Nature You Should Know with Mojo

End of an era

2011-12-14T11:30:00.002-06:00

Well my friends, I'm finally getting around to posting my last podcast (download here) for NYSK at KXUA. In August, I moved to Conway, AR, to work as a professor of biology at Hendrix College. It's the end of the semester now so I actually have a moment to make this last post!

Since the show started in January 2009, NYSK has brought you everything in nature that rocks! In this final episode, we revisited some of the topics, people, places, and music that have been featured throughout the last two and half years. Thanks to everyone for supporting the show and providing feedback. I hope this show has satisfied your curiosity about the natural world in some ways, but also stimulated it in others. Also, a big thanks goes to the resources that made it all happen (e.g. the Macaulay Library, TNC’s Nature Stories, Scientific American’s 60-second Science)! Finally, a big FAT thank you goes to KXUA, for providing this nature nut with an outlet of expression for her love of the natural sciences and music.

As for the future, this might not be the end of the road for NYSK. Hendrix College also has station (KHDX), and I wouldn't be surprised if there are bird calls being broadcast from its studio sometime in the near future. Stayed tuned!

All About Animal Communication

2011-05-18T16:13:00.000-05:00

Singing Yellow Warbler

For the May 4th and May 11th shows, we covered topics in animal communication. In the first installment, we covered the definition of animal communication and channels through which animals communicate (e.g. visual, auditory, chemical). (No podcast was able to be posted of this show… sorry!).

Photuris firefly preying on another firefly species

In the May 11th episode (download podcast here), we continued our discussion of animal communication with the evolution of animal signals. Download the podcast to learn about competing theories for the function of communication, how raw materials for communication become ritualized over time, and some factors that shape the evolution of signals. We concluded with dishonesty in signaling, as represented by the female Photuris firefly, which mimics the flashes of females from another firefly species. The poor, unwitting males, thinking they’re coming in for some sweet love, are instead captured and devoured by the deceitful Photuris!

Some news stories from the two episodes...

Beaver dam partially contains oil spill
Insect "helmet" derived from another pair of wings
Does this gene make me look fat?
Climbers leave rare plants' genetics on the rocks

American Alligator

Some of the critters we heard from over the two weeks included the Saddleback Tamarin, Wild Turkey, and American Alligator (pictured right).

My goodness we heard some rockin' music during these episodes, including tracks from artists such as Cat Power, Audible, Television, The Chemical Brothers, The Big Sleep, Cut Copy, LCD Soundsystem, Thelonius Monk, and more!

Amazing Animal Architects

2011-05-06T09:58:00.000-05:00

In the April 27th episode (download podcast here), we learned about some crafty critters and their architectural masterpieces, including termite mounds (pictured left), which have “air conditioning” and can be up to 30-ft tall (that's like a mile-high in the termite world)! Other natural "buildings" that made the list included huge beaver dams, socialable weaver condos, mud dauber death chambers, and massive spider webs! Thanks to the folks at cracked.com who continue to put together these comic lists of fascinating stories from the natural world.

In the news...

Don't touch that armadillo! It might carry leprosy.
Perception of gravity is relative.
A positive outcome for re-wilding!

Nine-banded Armadillo

We listened to some interesting vocalizations including the Nine-banded armadillo, American Beaver, and Prairie Dog.

As for music, we heard from folks like Modest Mouse, Darwin Deez, Velvet Underground, Electralane, Headlights, Sparklehorse, and more! Good times!

One year later

2011-04-27T23:01:00.000-05:00

For the April 20th show (downlaod podcast here), we took a look at current perspectives on the oil spill in the Gulf that occurred one year ago this day. The theme that floats to the top is that although the spill did not result in the level of catastrophe we feared, we cannot truly understand its economic and ecological impacts after just one year. This story is far from over. Check out this video to hear from John Fitzpatrick, the director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to learn more.

In the news...

Unknown illnesses affect LA oil spill crews
Oil spill also mean air pollution
The Nature Conservancy works to restore the Delta and Gulf

Roseate Spoonbill

We heard from critters affected by the oil spill such as the Brown Pelican. Roseate Spoonbill, Northern Gannet, Gulf Coast Toad, and Bottlenose Dolphin.

Some great music was featured as well, such as Johnny Cash, The Band, Emmy Lou Harris & Willie Nelson, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Tab Benoit, The Standells, and more!

Move on out!

2011-04-15T14:28:00.000-05:00

And we're back! After a month break, NYSK returned with the April 13th show, which featured animal migration (download podcast here). Migration is more than just traveling to new destination; it also requires a return to the original location. Scientists believe that many animals migrate in order to follow resources and reduce competition, particularly during the breeding season when parents need food and shelter for their offspring. Depending on the species, different animals use various tools to get from A to B. Such tools include magnetic cues, a star compass, and physical landmarks. For more information on animal migration, listen to the podcast!

The news in nature had some wild stories:

Germ-free brains in toads
A reserve created for the 'Asian Unicorn'
M. barkeri eats acid and makes landfills a nicer place to live

For the sound quiz, we heard from some migratory birds that make their way through Arkansas about this time of year. They included the Veery, Blackburnian Warbler (pictured right), and Tennessee Warbler.

Some great music was also featured, with tracks from the likes of Robert Johnson, Neko Case, The Breeders, Islands, and more!

Spring without NYSK

2011-03-29T09:07:00.000-05:00

The show is taking a break for a short time because Razorback Softball is broadcasting during my regularly scheduled time slot. Never fear, you can enjoy the bursting buds of springtime (like this Cercis canadensis) until we return on April 11th!

Works of Aldo Leopold

2011-03-09T19:51:00.000-06:00

The March 2nd episode (download podcast here) was inspired by an event held at Hobbs State Park on March 5th that celebrated Aldo Leopold, an early 20th century naturalist who is considered by some to be the grandfather of the conservation movement. Leopold's most famous work, A Sand County Almanac, beautifully expresses his ideas about the relationship between man and nature. For some excerpts from his works, click here.

The news in nature:

Worms are divided after all
The sixth mass extinction
Eastern cougar extinct
Rose colored glasses make a happy marriage

Veery

As for music, we heard from Nick Drake, Almanac Singers, The Whites, Neil Young, and more! We even heard from our friends the thrushes, including the Hermit Thrush and Veery.

Hydrofracturing in Arkansas

2011-02-28T10:07:00.000-06:00

For the February 23rd episode (download podcast here), Dr. Matt Moran of Hendrix College visited the studio to discuss the practice of hydrofracturing in Arkansas. Hydrofracturing, or hydraulic fracturing, has become a popular method for extracting natural gas from shale formations around the United States. Dr. Moran spoke to us about the environmental, economic, and personal impacts of this practice. Download the podcast above to hear more about this issue.

Monday, February 28th, 2011, Hendrix College will host a screening of the Oscar-nominated film “Gasland”, which documents the stories of people involved with and affected by hydrofracturing. The creator of the film, Josh Fox, and local officials will participate in a panel discussion the following Tuesday on Hendrix campus. For more information, click here or contact Dr. Moran at moran@hendrix.edu

As for the news in nature...

Why was the earthquake in NZ so devastating?
Schools should teach process of science
Eating insects to slow global warming

Some artists featured included: The Pixies, Wildbirds and Peacdrums, Ryan Adams, Devendra Banhart, Beck, John Prine, Neil Young, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Hayes Carll, and the Grateful Dead.

Dog breed diversity

2011-02-23T12:06:00.000-06:00

On the February 16th, 2011 episode of NYSK (download podcast here), we talked about the Westminster Kennel Club's dog show. I enjoy watching this event because it reminds me of the power of selective breeding, also known as artificial selection. For instance, compare the Pekingnese pictured above to the Scottish Deerhound (Best in Show, 2011) below. Can you believe these two dogs are the same species- Canis lupus familiaris? Darwin appreciated artificial selection so much that he used it as an illustration for how the process of natural selection works.

The diversity of dog breeds has been (and still is) important to humans for several reasons. For example, we historically used certain breeds for specific tasks, such as rooting out rodents from holes (e.g. terriers) and guarding property (e.g. mastiffs). Dogs today are still worked around the world for things like hunting, herding, and guarding, but more often we find ourselves utilizing them as companions.

Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show allows us to marvel at the different breeds, but we should not forget our little buddies that reside in temporary shelters, just waiting for a loving person to adopt them. For information on a shelter in your area, visit animalshelter.org and use your zip code to search for a shelter.

As always in the show, we listened to fun music, mostly dog-related, such as the Scooby Doo theme, Elvis's "Hound Dog", and Patti Page's "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window".

Worst-case scenario... would you survive?

2011-02-16T16:29:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness... it has been a winter for the ages this 2011! Three weeks in a row, Northwest Arkansas was slammed by storms, each once worse than the next. My show suffered because the storms seemed to happen mid-week, but I found a way to make up one of the shows on February 11th (download podcast here).

The storms also served as a source for inspiration. This week, I read from a book called The Worst-case Scenario Survival Handbook, which proposes various dangerous scenarios and how to come out on top. For instance, we learned what to do when encountering downed power lines and how to treat frostbite. We also learned what to do if you get trapped in a cab while giving birth. (That poor, poor cabbie.)

In the news...

In utereo surgery helps ease spina bifida
Eggs make squids feel like sparring
Psychotic weed-smokers

American Goldfinch, basic plumage

We also learned about different types of seed to put out to attract different species of birds, such as the American Goldfinch (pictured right), Dark-eyed Junco, and Northern Cardinal. We listened to some of these birds' vocalizations for the sound quiz.

Artists featured included: Yes, Count Basie, Ryan Adams, Cat Stevens, Julie Andrews, and more!

Gross anatomy

2011-02-04T11:09:00.000-06:00

The dissection of human beings has been important in our understanding of how our bodies work; however, it has not always been an approved practice. These days, many universities and medical schools are leaning towards using models and computer simulations to teach students anatomy. Check out the January 26th show (download podcast here) to learn more about human dissection.

In the news...

Mixed results for effects of chemical dispersants in the Gulf
Born in the USA - a rare black rhino
Pass the bat dung, please; I'm a plant, and I'm hungry.

Music featured included Monty Python, My Morning Jacket, John Coltrane, more!

Since it was also the 2nd birthday of NYSK, we celebrated by listening to birthday-related tunes by Concrete Blonde, Stevie Wonder, and The Bird and the Bee. Thanks for your support throughout the past two years! The show will sadly come to an end this summer when I graduate and leave KXUA. Let's make sure the next six months are a blast!

Baby, it's cold outside

2011-01-27T19:33:00.000-06:00

Last summer, I did a show in which we talked about how plants and critters adapt to the heat. This week, we threw our thing down, flipped it, and reversed it to talk about how our friends in chilly places deal with frigid temperatures. Responses can be behavioral (e.g. migration) or physiological (e.g. short limbs). Check out the January 19th show (download podcast here) to learn more.

In the news...

For the sound quiz, we heard from some polar animals like the Greenland collared lemming and Gentoo penguin.

Music featured included Leonard Cohen, Broadcast, Birdy Nam Nam, Caribou, Wintersleep, This Heat, and more!

The Year In Science, 2010

2011-01-22T10:51:00.000-06:00

A cuttlefish, standing up to be
counted in a marine "census"

To kick off 2011, we reflected on some happenings from 2010, including developments in medicine, physics, and the environment. I have to admit, the topics I covered were a bit haphazard, and big things were left out (ahem... can you say oil spill?), but we listened to some sweet tunes by folks like UNKLE, Guided by Voices, Edie Brickell, and more! Check out the two part broadcast by downloading the following podcasts:

January 3rd, 2011 Podcast: The Year in Science (Part 1)

January 10th, 2011 Podcast: The Year in Science (Part 2)

Songs for the environment

2011-01-03T21:03:00.000-06:00

On the December 20th show (click here for podcast), I featured a pre-recorded interview/performance with local environmental activist and musician, Shawn Porter. Shawn hails from the Buffalo River, a place that makes it into some of his songs. He was kind enough to play his harmonica and guitar and sing some of his tunes for us. Click here for just this part of the show.

Since it was the holidays, I spent the latter portion of the show playing some Christmas tunes that might be a little off the beaten path. For example, we heard a rendition of "The Friendly Beasts" by Sufjan Stevens and "Christmas at the Zoo" by the Flaming Lips.

My Christmas pets: Vik and Cutlet

I hope everyone had a fantastic 2010. NYSK turns 2 years old next month. Join us in the new year to celebrate!

Grizzlies in Alberta

2010-12-20T17:06:00.000-06:00

For the December 6th show (click here for podcast), we listened to a piece from Nature Stories about Grizzly Bear conservation in Alberta, Canada. We also heard lots of country and folk music from the Smithsonian Folkways compilation Alberta: Wild Roses, Northern Lights. Some artists included: The Corb Lund Band, k.d. lang, Tim Hus, Kubasonics, and more. We also listened to come bear vocalizations to finish up the evening.

In the news...

Mean spiders make good moms
Rust-eating bacteria make a meal of the titanic
Climate change conference in Cancun heats up

Dr. Hantz talks pets

2010-11-27T13:47:00.000-06:00

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

2010-11-22T16:23:00.000-06:00

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

2010-11-15T17:13:00.000-06:00

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

2010-11-08T22:01:00.000-06:00

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.

Braaaaaaaaains

2010-10-29T16:04:00.000-05:00

Halloween! What a fantastic time of the year! We get our creative juices flowing and revert to a childlike state while carving pumpkins, stuffing our faces with candy, and dressing up as kooky characters. A popular trend these days is for groups to do a "zombie walk", in which people gather, dressed in gore, to shuffle around public places - mimicking scenes from some of our favorite zombie flicks. Thank goodness it's all a fun Halloween trick... but could it ever be a reality? In the October 25th show (click here for podcast), we talk about some documented cases of zombies and potential biological causes of zombie-like behavior (as featured by cracked.com).

In the news...

California beaches closed due to deadly shark attack
Vaccines might help elephantiasis spread
Receptors for taste found in the lungs

Great Potoo

To ramp up the spook-factor, we listened to some creepy vocalizations from otherwise sweet-looking birds! Thanks to Abby for some of the suggestions of the Great Potoo and the Spectacled Owl.

Music featured included The Misfits, The Zombies, Tune-Yards, Zombie Nation, The Dead Weather, Puerto Muerto, and more.

Ya filthy animal

2010-10-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

Do you give your dog kisses? Do you sometimes wake up to your kitty's booty in your face? Just how clean are your pets? How do animals in the wild keep themselves clean? There are many approaches. Some animals self-groom; others engage in allogrooming with members of their social group. Some critters even bridge the species barrier by cleaning members of another species (e.g. the oxpecker is a bird that picks parasites off of large mammals in Africa). You'll find these topics and more in the October 18th show (click here for podcast).

In the news...

Avoiding the sun leads to a lack of vitamin D
A mouse that can smell light?
Restaurant noise can alter the taste of food

Osprey

At the end of the show, we heard part of a 1978 recording called Sounds of Florida's Birds compiled and narrated by Dr. John William Hardy. Listen for songs from birds like the osprey and bobwhite.

Artists featured included The Clean, LCD Soundsystem, Dr. Dog, The Juan Maclean, Echo and the Bunnymen, and more!

More from the microscopic world!

2010-10-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

I found this link for rare images beyond the naked eye and thought I would post it as a follow up to the show "The life microscopic" (Sep 27th, 2010). It features some of the best photos from the 2010 Small World Photomicrography Competition. Check it out!

Monogamy... a myth?

2010-10-18T16:03:00.000-05:00

Great Hornbill pair

Seeing as how I just got hitched... I have the idea of life-long commitment in mind. So for the October 11th show (click here for podcast) we covered the subject of monogamy in the animal world. Back in the day, animal behaviorists assumed that certain animals, particularly birds, were monogamous because they often witness pairs tending the nest. Little did they know that it was common for both males and females to sneak out for a rendezvous with another bird when their mate was not looking. These "cheating" events are termed "extra-pair copulations", or EPCs, and genetic techniques have revealed just how prevalent they can be! Perhaps one exception is the Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis). The impregnated females of this species enclose themselves into a tree cavity by plugging up the hole with mud and droppings. Her mate then delivers food to her and nestlings as the breeding season unfolds over 4 months! For a video depicting this process, click here.

As for the news...

Biggest genome found in a plant
New Orleans suspends the use of police dogs
Is fidelity in our genes?

For the sound quiz, we heard from some critters that are known for their strong pair bonds, or lack thereof. They included the Great Hornbill, Golden-mantled Tamarin, Meadow Vole (in lieu of the Prairie Vole), and the Red-winged Blackbird (pictured).

Music artists featured included The Velvet Underground, Amandine, The Accidental Clearinghouse Story, The High Fidelity, Silver Jews, The Fidelity Wars, and more!

The life microscopic

2010-10-13T19:50:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful world it is under a microscope. For the September 27th show (click here for podcast) we explored the invention of the light microscope and all the wonderful things we can see underneath it. For a taste of the worlds that it reveals, visit this blog. For more information on how it all functions, visit How Stuff Works.

As for the news...

A cure for the distracted driver?
New Zealand rescuers save 14 whales from a stranded pod
When did you and your pet evolutionarily diverge? - there's an app for that.

Musical artists featured were TV on the Radio, Interpol, Yo La Tengo, The Cure, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Microscopic Septet, Architecture in Helsinki, Travis, and more!

Lovely Lucinda

2010-09-30T17:51:00.000-05:00

Lucinda Williams

A sweet friend took me to the Lucinda Williams concert at George's Majestic Lounge on September 19th. She has always been one of those artists that I've meant to listen to, but I've never gotten around to it. Well, let me tell you... a live acoustic set was not a bad way to get exposed to Lucinda! She has an amazing ability to write lyrics, and I will admit that I was moved to tears a time or two. As we watched the moon rise through the retractable roof at George's, I said to myself, "I'm gonna feature this lady on my show tomorrow night!". So here you go... the September 20th show (click here for podcast) with lots of music from Lucinda - covering albums from Essence to Little Honey.

Later in the show, we talked a little bit about the genetically modified "frankenfish" that's been proposed for sale at local supermarkets. Other stories in the news were:

Women with the baby blues process emotion differently
Wal-mart is getting greener with thin-film solar technology
Pirates were scientists, too!

Other musical artists featured included: Fiona Apple, Deerhoof, Miles Davis, Aphex Twin, The Books, Louis Jordan, and the Decemeberists.

The poetry of the earth is ceasing never

2010-09-24T09:17:00.000-05:00

Autumn on the Buffalo River Trail, Arkansas

The catalog of nature poetry in any library is extensive! Nowadays, you can just go online to find some amazing works. For the September 13th show (click here for podcast), I read some beautiful poems by the likes of John Keats, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, John Ruskin, and E.E. Cummings. Oh it was a good time! Here's one of my favorites by Keats...

THE POETRY of earth is never dead:
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead
In summer luxury,—he has never done
With his delights; for when tired out with fun
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
On a lone winter evening, when the frost
Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

And in the news...

UA author ruminates on the evolution of mammal teeth
Getting a better grip on lab mice
These dance moves are irresistible

Tui

For our weekly dose of sounds from nature - we listened to a promo for NZ Nature Sounds. Some critters we heard included the Tui and the Saddleback - two interesting birds from the land of the long white cloud. These birds are some of my favs :D

Artists we heard from included Bjork, Bowie, Fischerspooner, Horse Feathers, Joanna Newsom, Mother Mother, Goldfrapp, Brush!, and more...

Natural Folk

2010-09-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

Doc Watson

Folk music and nature have always been buddies... with natural imagery and settings playing an integral role in the story-telling for which folk music is so well known. For the September 1st show (click here for podcast), I played songs from folk artists, ranging from traditional folk to contemporary indie-freak-folk. Give it a listen to hear some old friends of folk, and maybe you'll discover some new ones! Do you have some artists that you would like to hear on the show? Please email me at naturewithmojo@gmail.com with recommendations.

As for the news...

Tazmanian devil euthanized after tumor found
Pot-growers mistake wildlife officials for suppliers

Blue Jay

Altruistic bacteria?

We also listened to a track from Peterson Field Guides Birding by Ear in order to learn about the calls and songs of some common bird species such as the Blue Jay, Canada Goose, and House Sparrow.

Artists featured included: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Devendra Banhart, Andrew Bird, Alela Diane, Joanna Newsom, Apostle of Hustle

Connect with nature through the OCC!

2010-09-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

Kenny Williams, graduate assistant at OCC

Whether you're a seasoned veteran of the outdoors or a newbie still breaking in your first pair of boots, the Outdoor Connection Center at the University of Arkansas is a great resource to help you connect with nature. On the August 25th show (click here for podcast), Kenny Williams from the OCC stopped by to chat with us about the services they provide to the UA community.

The OCC is a place to try your hands (and feet) at climbing and bouldering on their indoor walls. You can also rent just about any piece of equipment for your kayaking, canoeing, backpacking, and cycling adventures. Speaking of bikes, they have a full service bike shop where you can have the staff check out your bike or put it on a stand and fix it yourself. And if you're not one who likes to travel solo, check out the event calendar to find out what sort of trips and clinics are on the horizon.

Check out the OCC website for more information!

In the news...

Colored lice are for the birds
New microbes discovered eating Gulf oil spill
Four-legged biosensors sniff out bird flu

Some of my colleagues are currently in Brazil at a conference so in honor (and jealousy) of their trip, I featured some Brazilian mammals in the sound quiz. Some players included the Brazilian Bare-faced Tamarin (pictured right), the Southern Amazonian Red Squirrel, and the White-lipped Peccary.

Musical artists included: Animal Collective, Wire, DJ Shasow, Suni Paz, Mos Def, Joy Division, and more!

The B-team of mythical creatures

2010-09-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

So we all know about elves, gnomes, unicorns, fairies, centaurs, etc... but if one was to delve a little deeper into the lore of different countries, she might discover some very interesting characters that remain relatively unknown. This was an adventure we undertook for the August 18th show (click here for the podcast). Some of the creatures we found included the Alp-luachra, an evil Irish fairy that transforms into a newt, crawls down a sleeping person's throat and feeds off the food in their stomachs. Or how about the Basilisco Chilote (pictured left) - a Chilean half chicken, half serpent that lives under houses and feeds off the phlegm and saliva of its inhabitants! Listen to the podcast to hear more about some wacky creatures of myth!

In the news...

Ancient birds jabbed at prey with axe-like beaks
A sperm bank for corals
Invasive species let other species disrupt the environment

Music featured included: Akron/Family, Flook, Dervish, Frankie Gavin, Hum, Boards of Canada, Gustavo Santoalla, Ryan Adams, Fruit Bats, The Shins, Frente!, Department of Eagles, Like a Fox, and more

Wild child

2010-08-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

Stories of children raised by animals have been around for centuries (remember Romulus and Remus?). Video documentation has brought current stories of feral children to life. Now we can observe and appreciate how "wild" these children behave. For instance, check out this video of Oxana, a girl who was cruelly penned up with only dogs for company for five years as a young girl. Her movements are remarkably similar to those of her canine companions. For an update on Oxana, read this article put out by the Telegraph in 2006.

For the August 11th show (click here for podcast), we explored several stories of feral children. The struggles these individuals face when trying to integrate back into society are great, and often the outcome is undesirable. These stories highlight the importance of human interaction during the early years of development.

In the news...

Preventing homosexuality in the womb?
Arkansas researchers find a GM crop that has escaped into the wild
Blue whales synchronize song pitch

In the last bit of the show, we heard some songs from our friends the wrens (Family: Troglodytidae). These songsters have some of the most complex and, in my opinion, interesting vocalizations of the bird world.

Artists featured included Tindersticks, Sufjan Stevens, Spoon, Animal Collective, Mariee Sioux, Cab Calloway, Headlights, Echo and the Bunnyman, Broadcast, and more.

Hotter 'an hell.

2010-08-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

My oh my... it has been a summer of record-breaking heat! The cool thing about being human is that we have mastered air conditioning and so we find ways to beat the heat with technology. Our plant and animal friends do not have this advantage and thus they must adapt to their environments. On this hot hot August 4th evening, we cruised through some interesting ways in which plants and animals have adapted to hot temperatures and the aridity that often accompanies the heat. Specifically, we talked about desert survival, making use of information from the Desert USA website. For example, did you know that the enlarged, vascularized ears of a jack rabbit (pictured above) allow it to dissipate heat more effectively? Click here to listen to the podcast.

In the news...

Solar salamander: photosynthetic algae found in the cells of a vertebrate for the first time
Hope for the Gulf as BP plugs the well - most of the oil gone
Physics students reveal a bias for male lecturers

In the sound quiz, we heard from desert southwest creatures such as the Phainopepla (pictured right) and the Rock Squirrel.

Music featured included Hot Chip, Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, The Reverend Horton Heat, Lou Reed, Mother Mother, Siz Organs of Admittance, and more!

That's a big'un

2010-08-03T08:53:00.000-05:00

The trees they do grow high... and round! For the July 28th show (click here for podcast), we learned about champion trees. We listened to a Nature Stories podcast called "Virgin Forest" in which the search was on for trees in the eastern forests of the US that could take the title of biggest tree. We also talked about where to go to find some of these champs (e.g. the big black oak at Lake Fayetteville, pictured left), and what to do if you want to submit a candidate tree to the national register. Perhaps you're thinking "It's not all about size!"? Well, if you have a tree that you feel deserves recognition for its historic value, then you can submit that tree to America's Historic Tree Register. If you're in Arkansas, consider submitting it to the Arkansas Famous and Historic Tree Program.

In the news...

Plankton are on the decline :(
"Room-temperature" ice?
Frogs don't just bump their butts a'hoppin, the also belly-flop!

No time for a sound quiz this week, but we heard from artists such as The Books, Fleet Foxes, Lost in the Trees, Michael Nyman, Joan Baez, Songs: Ohia, Damien Jurado, TV on the Radio, The Cure, and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

Education is where it's at!

2010-07-23T13:41:00.000-05:00

For the July 21st NYSK, we listened to a podcast from Scientific American that featured the upcoming documentary "Whiz Kids". (click here for podcast) This documentary follows teens who are involved in sophisticated scientific research from places like their basements to universities labs. As a college instructor, it brightens my day to know that there are bright and mature students like these just waiting to enroll in university!

In the news...

Whale wallops a yacht off the coast of South Africa
HUGE stars discovered
China oil spill poses severe threat to wildlife

We listened to lots of tunes to do with education and science. Artists included: Mirah, Daft Punk, The Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, MGMT, Dr. Octagon, Jurassic 5, Blackalicious, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Bran Van 3000.

Photosynthesis rocks my world!

2010-07-15T15:06:00.000-05:00

I'm teaching Plant Biology in summer school and I've been bombarding my students with complicated metabolic pathways such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration. It's so easy to get caught up in the details and new terminology - so I was inspired to bring it back to the basics during the July 14th show! (click here for podcast)

We worked our way musically through the simplified chemical reaction of photosynthesis, beginning with carbon dioxide, water, and light - the necessary ingredients for the process. By the end of the show, we had released oxygen as a byproduct and made sugars, which store chemical energy for later use - whether it be used by the plant or the organisms that eat the plant.

A quick YouTube search led me to some creative songs about photosynthesis - including this one that student, David Levitz set to Britney Spears for extra credit in his Biology class!

In the news...

How ugly finches get the ladies
Lost legacy of the last great oil spill
Highland Brewery helps mountain habitats

Artists featured included: Animal Collective, matt pond PA, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Flaming Lips, Big in Japan, Maoi, Feist, Richard Shindell, Akron/Famiy, Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, Bloc Party, Frou Frou, Sia, Darko, The Starlight Mints, and Frank Turner.

Expedition Catalog - what new specimens shall we discover?

2010-07-12T13:22:00.000-05:00

For the July 7th show (click here for podcast), I strapped on my gear and went exploring deep into the KXUA catalog to find some new-to-me music that was somehow linked to nature - whether it be in a name, in a theme, whatever. I had some interesting finds, including artists such as Papercranes, Wilderness, I See Hawks in L.A., The Bamboos, The Weather Machines, and more! Give a listen to the show to discover this music along with me.

In the news...

Whales shout over noise pollution
Early Britons could cope with cold
Gulf Coast dead zone - it's coming

For the sound quiz, we heard from some of the "singing" insects whose sounds fill the still, humid air of summer. Visit musicofnature.org for all about how a handsome meadow katydid (pictured right) doesn't actually sing, but instead produces sound through stridulation.

Our flaws might have been our strengths

2010-07-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

In the June 30th show (click here for podcast), we had a laugh going through some of the character flaws of our ancestors that might have led to the success of our species. I read from an article on cracked.com that suggested things such as poor hygiene, drunkenness, gossip, and depression might have actually given us an evolutionary leg up over our primate relatives. You might be thinking, "Well, that makes no sense!", but you must always remember that natural selection is a curious beast. For example, some suggest that we lost our body hair as a way to foil those pesky ectoparasites, like fleas and lice, that love to munch on us.

In the news...

Turtle eggs whisked to safety
Genes tied to hair loss disorder
Oscar the cat gets new legs (video)
Soccer penalty kicker's cues betray shot direction

Music featured included tracks from: Outkast, Death Cab for Cutie, A Tribe Called Quest, The Flaming Lips, J Dilla, G. Love and Special Sauce, Apostle of Hustle, Louis Jordan, The Dubliners, The Clancy Brothers, Brush, Devendra Banhart, Radiohead, The Gossip, The Cure, Elvis Perkins, Billy Bragg and Wilco, and The Maybelles.

So you think you can dance?

2010-07-07T19:09:00.000-05:00

For the June 23rd show (click here for podcast), we celebrated the dancing animals of the world. I read from an NPR story about Snowball, the Sulfur-crested Cockatoo (pictured left) who has demonstrated his skills on the dance floor. Few animals can actually follow a musical beat, but Snowball truly rocks out to the Backstreet Boys - keeping time even when the bpm are changed (Patel et al. 2009). A recent study of YouTube videos showed that the only animals that had this ability were 33 species of parrots and 1 elephant (Schachner et al. 2009). Check out the NPR link above for videos of all this dancing madness.

Of course we know animals dance in nature all the time, although maybe not to a musical beat. They often do this when they are trying to attract mates. Performing dance moves correctly is important for species recognition and can be a sign of a mate's quality. Sometimes the "dancing" gets so intense, death can result.

As for the news...

Pelicans rehabbed from oil spill released in Texas
Blinded eyes restored to sight by stem cells
Soccer players ranked with network analysis

In honor of the World Cup currently underway in South Africa, the sound quiz featured the "big five" animals, which are some of the most impressive animals to see while on safari. These include elephants, buffalo, lions, leopards, and rhinos.

We listened to music to get your booty shaking during the show: Jamiroquai, Hot Chip, Bran Van 3000, Sally Shapiro, LCD Soundsystem, Chemical Brothers, Fischerspooner, Basement Jaxx, The Go! Team, Santigold, Röyksopp, Mylo, Sam Cooke, Louis Jordan, Tito Puente, Cut Copy, TV on the Radio.

Invasion of the Geese!

2010-05-07T15:51:00.000-05:00

A pair of Canada Geese made a nest in a planter on my parents' dock this spring. Here are the photographs documenting their incubation and hatching! Location: Beaver Lake, Arkansas.

April 3rd, 2010 - 3 eggs have been laid

April 3rd, 2010 - The parents maintaining their distance

May 4, 2010 - The hatching has begun!

May 5, 2010 - Mama Goose is not happy with humans near her newly hatched chicks!

May 5, 2010 - 5 of 6 eggs hatched and everyone was gone the next day!

Oil, oil everywhere

2010-05-06T17:52:00.000-05:00

On the May 5th show (click here for podcast), we talked of the natural disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico - the massive oil spill created when a BP offshore oil rig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded on April 20th. To learn about the sequence of events that have led to this national catastrophe, we heard a report from NPR that outlined how it all went down. What is surprising is how long it has taken BP to stem the flow of oil spewing forth from the well on the bottom of the ocean. At time of this post, the flow was still going - more than 2 weeks after the explosion!

Also at the time of this post, the oil slick had reached the Louisiana Barrier Islands. Animals are beginning to show up not only covered in oil, but also with the toxic substance in their digestive tracts. Pictured above left is a Northern Gannet coated in oil. This is a seabird that normally appears white (pictured above right). The oil disrupts the waterproofing provided by the bird's feathers; and once the bird preens, it will ingest the oil. For more information on how coastal ecosystems will be affected by this disaster, visit this link from Mother Nature Network or watch this video from the Rachel Maddow Show.

If you would like to volunteer with the clean-up of this oil spill, you can register here at the Audubon Action Center. They will put you in touch with organizations who can use your help.

As for the news in nature...

there will be meteors in the night sky - peaking May 6th
vote for worthy project proposals at Pepsi's Refresh Project

For the sound quiz, we heard from some of the birds that will likely be affected by the oil spill: Northern Gannet, Royal Tern, Great Egret, Brown Pelican (pictured right), and Piping Plover.

I pulled much of the music for this show off of a great playlist put together for the Y! Music Playlist Blog. All the songs are about oil. Some artists featured include: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jelly Roll Morton, Recycleman and the Dumpster Divers, King Eider, John Fahey, Iron and Wine, The Shins, and more!

40 years of Earth Day and we're still clinging for dear life!

2010-05-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

For the April 21st show, we celebrated Earth Day by hearing from a Living on Earth podcast about the history of the holiday. We have come a long way from the days of widespread use of DDT and CFCs - but there is no end in site to the battle to protect the planet and its resources.

As for the news...

Will curiosity kill the feral cat?
Good dogs live longer.
What is the most recycled product?
Geoengineers make a pitch for research funds.

Music featured included: Mirah, American Analog Set, The Arcade Fire, Animal Collective, and Handsome Boy Modeling School.

For bats, fungi is not such a fun-guy

2010-04-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

Caves all over Arkansas, and indeed much of the eastern U.S., are closing to human traffic. Before you spelunkers get too angry, know that it is for a good cause, i.e. preventing the spread of White-Nose Syndrome. For the April 14th show, we talked about this fungal infection that has contributed to the death of millions of bats in the eastern U.S. - including some of our endangered species like the Indiana Bat and Gray Bat. (Pictured left is a bat affected by the fungus, which covers its muzzle.) For more information on this epidemic, visit the informational pages hosted USGS National Wildlife Health Center and US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The show was cut short by a Lady Razorbacks broadcast, but if I WAS to cover the news, this is what I would have featured...

Where did water come from?
Even toddlers appreciate altruism
Keeping coal mines from exploding

Musical artists included Joanna Newsom, Mogwai, Tony Trischka, Fruit Bats, American Analog, Set, Blockhead, and Nick Cave.

Phenology - it's all in the timing

2010-04-21T11:19:00.000-05:00

'Tis a season of change, so for the April 7th show we talked about phenology, which is the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life. In light of our shifting climate, the timing of natural events seems more important now than ever. We listened to some podcasts concerning phenology, including a Southern Appalachian Creature Feature podcast and a clip from Nature Stories about a bilingual sparrow.

As for the news...

The Nature Conservancy purchases 4557 acres surrounding the Kings River in Arkansas
Humane Society finds abuse by U.S. egg producers
New giant lizard identified!
Bye-bye Bluefin Tuna :(

For the sound quiz, we heard from some of our migratory bird friends including the Black-and-white Warbler (pictured right), Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, and Black-throated Green Warbler.

Music featured included Nick Drake, Crosby Stills and Nash, Miles Davis, Nirvana, LCD Soundsystem, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Josh Rouse, Jose Gonzalez, Talk Talk, Ryan Adams, and more...

Patchy Distribution

2010-04-02T09:55:00.000-05:00

Oh the humanity! The time slot for Nature You Should Know has been taken over by UA Razorback sports for the rest of the semester. I'm trying my darndest to squeeze out an hour on some of the upcoming Wednesdays; and there is a possibility I can grab some Friday Night Feature Show slots for NYSK.

Until then, who knows when the show will broadcast. Good thing for podcasts because that way if you miss it, you can always catch up!

Ingenious ways to evade predators

2010-03-17T15:55:00.000-05:00

My oh my
How creative nature can be
When one has not the opportunity to flee.

On the March 10th show, we explored a list compiled by Cracked.com that features some of the most ingenious ways that organisms avoid predation. For example the Western Hognose Snake (pictured here) has incredible commitment to the faking of it's own death. The idea behind such behavior is that many animals avoid eating carrion and therefore seemingly dead prey is often avoided. Click here for a video of a masterful performance.

One of the most impressive adaptations for freaking out potential hunters is the Horned Lizard's (pictured right) ability to shoot blood out of its eyeballs! No, the blood is not meant to blind or confuse predators so that the lizard can make a quick get-away. Instead, it is thought that the blood is distasteful to those that might eat the lizards and therefore bloody lizards are avoided. Click here for a video of this amazing defense mechanism.

The list goes on and on and includes players such as hagfishes, dresser crabs, sea cucumbers (one of my faves), and more! For the original article I used in the show, click here. You will find plenty more pictures, descriptions, and videos.

As for the news...

"The Cove" filmmakers stage sting at a sushi restaurant
Your tolerance to feel pain is likely inherited
Forget DDT, just keep a mosquito from peeing

Artists featured: Bjork, Deerhunter, Shout Lulu, Joy Division, Curtis Mayfield, Joanna Newsom, Damien Jurado, Sufjan Stevens, DJ Shadow, Beastie Boys, Radiohead, Feist, The Cramps, and Pavement.

A sex column for freaks of nature

2010-03-05T13:55:00.000-06:00

On the March 3rd show, I read from a book titled "Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation". This work addresses some of the animal kingdom's burning questions about the birds and the bees. Author Olivia Judson takes on the persona of Dr. Tatiana, who answers letters from concerned organisms such as marathon-mating stick insects and gender-bending female hyenas with penis-like projections. Check out the book's website here and listen to an NPR interview with Judson here.

As for the news, we learned...

why dung beetles are so horny, and
that dog dealers days may be numbered.

Music featured included: Breaks Co-op, Feist, R.E.M., Common, Madonna, Jeff Buckley, Beck, Morphine, The Rapture, and Dr. Dog.

Trails to Gold

2010-02-27T13:56:00.000-06:00

We started of the February 24th show with talk of trail building and maintenance, which included a podcast from the Nature Conservancy's "Nature Stories" series. In this podcast, we heard from Mel, a steward of nature, who donates his time to building trails for people of all ages and physical abilities to enjoy. I shared ways in which you can help with trails around NW Arkansas, and also provided a website with tips on how to build your own trail.

In the news...

Monogamy seen in amphibians for the 1st time.
The real 'Avatar' - a superorganism here on Earth?
Male finches prefer to eat with sick companions.

Since it is the 2nd week of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, we learned about the physics of one of the most watched sports - ice skating. Later in the program, during the sound quiz, I provided hints for this week's critters by matching them up with a winter sport in which they might compete in an Animal Winter Olympics. We heard the vocalizations of the King Penguin (the luge or skeleton), Wolverine (hockey), Canada Lynx (ski jump), Tundra Swan (ice skating), and Arctic Wolf (cross country skiing).

The music featured included: Neil Young, The Chemical Brothers, Frente!, Jamiroquai, Voice of the Seven Woods, Blockhead, Songs: Ohia, Mos Def, Santigold, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Pinback, Sufjan Stevens.

Ornithology II

2010-02-27T13:03:00.000-06:00

For the February 3rd show, I featured more music from a mix that my future father-in-law, David, put together. Some of the artists included: Bert Jansch, Charles & Inez Foxx, Annie Lennox, Elvis Costello, Bobby Day, Harry Connick, Jr., and more!!

For the first installment of Ornithology, click here.

Happy Birthday NYSK!

2010-02-03T22:04:00.000-06:00

It's the 1st anniversary of NYSK and on January 27th, we celebrated by listening to various birthday songs and talking about organisms that live a loooooong time. For example, Prometheus is a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine that is estimated to be nearly 5000 years old! And in the animal world, researchers have dated a quahog clam from Iceland at 405-years-old!

All this talk of golden oldies led to the topic of aging and how it goes down in the cells. We heard a clip from the Naked Scientist Africa podcast series about how aging occurs. We also learned about negligible senescence, a phenomenon in which animals tend not to show signs of aging.

As for the news...

Running shoes protect feet, but jog joints
Is there really such thing as a mid-life crisis?
Research expedition into truth behind Japanese whaling
Fossils reveal feathers of dinosaurs were orange

Musical artists included Weird Al, The Beatles, Sonic Youth, The United States of America, Joan Baez, Azure Ray, Tortoise, Bert Jansch, Doc Watson, Caliexico, Blonde Redhead, Badly Drawn Boy, and Andrew Bird.

We finished off the night with an awesome a capella version of Toto's Africa by Perpetuum Jazzile. They make rain with their fingers and thunder with their feet!

10 Mysteries of You

2010-01-27T09:49:00.000-06:00

Is there an evolutionary explanation for why we pick our noses? How about why we laugh... or enjoy art? On the January 20th show, I shared New Scientist's 10 Things We Don't Understand About Humans, an article that suggests some hypotheses for why humans blush, are superstitious, have such an extended adolescent period, and more! A common theme among many of these explanations is the idea that these behaviors and characteristics are adaptive in some way. Although I think some of the hypotheses will likely gain support through empirical testing, it is important to point out that not all explanations in nature must come from an adaptationist's perspective. Sometimes we see characters that are maladaptive or neutral in a population, which means that they do not necessarily provide a selective advantage for the individual that possesses them. There are few cases in nature in which a singular process explains the patterns we see. It is often the job of scientists not to determine which explanation overrules the others, but to determine the relative importance of each explanation.

We ran out of time for the news in nature and sound quiz, but we heard form some great artists such as The Books, Tori Amos, Travis, Sam Cooke, Headlights, Misfits, Basement Jaxx, Grand National, Blockhead, and others.

Holy biodiversity, Batman!

2010-01-22T12:10:00.000-06:00

For the January 13th show, we wrapped up 2009 by talking about TIME's top ten new species discovered during the year. One of my favorites included Ratzilla (pictured left), a 3-foot long rat found on New Guinea. Other awesome finds were glow-in-the-dark mushrooms and the bones of the world's largest (and sadly extinct) snake, Titanoboa cerrejonensis.

As for the news, we heard about:

a natural pot-like compound that could fight obesity
a crustacean that eats wood
how a sewage leak might threaten the Buffalo National River

For the sound quiz, we listened to some creatures of the Buffalo River that might be affected by the sewage leak: Louisiana Waterthrush, Belted Kingfisher (one of my all time favortie birds!), Southern Leopard Frog, River Otter, and the Raccoon.

Artists featured included: Daft Punk, Ratatat, Can, Feist, The Microphones, TV on the Radio, The Flaming lips, Dinosaur Jr., Minuit, Robert Johnson, and a Hawk and a Hacksaw.

I'm meeeelting!

2009-12-30T09:46:00.000-06:00

Since climate change was on the minds of many around the world this week, on the December 16th show we heard a Nature Stories podcast about the effects of warming on the arctic. One of the most dramatic effects can be seen in the satellite images above. These photos show the reduction of sea ice during winter months from the years 1979 to 2007. Continuous sea ice is important habitat for many of the mammals living in the arctic, such as polar bears, seals, and foxes. We also briefly talked about some of the major goals of the UN Conference on Climate Change that took place Dec 7-18th in Copenhagen.

In the news...

A gene stops ovaries from testifying
Water-rich planet discoveed
Can an octopus use tools?
Pet frogs are a source of Salmonella

For the sound quiz, we heard vocalizations of critters of the arctic such as the arctic fox, harp seal, and caribou.

As for music, we heard from the artists: Robyn, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Damien Jurado, Weezer, The Pixies, and The Who.

Farm animal conservation? Why I never...

2009-12-11T12:28:00.000-06:00

In the December 9th show, we covered a random smattering of things, including the conservation of our farming heritage. We listened to a podcast from the Nature Conservancy series Nature Stories entitled "Philosophy of Pig". In this story, we heard from a woman who was laid off from her environmental policy job. Instead of finding a similar job, she decided to raise an endangered breed of swine called the Large Black Pig. She has found happiness in the more hands-on career switch and feels she is still working in the conservation field.

We also learned about the Christmas Bird Count, organized by the Audubon Society each December. This event offers a chance for citizens to help with a bird survey effort that has been going on for over 100 years. Each year, recreational and professional ornithologists gather all over the Americas to count bird communities, compile the data, and share the information. To get involved, contact your local Audubon Society to find trip leaders. If you live in Northwest Arkansas, visit our regional Audubon's homepage.

Here are some news stories from the week:

Male fruit flies' love for junk in the trunk might be selecting against fatter females
Backyard bird feeding in the UK might drive speciation in European Blackcaps
A way to count bird populations using only auditory footprints

No sound quiz this week, but we did learn how to identify different wood warblers by their song. We also heard from musical artists such as: Elbow, Talking Heads, The Books, The Soft Machine, Feist, The Violent Femmes, Miles Davis, Reeltime Travelers, and Andrew Bird.

Nature and the Apocalypse

2009-12-09T11:25:00.000-06:00

On the December 2nd show, I discussed several authors' takes on what life would be like for humans and nature after the apocalypse. First we talked about the new film "The Road" based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. In this story, a father and son make a journey through a post-apocalyptic world in which the sun is obscured by ash and plants and most animals have perished. Humans are pushed to their limits and have turned to cannibalism. It is a story of what humans will do to survive, both physically and emotionally.

We also heard some passages from the Kurt Vonnegut book "Galapagos". In this tale, the human population experiences a severe bottleneck event in which only a handful of fertile humans are left to continue the species after a disease renders most humans infertile. This motley crew of humans is shipwrecked on an island in the Galapagos archipelago. The story is told millions of years later from the viewpoint of ghost that inhabited the ship on which they traveled. At this point, humans have evolved to be coastal creatures that use their flippers and teeth to procure food from the ocean. As with most Vonnegut books, readers will laugh at the silliness of the characters, yet be uncomfortable with how much they can identify with their problems. For another laugh, we also heard from the comedian George Carlin who had some strong opinions on human arrogance exhibited when we try to "save the planet".

Finally, we heard an interview from the NY Times with author Alan Weisman who wrote "The World Without Us". In this book, Weisman explores how nature would take back the earth if the human population suddenly disappeared one day.

As for the news...

Your skin helps you hear!
Shoot a cyclist, get 4 months in jail.
Help pick the world's ugliest bug!

Music for this episode included: DJ Shadow, Doc Watson, Cat Stevens, M. Ward, Radiohead, Grandaddy, Islands, Mirah, and more.

Test Hiatus No More

2009-11-25T11:51:00.000-06:00

NYSK has been on hiatus for 3 weeks because I have been taking comprehensive exams for my doctoral program. The written portion is now over and I have just the oral exam left. As you can see by the posts below, I have been playing catch-up today and hopefully will be back regularly, even through the holidays.

Close the loop!

2009-11-25T11:43:00.000-06:00

Humans are trashy... it's a natural fact. In the November 4th show, we learned about some human events that should probably have their own landfill! What are humans doing to deal with all the trash we generate? We could just throw it all away, or we could take three easy steps: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse... and close the loop! You can reduce and reuse by making smart decisions when it comes to purchasing. For example, avoid products with excessive packaging (reduce) and use cloth shopping bags (reuse).

Unfortunately for recycling, the success of this effort is partially determined by the facilities and services available to citizens. The city of Fayetteville, AR (home to KXUA) has had great success with its curbside recycling program, and we talked about some of the guidelines for what exactly can be placed in the green bins. The University of Arkansas campus has an active recycling program that is now sometimes extended to cover big events, such as football games (see Recycling with the Razorbacks).

As for the news, we heard about:

a murderer with an "aggression gene" getting his sentence cut
82 healthy sea turtles hatch at SeaWorld in San Diego
fellatio in fruit bats prolongs copulation time

No sound quiz this week, but we heard from the likes of Modest Mouse, Sonic Youth, The Cramps, G. Love, Grandaddy, The Faint, Bloc Party, Trinity Roots, and more.

In nature, there are scarier things than ghosts!

2009-11-25T11:22:00.000-06:00

In the October 28th show, we learned about bark and wood boring insects such as the European Elm Bark Beetle (Scolytus multistriatus), which is nonnative to the United States. This beetle is a vector for Dutch Elm Disease (DED), caused by a fungus which is transported via the water carrying vessels (i.e. xylem) of elm trees. In response, the tree plugs up its own xylem, thus stopping the movement of the fungus, but unfortunately also blocking movement of water and nutrients. An infected tree eventually loses its leaves prematurely and experiences branch dieback. Elms are commonly planted in urban areas because of their beautiful shape, so the effects of DED are quite visible. Treatment only prolongs the life of the tree at best, so research is currently underway to develop DED-resistant elms.

There are many stories of invasive insects in the U.S. that are changing our forests. For more information on such insects, visit the Forest Pests website. One thing you can do to help prevent the spread of damaging insects, particularly those that bore into wood, is to only burn firewood in areas where it originated, i.e. don't move firewood.

We also learned about the history of pumpkin carving and heard about some recent tidbits from nature:

Naked mole rats beat cancer
Ten-foot great white shark nearly bitten in half by a twenty-foot great white shark!
Do men prefer a pretty face or a hot body?

For the sound quiz, we heard from some traditionally scary beasts such as vampire bats, screech owls, ravens, wolves, and mountain lions. Music featured included David Bowie, Aphex Twin, Mogwai, Blur, Starlight Mints, Devendra Banhart, Liz Phair, Yo La Tengo, and more!

Our pals, the pigments

2009-10-30T16:17:00.000-05:00

On the October 21st show, we learned about why leaves change color during the fall in a temperate deciduous forest. Leaves are important sites of photosynthesis during the spring and summer months. The light-absorbing pigment, chlorophyll, gives leaves their green color. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter in part because there is less water available for photosynthesis during the winter because of freezing temperatures. As the leaves senesce, the green pigment cholorphyll is broken down for its nitrogen, thus revealing accessory pigments such as carotenoids (oranges and yellows). Red is also often revealed, although these pigments (i.e. anthocyanins) are thought by some to be produced during the chlorophyll breakdown in order to protect tissues against the harmful rays of the sun - just like sunscreen! It has also been proposed that red colors may help make plants less susceptible to attack by insects.

As for the news...

The Ida fossil now thought to be only a distant relative instead of "the link"
Music benefits exercise
Vegetarian spider discovered

For the animal sound quiz, we heard from some bird species that spend their winters in the southeast United States, including the Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet (pictured right), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Dark-eyed Junco, and White-throated Sparrow.

Music featured included The Twilight Sad, Azure Ray, Vivaldi, Olivia Tremor Control, Can, Radiohead, Joan Baez, Talking Heads and more.

Whales do the darndest things!

2009-10-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

Check out what these Beluga Whales can do!!! Make sure you watch long enough to see the bubble rings. Want to know more about how and why cetaceans blow rings? Read this article from Scientific American!

Animal Bands

2009-10-08T13:12:00.000-05:00

On the September 30th show, I featured bands that love the Kingdom Animalia so much that they decided to make animals their namesake. We heard from the likes of Deerhunter, Grizzly Bear, Cat Stevens, Fruit Bats, Cat Power, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Bonobo, Deerhoof, The Mountain Goats, and The Toadies. Some of you may be thinking... hmmm... I wonder why that list is so disproportionately Class Mammalia! Well, so did I. Perhaps in future shows I will do a catalog search to come up with some bands whose names reflect Class Insecta or Aves... or maybe Subphylum Chelicerata? You can be assured that I will be doing more shows in which I focus on the music because I had a blast playing these tunes. Hope you enjoy them!

As for the news, we learned that:

Monarch butterflies rely on a chronometer in their antennae for navigation
Spiritual women have more sex
Teenage students work to reduce the effects of tinnitus, a ringing sensation in the ears

It was an unconventional show, but a lot of fun. Check out the animal bands!

UPDATE: The following week, I did another animal bands show because I had so much fun with this one. Click here for the October 7th podcast.

Turn down that racket!

2009-10-01T11:19:00.000-05:00

Inspiration for the September 23rd show came from the noise of the motorcycles that roared into Fayetteville for Bikes, Blues, and Barbecue - an annual motorcycle rally in Northwest Arkansas. I featured stories about noise pollution and its effects on wildlife... particularly that associated with roads. But it's not just automobile traffic that messes with wildlife... sonar used by seafaring vessels has been shown to wreak havoc on the navigation and health of marine mammals such as dolphins and whales.

Some interesting things were in the news...

Mystery of horned females solved?
Genetics linked to early sexual activity in kids
Rare heart transplant for a man with reversed organs
Drink now, pay later

Artists featured included: Mariee Sioux, Cake, The Pixies, Sufjan Stevens, Beck, Mylo, Islands, Ted Leo, Brian Eno, Grand National, The Mountain Goats, and America.

Most frequently quoted b.s. animal facts

2009-09-21T12:22:00.001-05:00

Truth or fiction? Unfortunately this question does not oft enter the mind of a person when blurting out some of the most frequently quoted bullsh*t animal facts. On the September 9th show, we ran through a list of these erroneous ideas as seen on cracked.com. They included the mass suicide of lemmings, bees that fly in the face of the laws aerodynamics, the old ostrich with its head in the sand bit, and more.

As for the news in nature, we covered:

US woman falls off a cliff after marriage proposal
Yawning toons make an ape gape
Bananas let off blue halos of cell death

No sound quiz this week :( Artists featured included: Rilo Kiley, The Faint, David Bowie, Eddie Vedder, Wire, Echo and the Bunnymen, Ryan Adams, Tripping Daisy, Deerhoof, Blackalicious, Calexico, and Billie Holiday.

F-I-R-E-I-N-C-A-L-I

2009-09-14T22:26:00.000-05:00

Blaze like the fires in California. Blaze like a... fire.. fire.. fire. Just like The Cure is sweeping through my brain right now, so the wildfires swept through California at the end of the summer. In the September 2nd show, we talked all about wildfire and its effects on wildlife. The chaparral ecosystem of California is particularly susceptible to out of control fires because of the hot dry conditions of late summer. So often the media focuses on the property damage caused by these wildfires. What about the turtle that cannot outrun it? Or the bird whose nest goes up in flames? Sometimes even larger animals such as deer cannot out run it, as seen in shocking photos from this video. We learned about other critters affected by fire such as salamanders and shrews from a USGS podcast.

As for the news in nature, we heard about:

the wolf hunt in Idaho
male chicks being ground up alive in egg hatcheries
making music for monkey minds

No sound quiz again :( Darn wireless internet at the station is being finicky!

Music featured included: The Cure (of course), The Decemberists, Voice of the Seven Woods, John Fahey, M. Ward, Starlight Mints, Arcade Fire, Franz Ferdinand, and Billy Bragg and Wilco.

Gone grabblin'!

2009-09-10T08:56:00.000-05:00

Forget your pole... if you want to catch the biggest, meanest catfish out there... you gotta use your hand. In the August 26th show, we heard a Nature Stories podcast out of Mississippi in which Doc Harrington describes how best to grabble.

We also listened to a recorded version of The Auklet from 1977, a lampoon publication put out by the American Ornithologists Union at their annual meeting (bird dorkdom at its finest). It included such gems as "Women's Lib. and the search for Graduate Students" and "Patience in Mistnetting by George Junkie".

In the news, They Might Be Giants have come out with a new album all about science. We heard an interview they did for Nature Podcasts. Check out their website for more news.

For the news in nature, we learned about:

prosthetics for animals (like Lucky the Turtle, right)
swapping DNA to avoid inherited diseases, and
flowers that mimic the distress pheromones of bees to attract bee-predators for pollination.

Alas, we ran out of time for the sound quiz... but we did hear from such artists as: Primus, The Books, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Blockhead, TV on the Radio, Al Green, Nat King Cole, Josh Rouse, Ratatat, The Beatles, and the Pixies. Lots of music this week!

Pygmy Marmosets Grooming at the Philly Zoo

2009-09-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

Here's a video of pygmy marmosets grooming one another at the Philadelphia Zoo. These are the smallest of the monkeys - weighing in at around 4.5 oz. They live in the rainforests of South America. An interesting things about these guys is that they are gummivores, meaning that they gouge the bark of trees with their elongated lower incisors to release sap or gum, which they then lap up. I was SO excited to see them close up because you could actually see their miniature underbites. For more on these little cuties, click here.

I just had to include the picture below to show how tiny their offspring are. These marmosets reproduce by twinning, meaning they have two offspring at a time. The young cling to their family members as the troop moves through the canopy in search of food.

A little taste of man vs. nature

2009-08-31T18:55:00.000-05:00

I wrote a little ditty for the August 19th show, and it goes something like this:

Oh Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Your trash a turtle mouth does catch
And airplanes do get in the way
Of migrating birds on their flyway
Why does man have to make
Our presence appear such a mistake?

So you might guess that we covered some ways in which man and nature collide, including the article that definitively linked the US Airways Flight 1549 crash to an air collision with Canada Geese. We also learned about some current research regarding the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is a clump of trash the size of Texas swirling in the Pacific Gyre.

As for the news in nature, we learned about:

biting back on World Mosquito Day
a bird behavior experiment that gives credit to one of Aesop's fables
a new set of twin pandas at a rescue center in China
and much more!

We spent some time listening to an awesome record of nocturnal bird vocalizations that I scored at the annual conference for the American Ornithologists' Union in Philadelphia. To carry on the theme, the sound quiz was all about owls like the Great-horned Owl and the Northern Saw-whet Owl... my favorite! You should google images for this owl for some seriousness cuteness.

And your mouse can sing

2009-08-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

La-te-da! For the July 29th show, we heard from animals that you might not typically think of as being big noise makers. For example, did you know that mice can sing? Oh yes... of course you did. Ever wonder why? If you've learned anything from listening to this show, you probably guessed it's sex. Well... you're right!

Another oddball in the noisy animal world is the midshipman, a fish that vibrates its swimbladder to attracts mates. Hear what one sounds like at npr.org or watch video here.

We also talked about how to get rid of pesky animals in a friendly way by visiting a webpage for how to get rid of things. I recommended visiting the site Bird-X for gear and tips for getting rid of nuisance birds specifically.

As for the news in nature, we learned how:

For our animal sound quiz, we heard from midshipman, singing mice, a pika, a bonefish, and a back-swimming congo catfish.

Music featured included The Wrens, Bert Jansch, PJ Harvey, Pavement, Paul McGrattan, Joanna Newsom, The United States of America, Modest Mouse, Catfish Haven, and Animal Collective.

Ornithology I

2009-08-05T15:48:00.000-05:00

Deviating a bit from the usual show, on July 22nd I featured music provided by my future father-in-law, David Peeples. He called the mix 'Ornithology I' because each of the songs has something to do with birds.

Artists included: Jerry Douglas, The Everly Brothers, Tom Leher, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Leon Russell, and more! Check out the links for samples of the music, or check out the entire show for one big serving of bird.

Herp-mania!

2009-08-05T15:33:00.001-05:00

For the July 8th show, I had a James Van Dyke, a graduate student in the Biological Sciences Department, join me in the studio for a chat about issues concerning invasive reptiles in the United States. We also touched on how pesticides used by your local "bug-man" could harm non-target animals such as lizards.

As for the news in nature, I featured the following articles:

Cancer DOES discriminate
Human sperm created by British scientists (although you should check out this follow-up)
Center for Biological Diversity suing EPA over pesticides in polar bears

As for the sound quiz, we heard from the likes of alligators, rattlesnakes, frogs, and toads.

Music featured included Matt Pond PA, Jose Gonzalez, Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, and Mirah.

Mayfly + Herbie = Bacon

2009-07-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

That equation makes no sense you might say... but if you give a listen to the July 1st show, it will all become clear. I had a special guest in Pablo Andres Bacon, a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas. He studies mayflies and their habitat here in Arkansas. He spoke to us about his project as well as his love for Herbie Hancock. We got to hear a lot from Herbie, including how he believes women are as delicate as butterflies.

As for the news in nature we learned about evolution heating up in the tropics and how salamanders keep from regrowing tails where their arms should be.

For the sound quiz, we covered the realm of crickets. Including the confused ground cricket pictured here. For more on singing insects of North America, visit this website.

Music featured included: Curtis Mayfield, Neil Young, The Maybelles, Elvis Perkins, Belle and Sebastian, and of course... Mr. Hancock himself.

Are ya hungry?

2009-06-30T13:26:00.000-05:00

For the June 24th show, we talked about some questionably delectable dishes from the natural world. Could I interest you in a spot of blood? If you were a tick... you would say "Yes, please"! Ticks are a part of summer if you spend time in the woods of Arkansas. Just coming back from the field... I can say that I've had many ticks try to make a meal of me recently. Some have succeeded... others have met my friend the lighter. Whether you're a friend or foe of ticks, you have to admit that they are persistent and well-adapted little buggers. The folks at Living Healthy podcasts agreed.

Another "tasty" treat we featured were aquatic turtles... although I'll say right now that I'm not a fan of freshwater turtle harvests. But... apparently there are those who are because the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission recently shot down a propos al to ban freshwater turtle harvests for commercial purposes. What does this mean for our fine, scaled friends? That's just the problem... we don't know! We don't know how populations of Arkansas turtles are doing right now... which makes frequent harvesting a dangerous idea.

Stories featured in the news in nature included a study with evidence that suggests birds did not descend directly from reptiles, the big C in animal populations, and a 35,000 year old flute found in Germany.

For the sound quiz, we heard a random smattering of creatures from our stories of the day: tortugas making sweet love, beluga whales, elephants, canaries, and Stephen Colbert, Jr. (aka a Bald Eagle).

Music featured included: Devendra Banhart, The Knife, The Cure, Radiohead, Calexico, Tortoise, Johnny Cash, James Brown, and Aphex Twin.

Back in the saddle again.

2009-06-22T09:05:00.000-05:00

Nature You Should Know is back this week - same day, DIFFERENT TIME. For the summer, we'll be on Wednesday nights 8-10pm CST.

Tune in this week for discussions on ticks and aquatic turtles and dinosaur-birds, oh my!

In the field and out of touch

2009-05-16T11:58:00.000-05:00

I'm officially in the field doing my research on the effects of forest disturbance (e.g. fire, ice, oak decline) on breeding birds of the Ozarks. I regret that I wasn't able to post decent summaries of my final three shows before the break, but with family visits, graduations, and field prep... somehow I didn't find time. I will post the links to the shows now and hopefully get a chance to write standard recaps once I return to the world of technology. For now, it's all birds, vegetation, and arthropods for Mojo!

April 22nd: Earth Day Extravaganza

April 29th: 100% Pure New Zealand

May 6th: Baby's on Fire

"I love you" - Them's fightin' words

2009-04-29T21:17:00.000-05:00

Love is in the air, and so is hate! On the April 15th show, we talked about the aggression that is born of the mating season. Many animals, like these male elephant seals, battle it out to secure mating rights to females. Often we see this combat in polygamous mating systems - where one male mates with many females.

It's thought that some animals have evolved elaborate visual, auditory, and olfactory displays as a strategy for avoiding costly conflicts. For example, through singing loudly and visibly from perches, male songbirds broadcast their presence to both males seeking their own territories and females searching for a mate. Lions rub their scent on trees and rocks to alert neighboring lions of their presence. Think of it as putting up a "No Trespassing" sign.

So do the ladies really just care about the biggest baddest boy on the block? Well, a male can woo a female in other ways. For example, male chimps have been shown to barter burgers for bonks. And in one ant species, the females have sworn off men completely!

For the sound quiz, we heard from some of these aggressive males: lions, elephant seals, chimps, moose, and the more showy peacock.

Music featured included John Fahey, Tony Trischka, The Appleseed Cast, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, The New Pornographers, PJ Harvey, Pajo, and Marvin Gaye.

Great horny toads, and horny frogs for that matter!

2009-04-15T20:53:00.000-05:00

For the April 1st show, we focused on the sounds and trials of frogs, toads, and other amphibians. First we heard from Nature Stories in an archived piece called Frogs on the Road.

Good news for froggers (is that what the people are called who like to compile lists of frog species they've seen in the wild?) - new species of frogs found in Papua New Guinea! This photo is of a green tree frog discovered (Genus Nyctimystes). This warrants an emoticon :D

I also played a wee joke on my listeners... it was April Fool's after all. I featured the following video clip, pretending that I was a believer. Of course, anyone familiar with the Onion knows better.

Then we busted the recently born myth that spider bites can cure paralysis. Where were these people's editors?

Other topics discussed: skewed sex ratios in the tropics and trouble for scientists in Madagascar.

The weekly sound quiz was all frogs and toads of course! The eastern narrowmouth toad goes out to my boy, Jason. His love of this toad was the inspiration for this show.

Some music featured included Mirah, Vivaldi, America (Last Unicorn Soundtrack, that's right!), Doc Watson, Tom Vek, Blur, the Police, the Flaming Lips, the Faint, and Dana Falconberry

Take a hike!

2009-04-07T16:51:00.000-05:00

Oh Spring Break, how I wish I could have enjoyed you like so many other students. Alas, I was tied to my duties as teacher and researcher that week. I did, however, feature outdoor recreation during the March 18th show, because if I can't go play outside, I'm at least gonna talk about it!

First off, we covered some of the fantastic hikes you can do in Northwest Arkansas. Find out more at hikearkansas.com. Some of my favs include the Buffalo River Trail, Lost Valley, Cecil Cove Loop, and Whittaker Point.

We also learned about how to build a shelter of leaves from Gimme Shelter, a Nature Stories podcast, and heard about how to follow some of core principles of Leave No Trace ethics.

As usual, we ended the show with the weekly sound quiz, which featured mammals of Arkansas. Download the podcast linked to the date above and see if you can figure out which mammals are making the vocalizations!

Most Underrated Predators

2009-04-03T10:50:00.000-05:00

It's all fun and games until someone loses a throat! On the March 4th show, we covered the top 10 underrated predators as seen on AskMen.com.

Dolphins were #10, so we spent some time learning about their vocalizations from the Dolphin Communication Project and then we heard a song about the diversity of dolphin species out there.

We ended with the domestic house cat, which most people tend to ignore when it comes to identifying vicious predators... which is exactly why they make this list. Most people explain away their killing rampages as natural, and therefore justified. But here's the deal... most domestic cats kill for shits and giggles... not because they need to eat (excluding the strays of course). And their human owners enable this killing by letting them roam outside. If you care about wildlife (e.g. backyard birds, moles, snakes, etc.) then you'll keep the killers inside. Besides, vets and the Humane Society recommend it for their health anyway.

Animal Oscars and the Battle of the Mammae!

2009-03-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

For the February 25th show, I awarded Oscars to the best actors and actresses in the animal kingdom. Among the winners were female gorillas for their strategies in tricking males into thinking they're the baby-daddy. The superb lyre bird was awarded best actor for his ability to mimic sounds, both natural and unnatural. We also heard about some of the animals in the world that blow Octamom's birthing abilities out of the water! Go tailess tenrec and naked mole rats!

Learning to fly

2009-03-04T14:42:00.001-06:00

'Nature You Should Know' is off the ground and flying, although it is more like a fledgling songbird than a soaring turkey vulture just yet! I've had a lot of fun getting the show organized each week, but I've also realized that it is more work than I expected. So the blog has suffered from lack of posts, but that should be changing soon! I can fly for short distances now... at least far enough to escape predation.

Podcasts of the past few shows are available through mediafire. Here's the special on Darwin, who celebrated his 200th birthday on February 12th. And here's the show from February 18th, which featured the topics: acute mountain lion denial syndrome in Arkansas, a super long snake discovered in the tropics, and cloacal breathing in bog turtles!

More to come soon! Listen tonight from 6-8pm on kxua.com

Birth of a Show

2009-01-06T12:19:00.000-06:00

I'm a fan of nature. So much of one, that it's my career. I'm also a fan of music. So much of one, that I'm a radio dj. So I've decided to start a radio show that marries these two interests.

Starting January 14th, DJ Mojo of KXUA 88.3 FM will be doing a show with the title of this blog. If you're in the northwest Arkansas region, you can tune in over the airwaves. If you're out of reach, then check out kxua.com to listen online. The show will run throughout the spring semester of 2009 every Wednesday night from 6-8pm.

I am open to suggestions for show themes, natural sound recordings (biotic and abiotic), and comments on the show. Please feel free to contact me anytime!