Ask Sam: Trichomes, Bug Hair, Bug Tumors & Mollusk Shells

November 21, 2018 by Taylor Quimby

Ask Sam: that special time when scientists worldwide cringe as Sam & the team speculate wildly on a diverse range of topics before picking up the phone to call in the real experts.

This time, we've got another hirsute mystery: Are insect and plant hairs also made from the magical (seeming) protein called keratin? Also, do bugs get cancer? And which came first: the chachalaca (not a typo) or the turkey? And finally, why do ocean mollusks have tougher shells than their freshwater comrades?

The Meat Matrix

November 08, 2018 by Taylor Quimby

Listener feedback is a big part of working in radio and podcasting. We try to look for the lesson in every critical email, phone call, or tweet (even the cranky ones). However, there is one listener who has probably gotten in touch with producers at New Hampshire Public Radio more than any other - a vegan advocate named Laura Slitt.

So Over Population [Parts I & II]

October 11, 2018 by Guest User

Today, we’re talking about population. How it went from being on the front pages of our newspapers and all over late night television to being the issue that you’ll only hear from out of the mouth of a comic book super-villain.

Look Toward the Dawn

September 27, 2018 by Guest User in Pursuits, Middle School

This week, the results of our contest from last week. And a chance to revisit one of our favorite stories from two years ago.

This Isn't Science, It's a Love Story

September 13, 2018 by Guest User

While this show is often about serious stuff, it’s hard to be serious all the time. Often our ideas meetings turn into total chaos when one of us starts shouting our favorite facts about our favorite animals. So rather than fight this tendency, we’re leaning in.

Shrunk and Punk'd

August 30, 2018 by Guest User

News flash: men aren't the only people who enjoy the outdoors. No sh*#, right? But the outdoor gear industry has only recently started to realize that there are more people wanting high quality gear than traditionally fit white men. Today, with Nancy podcast co-host Kathy Tu, we're digging in to the fraught relationship between the gear industry and gender.

The Sky is Burning

August 17, 2018 by Guest User in Episodes, Podcast

Last week we told you about boring wildfires. This week, what its like to be right in the middle of a decidedly *not* boring fire. And the fires that have been in the news are decidedly not boring.

10x10: Pine Barren

August 02, 2018 by Guest User

Another year… another record-breaking wildfire season. Thanks to climate change the fire season now starts sooner and ends later. Scientists also say climate change will make lightning more frequent, and winds more powerful… basically the world is a tinderbox.
But what if I told you that maybe the problem with all these big, out of control fires was *not enough* fire.

Loser Wolves: A Cat Fancy

July 19, 2018 by Justine Paradis in What is Wilderness

Bengal cat is an attempt to preserve the image of a leopard in the body of a house cat… using a wild animal’s genes, while leaving out the wild animal personality. But is it possible to isolate the parts of a wild animal that you like, and forgo the parts that you don’t?

Can you have your leopard rosette, and your little cat too?

Molto Moleche

July 05, 2018 by Guest User

It took 200 years of dealing with with the invasive European green crab before American scientists finally decided to head back to the source. And when they did, they discovered that the invasive scourge of our estuaries is a straight up Italian delicacy.