BBC Earth Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Superpowers Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

Rutendo and Sebastian get to indulge their passions for nature AND superheroes, as they look at real-life superpowers in nature.

Rutendo explores how these superpowers inspire fictional worlds and heroes with Mike McHargue, a science advisor/world builder for film and television. Mike helps writers and film-makers integrate accurate and consistent science into their stories, and together he and Rutendo invent a brand new superhero.

Rats seem unlikely superheroes but in Tanzania they’re being trained to save lives. Their acute sense of smell means they can detect landmines, and sniff out illegal wildlife being trafficked in shipping containers. We drop in on their training at non-profit organisation, APOPO.

Sebastian’s favourite superhero is Spiderman, whose spider-sense gives him advance warning of impending danger. This superpower is used every day by real spiders whose special leg hairs can sense vibrations. Web-building spiders use this superpower to build a mental map of the world around them by detecting and decoding the tiny vibrations created by anything that touches their web. Through a special program designed by experts at MIT, we hear a digital version of this experience, turning the web into a musical instrument with thousands of unique notes.

Credits:

The BBC Earth podcast is presented by Sebastian Echeverri and Rutendo Shackleton.

This episode was produced by Rachel Byrne and Geoff Marsh.

The researcher was Seb Masters.

The Production Manager was Catherine Stringer and the Production Co-ordinator was Gemma Wootton.

Podcast Theme Music was composed by Axel Kacoutié, with mixing and additional sound design by Peregrine Andrews.

The Associate Producer is Cristen Caine and the Executive Producer is Deborah Dudgeon.

Special thanks to:

Isabelle Szott, Lily Shallom & Said Mshana from APOPO and producer Charles Kombe for the recordings.

Science consultant Mike McHargue from Quantum Spin Studios.

Markus Buehler from MIT for providing the spider web soundscape.

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Safari Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

You don’t need to be on an African Savanna to enjoy a safari. Rutendo and Sebastian explore how to have a nature adventure wherever you are.

On the isle of Bute in Scotland, Nature Instagrammer Lucy Lapwing takes us on an immersive walk through her local woodland. It’s a wonderfully damp, fresh day, and the forest is dripping with lichen and bright lime green moss as Lucy points out local birds and wildlife.

Rutendo and Sebastian go in search of spiders in Bristol, and with the ingenious use of an electric toothbrush, tempt a rather large specimen out of a city wall.

Their special guest is Eric Stonestreet, the Emmy award-winning actor best known for playing Cameron Tucker in the ABC mockumentary sitcom Modern Family. A huge nature-fan, Eric describes some of his favourite animal encounters.

And finally, we hear how patience and stillness are key to noticing the amazing nature all around us, as sound recordist Melissa Pons shares some of her haunting recordings of wolves in Portugal.

Credits

The BBC Earth podcast is presented by Sebastian Echeverri and Rutendo Shackleton .

This episode was produced by Rachel Byrne and Geoff Marsh.

The researchers were Seb Masters and Dawood Quereshi.

The Production Manager was Catherine Stringer, the Production Co-ordinator was Gemma Wootton, and the Project Co-ordinator was Linda Barber.

Podcast Theme Music was composed by Axel Kacoutié, with mixing and additional sound design by Peregrine Andrews.

The Associate Producer is Cristen Caine and the Executive Producer is Deborah Dudgeon.

Special thanks to…

Interviewee Eric Stonestreet.

Lucy Lapwing for her report from the Isle of Bute.

Field recordist Melissa Pons for the wolf soundscape.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Series trailer Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

Each week the BBC Earth podcast brings you entertainment, humour, an abundance of amazing animal stories and unbelievable unheard sounds. Explore the world of animals with superpowers, deep dive into death, hear from heroes passionately protecting the planet and get expert insights into corners of the natural world you’ve never explored before.

Hosted by zoologists Rutendo Shackleton and Sebastian Echeverri, each episode features special guests including the world’s most respected scientists and naturalists, stars of film and television, nature Instagrammers and more.

Listen, laugh and learn – whether you’re a nature lover, nature curious or haven’t yet realised nature is for you, there’ll be a story here to captivate your ears.

Credits

The BBC Earth podcast is presented by Sebastian Echeverri and Rutendo Shackleton.
This episode was produced by Rachel Byrne and Geoff Marsh.
The researchers were Seb Masters and Dawood Quereshi.
The Production Manager was Catherine Stringer, the Production Co-ordinator was Gemma Wootton, and the Project Co-ordinator was Linda Barber.
Podcast Theme Music was composed by Axel Kacoutié, with mixing and additional sound design by Peregrine Andrews.
The Associate Producer is Cristen Caine and the Executive Producer is Deborah Dudgeon.

Special thanks to...

Simon Watt
Mamadou Ndiaye
Paula Kahumbu
Tarun Nayar
Lucy Lapwing
Steve Simpson

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finding what doesn't want to be found Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

In the final episode of series 4, we’re digging into some of the more elusive corners of our planet.

To begin, we’re on a bear hunt deep in the Bornean rainforest. Guiding us is Siew Te Wong, who is the world’s foremost authority on a bear we know very little about. The sun bear is the smallest bear in the world and, as Wong has discovered for himself, tracking them can draw up some unexpected discoveries.

Next we’re turning our attention upwards, to the sky at night. Or, to be more precise, to the sounds that come from it. Magnus Robb explores what birdsong can tell us about the extraordinary migration routes of these animals.

To end, we sit still to see the visible changes over time to our glaciers. Using past and present technology, Kieran Baxter brings to life some of the unprecedented declines in our natural world.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you…

Website: www.bbcearth.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bbcearth/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbcearth/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bbcearth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saving the world's rarest marine mammal Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we’re delving into the topic of extinction. We'll be finding out about some of the animals who are critically endangered, meeting the people trying to rescue them, and exploring species who may be able to make miraculous comebacks.

Perhaps one of the most endangered species is the vaquita, a small sea mammal with a population of less than 20. We hear from some extraordinary people weathering threats and tragedies in an attempt to bring these ‘pandas of the ocean’ back from the brink.

According to US Department of Agriculture researcher, Dr Samuel Ramsey, every discovery is built upon a discovery that came before it. Yet some of those discoveries can be found in the most unexpected of places. For Samuel, understanding his father’s health issues provided the key to discovering why honeybee populations are on the decrease.

And to finish, we’re asking one of the biggest questions in paleontology: how did birds evolve from dinosaurs? To help us explore this topic, we’ve got the help of Jingmai O’Connor whose work in China has helped shed light on the distant link between the extinct dinosaur and ballooning bird populations.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you…

Website: www.bbcearth.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bbcearth/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbcearth/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bbcearth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The artists of the animal kingdom Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we’re displaying the most impressive artists of the animal kingdom. From tiny visual masterpieces, to animals that can dance to a beat, we’re shining a spotlight on the art that can be found in nature.

Deep in the Amazon rainforest, there’s a tiny structure that (if you’re able to spot it) catches your eye. The intricate silk henge is a mini masterpiece, and for some time nobody could say exactly what it was or why it existed. Phil Torres takes us on his journey of discovery and demystification.

Next we’re exploring whether animals can dance to a beat and, if so, why? To help us try and answer that, we hear from Henkjan Honing, professor of Music Cognition at the University of Amsterdam.

Finally, we turn our attention to Northern Australia’s great bowerbird. What can the males' elaborate constructions teach us about perspective?

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you…

Website: www.bbcearth.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bbcearth/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbcearth/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bbcearth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I became part of a lionesses family Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

While nature is full of beauty and wonder, it also has a deadly side. In this episode, we're getting a brush with death and exploring how nature can be both a source of comfort and a source of danger.

Prosanta Chakrabarty spends his time studying different species of fish in some of the world's most hostile spots. He leads us into a deep, dark cave in Madagascar where he and his team didn't just discover a new species, but also discovered a new illness.

We’ll be introduced to the unlikely ‘assassins of the sea’: cone snails. Mande Holford explains how these extraordinary creatures can both kill and cure us.

And finally, we hear how a lioness chose to share her most intimate moments of life and death with African wildlife expert, Gareth Patterson.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you…

Website: www.bbcearth.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bbcearth/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbcearth/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bbcearth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What the deep ocean can teach us about life Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

We’re exploring the parts of our world that require us to look a little deeper. From the depths of our oceans to the canopies that grace our skylines, we’ll be venturing into unfamiliar pockets of nature with the people who have carved a life out of choosing to study the things that many of us can’t see.

First up, we meet Matthew Doogue who finds solace in capturing small things. He tells us how photographing the tiniest creatures has helped him find a greater sense of happiness.

We also travel to the bottom of the ocean, and discover how even in the most extreme environments fragments of life persist. What can this alien environment teach us about life’s limits and extraordinary capabilities?

And finally we head upwards into the canopies of trees with ecologist Nalini Nadkarni. She invites us to to experience canopy life, and reflects upon what it can teach us about relationships and recovery.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you…

Website: www.bbcearth.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bbcearth/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbcearth/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bbcearth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The desert rocks that 'sing' Mar 14, 2021

Show notes

We’re exploring the boundary between our world and the world of myth, mysticism, and magic. We’ll discover how some of the customs and practices from our ancient ancestors continue to influence our relationship with the natural world today.

To begin, we’re opening our ears to some of the sounds of the natural world and the inanimate objects that produce them. On a trip to Serengeti, Jahawi stumbled across rocks which, when hit by another type of rock, produced different sounds. He leads us into the world of the rocks that ‘sing’.

The Baka are one of the oldest hunter gatherer societies in the world. They’re physically and spiritually connected to the forests they inhabit. This connection runs so deep that they believe their top hunters have the ability to experience the world from another animal’s point of view.

And in South Africa she’s known as the ‘frog lady’, but Dr Jeanne Tarrant didn’t always love them. Like many others, she grew up scared of frogs. Now, however, she works tirelessly to protect them, which includes dispelling some surprising myths that continue to put the lives of these amphibians at risk.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you…

Website: www.bbcearth.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bbcearth/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbcearth/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bbcearth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The man-made forest that led to extinction Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

There are few places on our planet that have not in some way been shaped by humans. We’re looking at how, for better or worse, we’ve made a mark on our world, and whether it’s possible to escape the influence of us.

To begin, we travel to Aldabra - an idyllic coral atoll in the Indian ocean. It’s one of the most remote places in the world, home to giant tortoises and very little human intrusion. Yet even in this largely uninhabited spot, traces of humanity can be found.

Next we’ll be exploring an island far away from anywhere else, right in the middle of the Atlantic. Ascension Island is an arid landscape. But it’s also home to a lush man-made tropical forest. What lessons can we learn from one of humanity’s largest ever landscaping projects?

To finish, we’ll hear from journalist Judith D. Schwartz. She explains how human influence - even that thousands of years in the making - has and can be reversed.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you…

To find out more about David Attenborough’s stunning natural world series, A Perfect Planet, visit the BBC Earth website: bbcearth.com

Website: www.bbcearth.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bbcearth/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbcearth/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bbcearth

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.