Constant Wonder

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This Party's Dead Aug 31, 2022

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In some cultures, the dead are regularly exhumed and carried about in celebration. Why, in the West, are we so much more somber about death and dead bodies? And what can we learn from the carnival atmosphere at many death festivals? Guests: Erica Buist, author of "This Party’s Dead: Grief, Joy and Spilled Rum at the World’s Death Festivals" Website: https://ericabuist.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericabuist/ Victoria Finlay, author of "Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World" Website: https://victoriafinlay.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriafinlaywriter/?hl=en 00:00:00 - Why We Should Celebrate Death 00:43:01 - Fly Fishing Rods and Funerary Fabrics

How Can You Reforest the Desert Without Planting a Single Tree? Aug 24, 2022

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Tony Rinaudo arrived in Africa optimistic that his tree-planting efforts would reverse the damages of deforestation and drought. His efforts failed abysmally, but one day he stumbled on a solution that had been right at his feet the whole time. His new methods have led to the regeneration of more than 200 million trees in Niger alone. Guest: Tony Rinaudo, author of "The Forest Underground: Hope for a Planet in Crisis" and Principal Climate Action Advisor for World Vision International

Have You Heard the Buzz? Why We Need Pollinators Aug 17, 2022

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Have you heard the buzz about pollinators? Bees, butterflies, wasps, and even some flies live fascinating lives and play critical roles in our ecosystems. Come learn why we should make more room for pollinators in our yards and how to do it. Guests: Rachel Taylor, Founder of Utah Friends of Monarchs Joseph (Joe) Wilson, Associate Professor of Biology, Utah State University; co-author of several books, including "Common Bees of Eastern North America" and "The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees" Want to learn more about your pollinators? Visit Bees in Your Backyard's website for more fun facts: https://www.beesinyourbackyard.com/

ARCHIVE BONUS: Pho-nomenal! Aug 10, 2022

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An exploration of delectable foods and the people who make them: Pho is delicious and nutritious, one of the best comfort foods. Learn some tips for making your own pho at home. Every week, 400,000 food lovers wait anxiously for a new video about pasta from their favorite YouTubers: authentic Italian grandmothers. And, St. Vith, Belgium is home to the only sourdough library in the world—they are dedicated to preserving and researching sourdough for current and future generations. Guests: Andrea Nguyen, cooking teacher, editor, consultant, and author of "Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors" and "The Pho Cookbook: Easy to Adventurous Recipes for Vietnam's Favorite Soup and Noodles” Vicky Bennison, creator of “Pasta Grannies” YouTube channel Karl De Smedt, Sourdough Librarian at Puratos Sourdough Library, St. Vith, Belgium

Where Is Hope? Towns Rebuild Their "Lifescapes" After Disaster Strikes Aug 03, 2022

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When widespread disaster strikes, survivors lose not just their homes and belongings, they also can lose their "lifescape": their relationships with their neighbors, the places they frequent daily, their support systems. Meet some survivors from around the world who have held on to their lifescapes with creativity and tenacity. From out of the rubble, stories of inspiration and hope. Guests: Lucy Easthope, author of "When the Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster" Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whenthedustsettleslucy/?hl=en Marc Mattox, Public Works Director and Town Engineer for the City of Paradise, CA Jeff Marcus, retired principal and former special teams football coach at Paradise High School Rick Printz, retired head football coach from Paradise High School Josh Alvies, former player and current JV football coach at Paradise High School

Summer Shorts: Adventure Stories Jul 27, 2022

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Travel with us to otherworldly places, both beautiful and strange. You may never get to see these places in person, but we'll take you there: volcanoes in space, the tips of the mighty redwoods, the sunken Titanic. We've mined our archives for breathtaking adventure stories. Guests: Richard Preston, author of "The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring" Website: https://richard-preston.net/about/ Robin George Andrews, author of "Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond" Website: https://robingeorgeandrews.com/ Palani Mohan, author of "Hunting with Eagles in the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs" Website: https://www.palanimohan.com/ Kerry McCauley, author of "Ferry Pilot: Nine Lives over the North Atlantic" Website: https://kerrymccauley.com/ Doug Peacock, author of "Was it Worth It? A Wilderness Warrior's Long Trail Home" Website: https://dougpeacock.net/

The Sun Can Heal the Planet Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

Brilliant Planet, founded by an enthusiastic dreamer who has always believed in the power of photosynthesis, borrows a simple process from nature to produce food and sequester carbon. And, an ocean farm that needs no seeds, no fertilizer, no fresh water, no LAND. Through the non-profit GreenWave, its farmer teaches his competitors how do it, too. Guests: Raffael Jovine, Founder and Chief Scientist, Brilliant Planet; author of "How Light Makes Life: The Hidden Wonders and World-Saving Powers of Photosynthesis" Bren Smith, Co-Founder of Greenwave; author of "Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer" Photo credit: Brilliant Planet Interested in regenerative ocean farming? Visit Greenwave's website to learn more about their work and ways to get involved: https://www.greenwave.org/

What Makes a City Great? Featuring: Top of Mind Jul 13, 2022

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Constant Wonder is giving listeners a sneak peak of another BYUradio show, Top of Mind. Millions of Americans move each year in search of a better house, neighborhood, job, or quality of life. Is leaving the only way to live some place better? What would it take for an imperfect place to become your perfect match? Today we crisscross the country and check in with Top of Mind listeners about what makes a city great. Guests: Majora Carter, author of “Reclaiming your Community” Jim and Deb Fallows, co-authors of “Our Town: A Journey into the Heart of America” Melody Warnick, author of “This Is Where You Belong” and “If You Could Live Anywhere” Lynn Kreutz, Hayley Trotter, Reed Wolfley, Erika Layland, Jenny Van Stone, Kim Parati – Top of Mind Listeners

Power Struggles in the Peaceable Kingdom, Part II Jul 08, 2022

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Adam Nicolson went looking for tranquility and reflection when he built tide pools along Scotland's harsh coastline. He found plenty to reflect on, but things were not so peaceful in the pools. He discovered that to maintain harmony in the wild, species need to be at each others' throats. Guest: Adam Nicolson, author of "Life Between the Tides" Visit Adam online: https://www.instagram.com/adamnicolson1/?hl=en

Power Struggles in the Peaceable Kingdom, Part I Jul 06, 2022

Show notes

There's plenty of warfare in animal kingdom, even within a species: battalions of mongooses square off against each other, hermit crabs evict each other in the quest for the perfect shell, ravens rally their brothers to back them up in a rumble. Sounds almost like West Side Story. But all of this conflict actually leads to more peace and harmony, not less. Guest: Lee Alan Dugatkin, author of "Power in the Wild: The Subtle and Not-So-Subtle Ways Animals Strive for Control over Others" Explore Lee's other writing: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/author/D/L/au8005058.html Photo courtesy of Harry Marshall/Banded Mongoose Research Project

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