Looking to escape the headlines and stressors of daily life? I sure was last evening, and I found this gem of a podcast dating back to 2016 from WNYC Studio’s Radiolab. For those not familiar with it, Radiolab is an award-winning podcast that uses investigative radio to make science more accessible and engaging. And it’s fun. It’s available on public radio stations and iTunes, and hundreds of podcasts are archived at https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab.
In this podcast, hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich transport us into the mysterious, bustling world beneath the forest floor with a forestry professor and her childhood dog, a science writer and more personalities. I was expecting to learn a few curious facts about my favorite place, the forest; and I did. But there is so much more within this story — so many connections and reminders relevant to the pandemic and our societal response to it. I was looking for an escape, but I found a little bit of hope.
Have a listen. - Jennifer Brockway, Outreach Coordinator
Radiolab!
From Tree to Shining Tree
Radiolab, July 30, 2016
“A forest can feel like a place of great stillness and quiet. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s a hidden world beneath your feet as busy and complicated as a city at rush hour.
In this story, a dog introduces us to a strange creature that burrows beneath forests, building an underground network where deals are made and lives are saved (and lost) in a complex web of friendships, rivalries, and business relations. It’s a network that scientists are only just beginning to untangle and map, and it’s not only turning our understanding of forests upside down, it’s leading some researchers to rethink what it means to be intelligent.”
Produced by Annie McEwen and Brenna Farrell. Special Thanks to Latif Nasser, Stephanie Tam, Teresa Ryan, Marc Guttman, and Professor Nicholas P. Money at Miami University.
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blog post cover photo, J Brockway August 5, 2019 at Yankee Woodlot Demonstration Forest, Skowhegan