Tag Nature

These stories celebrate the world’s incredible natural wonders. From breathtaking landscapes to the tiniest creatures on Earth, the natural world has the power to remind us it’s still an amazing world.

12 min read

Image: A sloth hanging from a tree in Costa Rica

Creating a Safer World for Urban Sloths, One Photo at a Time

In Costa Rica, a collaboration between conservation and photography is having a profoundly positive impact on the growing dangers faced by one of our slowest furry friends, helping the country remain one of the few places in the world where sloths are not endangered.

7 min read

These Tiny Wooden Robots are a Future Forest Falling From the Sky!

Get ready to discover your new favorite (well, maybe second favorite) corkscrew! The best scientific breakthroughs are often inspired by nature, and today we’re exploring a game-changing innovation that was inspired by nature, for nature. Prepare to be wowed as we propel ourselves deep into the origins of a new self-seeding robot that is tackling deforestation from the sky above!

56 min listen

You Can Transform Your Outrage into Action: The Proof Is In This Elephant Plushie with Kristina McKean (Episode #155)

Kristina McKean has a story that demonstrates exactly why we should not wait to start building lives of meaning and purpose. Kristina found a way to take the skills of her working life and combine them with her lifelong passion for animal welfare. Now, she finds joy every day in her work and the impact it’s having on wildlife and a new generation of very young philanthropists through her work at The Elephant Project.

5 min read

Image: Humpback whales waving with their tails at some swimmers.

Whales Have Viral Music, Too!

Did you know humpback whales have viral songs, too? Just like us, humpback whales love a catchy new tune. From Australia all the way to Ecuador, viral whale songs are taking over the ocean. This astonishing discovery is changing how we see whales and ourselves in the natural world.

16 min read

Your Local Bees Need a Place to Stay: Shifting Spotlight to Native Bees Near You

The honey bee came to America with European colonialists, and has stolen the show in bee conservation. 4,000 other bee species have been calling America home for far longer, and are vital to the health of the American biosphere. Our local bees need our help too—and here’s how you can be their eco-hero!

5 min read

Image: A woman wearing a snorkel treading in the water at sunset, much like the VR do when spotting sharks for surfers in Réunion.

Shark Spotters: The Safety Team Working the World’s Best Waves

Deep in the Indian Ocean sits the island of Réunion, a French department that finds itself along the “shark highway” and is notorious for its encounters, yet famous for its waves straight out of a surfer’s dream. So, how can surfers and sharks peacefully coexist? As always, there’s a solution to the problem. Introducing: Réunion Island’s shark spotters!

18 min read/watch

Image: Glowing feathers of a Nicobar Pigeon at Birdworld in Kuranda, Australia displaying their iridescence.

Feathers, Puddles, and Bugs: The Science Behind Iridescence in Nature

If you’ve ever scratched your head wondering why the shimmering plumage of a peacock is so mesmerizing, or became hypnotized by the colors in a dragonflies wings and wished you knew why, you’re in luck! Read on as we discover the mystifying physics behind one of nature’s most beautiful visual tricks.

10 min read

Image: Five Ocean Sole artisans standing with a large rhino, made entirely of recycled flip flops.

Kenyan Nonprofit Turns Flip Flops into Beautiful Works of Art, Cleaning Beaches and Empowering Communities

In sculptures made of flip flops that you have to see to believe featuring turtles, elephants, zebras, life-size giraffes, and many, many more, Kenyan nonprofit Ocean Sole’s artistic ingenuity solves more than one problem. Turning trash into treasure, this organization cleans Kenyan beaches, provides jobs for local artisans, and raises awareness for our flip flop problem, all at the same time. Ready to feast your eyes on this incredible art?

5 min read

Image: Normal cells of human connective tissue in culture at a magnification of 500x.

Unveiling Hidden Beauty: 17 Microscopic Wonders You Need to See Today

Join us on a short journey to a fascinating yet underappreciated world that exists all around us: the microscopic world. Tiny as it may be, this shockingly awe-inspiring world occupies more of Earth than we ever will.

5 min read

Image: One of the organization's ferrets poking its head out of a pipe.

Ferrets: History’s Most Helpful Cable Guys

You may think of them as a stinky pet, but ferrets are truly talented critters! Read on to see what sets them apart from other mammals, and how they have been helping us humans out of tight spots for over 2000 years!

55 min listen

Your Backyard at Night: What the Critters Can Teach Us with Topher White (Episode #135)

This chat with conservation innovator Topher White will give you a feeling of celebration and wonder. In 2013, he created the ingenious Rainforest Connection, a nonprofit which is helping to preserve biodiversity in 34 countries and counting. And now, he is launching another pioneering technology! But this time, it’s one we can all bring to our own backyards, neighborhoods, and even on vacation. All of that, in the service of making a personal connection with the natural world around us, in fascinating and delightful ways.

61 min listen

APOPO’s Highly Trained Rats Could Save Your Life with Dr. Cindy Fast (Episode #131)

Dr. Cindy Fast tells us about the fascinating and groundbreaking work of an organization in Africa that has realized the potential in a common local animal, and turned it from “pest” to “hero.” Remarkable gains in landmine clearing, stopping the spread of tuberculosis, and even search and rescue techniques are being made… all from the discovery of a novel partnership: one between humans and… African giant pouched rats! Listen in to learn about the fantastic work of nonprofit, APOPO.

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