Dr. Hantz talks pets

On a special episode of NYSK (click here for podcast), Dr. Sarah Hantz visited the studio to talk shop. We learned about some interesting things she's seen, including fistulas and a dog that had a surgical blade in its abdomen for years. Download the podcast to hear why it's not such a good idea to feed your pets scraps from the table.

We also listened to some sweet music, including Cowboy Junkies, The Fiery Furnaces, Animal Collective, Why?, Miss Kitten, and Be Your Own Pet.

NYSK will not air November 29th, but will be back in action December 6th! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Caging an animal

Would you want a tiger for a pet? If the answer is "yes", then perhaps you should spend some time around a fully grown one. You might learn just how much they eat, how much of a mess they make, and how incredibly dangerous they can be. Sadly, many people adopt big cats, and other exotic animals, without fully understanding the requirements of taking care of these wild animals. In the end, both human and animal suffer, and often the animal is abandoned, or worse, put down after lashing out at its owner. During the November 15th show (click here for podcast), we heard a piece from Nature Stories called "Ferocity You Can Touch", which tells the tale of the Tiger Temple in Thailand where tourists pay to pet tigers. These tigers are said to have a Buddhist-like zen about them, but as the story reveals, they are "trained" in the same way as many other captive tigers throughout the world - with fear and punishment. You might be able to take the animal out of the wild, but never the wild out of the animal.

In the news...

• Stink bug phone lines
• New species of squid in the Indian Ocean
• Daydreaming diminishes happiness

Cessna, a lion at Turpentine Creek

We also talked about a nearby rescue operation for abandoned tigers, and other large mammals, called Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. I volunteered there when I was in college. For the sound quiz, I played a few of the vocalizations that were most common on the property. It was quite impressive when all the big cats, such as lions, tigers, and cougars, would begin calling in chorus.

We also heard tracks from Neko Case, Wire, The Swirlies, Le Tigre, Wildwood, and more!

Cryptozoology, Part 2

Kraken (or giant squid)

For the November 8th show (click here for podcast), we continued our discussion of cryptozoology. We delved into a list of cryptid critters that just may, or may not, exist. Have you ever heard of fish with hair (i.e. mirapinna)? Or perhaps you wonder about the origins of the mythical kraken? Listen to the show for more cryptid craziness!


What's up for the news in nature?

• Turning skin into blood
• GMOs might be more natural than we thought
• Assassin bug uses good vibes to hunt prey

Ivory-billed Woodpeck, male

A cryptid that has been of big importance to Arkansas is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.  These birds were thought to have gone extinct, and then rediscovered in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas in 2004. The video and audio evidence for this rediscovery has not been enough to convince many skeptics, and the search for the bird still continues. We listened to some recordings of these birds from 1935.

Artists featured were Owusu and Hannibal, Les Savy Fav, Frog Eyes, The Frogs, The Toadies, The Gourds, Tiny Hairs, Oxes, The Ills, and more!

Cryptozoology, Part 1

Yeti

Is that a yeti I spy amid the barren trees? It just might be... but perhaps we should leave that to the cryptozoologists to determine? For the November 1st episode of NYSK (click here for podcast), we learned about the intersection of cryptozoology and science. You might be asking yourself what the heck I'm talking about... well... cryptozoology is the study of organisms that have not yet been accepted as real. It's a field that covers everything from Nessie to thylacines to air rods. For this first episode on cryptozoology, we listened to the majority of a podcast from Monster Talk, a show that "critically examines the science behind cryptozoological (and legendary) creatures". This episode features an interview with Dr. Darren Naish, a vertebrate palaeozoologist, in which he discusses the relationship between ethnobotany and cryptozoology, the most plausible cryptids, and more.

In the news...

• Miniature human livers created in the lab
• Can rabbit food decrease estrogen levels in waterways?
• Fingers know when you type wrong
  
  

We also heard from the artists Menomena, Deerhunter, Monsters of Folk, Mystery Jets, and Cat Power.