforts began to heal wounds that were seven decades old. His story tracks the triumphs and heartaches of four generations of Japanese Americans.
Guest:
David Mas Masumoto, author of "Secret Harvest: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm"
Original artwork by Patricia Wakida
Natural wonders, environment, biodiversity, conservation, beauty in nature, sustainability, stewardship, environmental stewardship, environmental sustainability, the natural world, ecosystems, land ethic, wonder, wonder in nature, awe, awe in nature, humility, audio documentary, exploration, discovery, beautiful, beauty, spirituality, nature lovers, nature walk, animal stories, animal rescue, noticing nature, connectedness, transcendence, solitude, new life, hidden worlds, adventure, climate change -
Amidst the annus horribilis that was 2020, New York-based writer John Oakes sought to exorcise some of his own inner noise and "automaticity" by doing a week-long liquid-only fast. He liked it so well that he and his wife, Carin Kuoni, began fasting twice a year. And he liked that so well that he wrote a book about it. In this episode of Constant Wonder he and Carin explain the how and why of these biannual fasts.
Guests:
John Oakes, author of "The Fast: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Promise of Doing Without"
Carin Kuoni, Senior Director/Chief Curator, Vera List Center for Art and Politics
Hidden histories, human interest, human interest stories, audio documentary, spirituality, microhistories, interview, history buff, history makers, history lovers, wonder, wonder in history, historical wonders, awe, awe in history, human wonders, breakthroughs, overcoming challenges, connectedness, transcendence, personal narrative, life experience, biography, autobiography, memories, resilience, family, ancestral roots, belonging, community, voice of the people -
When Christian Wiman and Danielle Chapman met and married, life seemed charmed and the horizon calm. But within a year, Christian was diagnosed with a rare, incurable blood cancer, and their life veered in directions unforeseen. Now, over twenty years later, Christian and Danielle and their two teenage daughters are thriving; Christian is cancer free after the latest round of therapy. He has been the beneficiary of multiple timely medical breakthroughs. Along the way, they have experienced intense joy amidst great pain and developed a quiet, shared Christian faith.
Guests:
Christian Wiman, professor at Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music; editor; poet; author of "Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair"
Danielle Chapman, poet, essayist, and lecturer in English at Yale University
Health, physical health, wellness, spirituality, audio documentary, connectedness, transcendence, mental health, treatment, healing, physician, doctor, recovery, diagnosis, survival, health discoveries, miracle of life, hope, redemption, tragedy, limits of medicine, spiritual growth, emotional healing, triumph, saving lives, courage, personal stories, human interest, human interest stories, resilience, human resilience, artist, art lovers, personal expression, artistic expression, inspiration, artistic inspiration, creativity, storytelling through art, imagination, beauty, transcendence, spirituality, connectedness, wonder, curator, personal connection, connectedness, memories, illustration, interview, creative process, community, creators, art world, joy in art, devotion to craft, wonder in art, spiritual art, overcoming doubt, overcoming fear -
He's known as the "Bear Man of India" for his work rescuing sloth bears from inhumane conditions "dancing" on the streets. His obsession with helping animals began early in his life, when he'd spend full-moon nights high in a jungle tree watching a procession of wild animals visit a nearby watering hole. In the intervening 30 years, he's braved the "timber mafia" and even gunshots in a tireless crusade to protect wildlife.
Guest: Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS
Wildlife, wilderness, natural wonders, environment, biodiversity, conservation, beauty in nature, sustainability, stewardship, environmental stewardship, environmental sustainability, the natural world, ecosystems, land ethic, wonder, wonder in nature, awe, awe in nature, humility, audio documentary, exploration, discovery, beautiful, beauty, spirituality, nature lovers, nature walk, animal stories, animal rescue, noticing nature, connectedness, transcendence, solitude, new life, hidden worlds, adventure, storyteller, story -
This week we bring you a very special feed drop. Our host, Marcus Smith, appears as a guest on the podcast "The[ART]ology: Finding God in the Movies." In this episode, Marcus describes how the Constant Wonder podcast came to be. And he shares his favorite movies, from "Babette's Feast" to "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On."
"The[ART]ology" podcast puts the art back into theology by finding God in the movies. Host Vincent Nel delves into the mysteries that movies reveal about ourselves and God. Featuring guests, deep dives, and thoughtful discussions, each episode centers around a theme and explores movies from an artistic and theological perspective. -
After Tod O'Donnell suffers a traumatic brain injury, his filmmaker son, Tim, documents his recovery and his advocacy for others. The family embraces "Tod 2.0," a more fearless, more open version of his former self. Listen to Tod's accounts of life today, what he calls "a new frontier."
Guests:
Tod O'Donnell, subject of the documentaries "The House We Lived In" and "No Quit"
Tim O'Donnell, documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Pixela Films
Original music, "The Field," by James Call
Health, physical health, wellness, spirituality, audio documentary, connectedness, transcendence, mental health, treatment, healing, physician, doctor, recovery, diagnosis, survival, health discoveries, miracle of life, hope, redemption, tragedy, limits of medicine, spiritual growth, emotional healing, triumph, saving lives, courage, personal stories, audio documentary, human interest, human interest stories, resilience, human resilience -
Explore the hidden world of nematodes. These tiny—less than one millimeter long—organisms are everywhere in the soil, some as plant parasites, others as pest predators. With 57 billion nematodes in the soil for each human standing on it, turns out their importance in genetic research and biomedicine is immense.
Join us as we delve into this fascinating field and tap into the excitement and humor of nematologists on the cutting edge of discovery.
Guests:
Byron Adams, biology professor at Brigham Young University
Adler Dillman, nematology professor at UC Riverside
Michael Werner, microbiology professor at the University of Utah
Songs from "The Plant Parasitic Nematode Songbook" were written by Kathy Merrifield and sung by Brian Tanner, Becca Hurley, and Sam Payne
Wildlife, wilderness, natural wonders, environment, biodiversity, conservation, beauty in nature, sustainability, stewardship, environmental stewardship, environmental sustainability, the natural world, ecosystems, land ethic, wonder, wonder in nature, awe, awe in nature, humility, audio documentary, exploration, discovery, beautiful, beauty, spirituality, nature lovers, nature walk, animal stories, animal rescue, noticing nature, connectedness, transcendence, solitude, new life, hidden worlds, adventure, climate change. -
Constant Wonder continues its pursuit of awe and wonder in all creation, human or wild, vast or small. Here's a sample of what we've got coming up over the next weeks: We'll meet a pair of married poets, perched at Yale University, whose shared lives have been shaped for two decades now by the looming threat of cancer, but the also the redemptive promises of love and faith. We'll hear from a Japanese-American farmer about how he discovered his "lost" aunt, whose mental disability had led to her becoming a ward of the state, and whose very existence had been hidden from the family for decades. We'll look in on the cutting edge of nematology and nematodes, tiny, microscopic and ubiquitous worms that have kindled a kind of Wild West of discovery where surprise and delight are a matter of course. And then we'll speak with a father and son who are rebuilding their shared lives after the father's memory of his identity and past were erased by a traumatic brain injury. All of that and more is coming up in Season 8 of Constant Wonder, kicking of May 8.
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While we're busy working on Season 8 of the Constant Wonder podcast, we're pleased to bring you an episode from a podcast we think you'll love. In Curator's Choice, Ayla Sparks goes behind the scenes at museums and other points of interest, getting the stories that explain why they're so special. In this episode, you'll learn the quirky and litigious history of Luray Caverns' discovery. You'll also hear the world's largest lithophone, aka the "stalacpipe organ." If you enjoy this episode be sure to check out more Curator's Choice adventures at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And join us on May 8 for the launch of Constant Wonder Season 8, which gets going with an episode on nematodes, the astounding, ubiquitous and sometimes, you might say, iniquitous microscopic worms beneath your feet.
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Facing the loss of her Elkmont cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains—a family treasure for five generations—Lynn Faust began to pay more attention to the fireflies there, the "light show," as the family called it, where thousands of fireflies would light up in unison. When she read that synchronous fireflies did not exist in North America, she knew that scientists were wrong. The creatures were right in her own yard! Realizing just how little was known about these enchanting insects, she set out to observe them, becoming a self-taught firefly expert and unveiling the mysteries of nature's tiny lanterns.
Guest: Lynn Faust, author of "Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada"
Photo credit: SmokyMountains.com -
Businesswoman Françoise Malby traveled the world for work, until a chance encounter in a London tube station changed her life. Within a year, she'd quit Paris for South Africa, where she and her partner, Lawrence, would eventually establish a wildlife preserve to shelter troubled and orphaned elephants and rhinos. The two would eventually marry and spend 14 years together operating the Thula Thula preserve. When Lawrence passed away suddenly, the responsibility for these animals fell to Françoise. In this episode of Constant Wonder, a tale of love and loss, and a touching connection beyond the grave.
Guest: Françoise Malby-Anthony, owner of Thula Thula Private Game Reserve and author of "The Elephants of Thula Thula"
Thula Baba traditional lullaby accessed on the Soweto Gospel Choir YouTube channel. -
Emmett Hoops was seven when he determined to help save the nearly extinct American chestnut tree. He's 64 now, but his hope and passion are unabated. In this episode of Constant Wonder, you'll meet Emmett, but you'll also hear voices from the past: people who grew up under the leaves of the chestnut tree and who relied on its nutritious nuts—before blight drove it from the American forest around 1940.
Guests:
Emmett Hoops, Director for District 5 and Vice President for Outreach, New York Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation
Andy Newhouse, Director of American Chestnut Project at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Special thanks to Bethany N. Baxter for archival interviews from Appalachia conducted in 2008. -
Though his life looked calm from the outside, Douglas Wood's undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia dragged him down—until he received a personal letter from the famed wilderness writer Sig Olson. Olson's encouragement set him on a path to become a wilderness guide and a noted children's author.
Guest: Douglas Wood, author of over 40 books, retired wilderness canoe guide, and most recently the author of "A Wild Path," a collection of essays for adults -
Raised in landlocked Soweto, Zandile Ndhlovu didn't have easy access to a pool or the ocean, and she grew up hearing tales of monsters lurking in rivers and the sea. When she was nearly 30, she went on a snorkeling trip in Bali and felt a startling feeling of "coming home" beneath the waves. She would soon give up her management consulting career to become the first female Black South African freediving instructor. She can hold her breath for nearly five minutes underwater! As an ambassador for the sea, she travels the globe sharing the wonder of the ocean and the power of human breath.
GUEST: Zandile Ndhlovu, freediving instructor, Founder and Director of the The Black Mermaid Foundation, author of the children's book "Zandi's Song" -
Born just after Emancipation, Anna Maria Threewitts and CG Garrett grow up to become pillars of their Black community. Their ten children must decide if they'll embrace their parents' high expectations for achievement in the Jim Crow South, or head north as part of the Great Migration that forever changed the face of America.
Guest: David Nicholson, author of "The Garretts of Columbia: A Black South Carolina Family from Slavery to the Dawn of Integration"
Readers: Othello Richards, John Pilmer, and Peachie Jones
"A Charge to Keep I Have" written by Charles Wesley, sung by Hasan Green, accessed at TheHasanGreen YouTube channel
"Manual Typewriter Sound Effect" accessed at Sound Effects YouTube channel -
When Freeman Hrabowski III first heard Martin Luther King speak in church, he was a 12-year-old math nerd trying to avoid getting hazed by the older kids. A week later, he, along with hundreds of other kids, was a hero of the civil rights movement, having spent five nights in jail. Later that fall, one of Freeman's schoolmates died in the notorious 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Those events shaped the course of a life devoted to helping Black children reach their educational goals.
Guest: Freeman Hrabowski III, Emeritus President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and author of "The Resilient University: How Purpose and Inclusion Drive Student Success" -
New Yorker cartoonist Amy Kurzweil's efforts to connect to people in her own past led her to write and illustrate two graphic family histories. The first tells the story of her mother's mother, who escaped the Holocaust without any photos or personal records, only her memories—many still fresh in her now-97-year-old head. Her father's father, profiled in Kurzweil's latest book, left an abundance of records and writings but died long before the cartoonist was born. Two very different lives to reconstruct. Two very different challenges in storytelling.
Guest: Amy Kurzweil, author of "Artificial: A Love Story" and "Flying Couch: A Graphic Memoir" -
When the secret police discover that a well-off Iranian doctor has converted to Christianity, she must flee the country with her two children, taking only what they can fit in a suitcase. Witness her son's coming-of-age as a refugee in Oklahoma as he wrestles with the question: Is what we gained commensurate with what we lost? A heart-wrenching, inspiring—and, at times, hilarious—episode from Constant Wonder.
Guest: Daniel Nayeri, author of "Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story)"
Thanks to Onetent for the use of "Persian Fantasy," accessed at pixabay.com - Vis mere
