The Year In Science, 2010

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

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

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

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.

Braaaaaaaaains

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

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!

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!