Constant Wonder

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The Unfinished Story of America's Anthem Jun 29, 2022

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A true national anthem isn't set by law: it's chosen by the people, often emerges out of conflict, and its meaning shifts over time. All of that and more is true of The Star-Spangled Banner. But still, it was sung by four generations of Americans before it became our official anthem. It's been translated into 40 languages, requires extraordinary athleticism to sing, and has long been both an object of awe and a lightening rod for controversy. Guest: Mark Clague, author of "O Say Can You Hear? A Cultural Biography of The Star-Spangled Banner" and a professor of musicology at the University of Michigan. Visit Mark on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usmusicscholar/?hl=en

Tomatoes That Leave Earth Behind Jun 22, 2022

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This greenhouse in the Utah desert seems to be right out of science fiction, where yummy tomatoes grow without soil and produce for nearly an entire year. The greenhouse gets heat and CO2 from a natural-gas power plant to which it is linked by a sort of umbilical cord. Within this bubble of clean, warm air, bumblebees pollinate the vines, and wasps fend off parasites. Whether you hope to build a colony on Mars or just aim to get a good tomato when there's snow on the ground, this is a good place to start. Guests: Travis Jones, General Manager of Longvine Growing Co. Martin Weijters, Head Grower at Longvine Growing Co.

A Passion for the Past Jun 15, 2022

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"The past is never dead," wrote William Faulkner. "It's not even past." Ron Coddington was a young boy at a flea market one Saturday, when he stumbled on a book of Civil War-era photos and felt his world shift beneath his feet. The boy's passion deepened as he grew to adulthood, maturing into a deeply felt obligation to uncover these stories. Many photos of the time were preserved on calling cards ("cartes de visite") that people would hand out to others, much like the profile pictures we post on social media today. Guest: Ron Coddington, Editor and Publisher of "Military Images" magazine Want to learn more about Cartes de visite? Visit Ron's website: https://ronaldscoddington.com/ Cartes de visite featuring Daniel Waldo, Martin C. Clark, and Almira Newcomb McNaughton Lockwood Fales from Ron Coddington's personal collection. These images are used with his permission.

Body, Soul & Memory: What would you do with a lock of George Washington's hair? Jun 08, 2022

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An old friend of Benjamin Franklin always regretted not having asked the founding father if he could taxidermize his body. He thought Franklin might have agreed, and then maybe George Washington might have also followed suit. But (maybe to our collective relief) what we do have, instead, as a tangible reminder of our first president are several collections of cuttings from his hair. In the days before photography, a lock of hair might be the only proof that a person had access to a notable man like Washington. After his death, some pseudoscientists used Washington's hair to "prove" the biological superiority of America's founders. Others used their clippings to prove that they, too, were there at America's founding. Now, in our digital age, are these kinds of physical relics and mementos still important? Guest: Keith Beutler, author of "George Washington's Hair: How Early Americans Remembered the Founders" and professor of history at Missouri Baptist University Visit Keith's website to learn more about the Founding Fathers' hair: https://www.georgewashingtonshair.org/home

Downton Shabby Jun 01, 2022

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Meet the improbable rescuer of a dilapidated English manor house: Hopwood DePree, a Hollywood producer having a mid-life crisis. He'd heard rumors about his family's ancestral castle, and when he discovers that it really exists–but in a shocking state of disrepair–he goes all in to save it. Guests: Hopwood DePree, author of "Downton Shabby: One American's Ultimate DIY Adventure Restoring His Family's English Castle" Geoff Wellens, historian Bob Wall, caretaker of Hopwood Hall; historical and heritage building specialist Zena Howard, PR & Communications for Hopwood DePree and Hopwood Hall Estate Want to keep up with the renovations? Visit Hopwood DePree's YouTube channel to see updates on the castle's repairs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmP4mhZrjgdfqQRzPQ9mXwA

ARCHIVE BONUS: The Dressmakers of Auschwitz May 25, 2022

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In Auschwitz, twenty-five Jewish slaves used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust. The Upper Tailoring Studio, run by the commandant's wife, Hedwig Höss, and a prisoner, Marta Fuchs, was created to design, cut, and sew popular fashions for the Nazi elite. But it was also the means of saving Jewish women from the gas chambers. Guest: Lucy Adlington, author of "The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive"

It's Complicated: Our Fraught Relationships with Animals May 18, 2022

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Why do some cultures object to dogs the way that we object to rats? And why do we object to rats? Simon Barnes says they're our brothers. We explore who's really domesticating whom in the pet ownership process, why we choose to protect certain wild animals over others, how there's no such thing as the natural world, and many other assumptions about our relationships with animals. Guests: Hal Herzog, psychologist; author of "Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight about Animals"; blogger at "Animals and Us" blog in Psychology Today Simon Barnes, author of "The History of the World in 100 Animals" Madi Vazquez, veterinary nurse Visit Hal online: https://halherzog.com/ Explore Simon's other writing at his website: https://simonbarnesauthor.co.uk/biog/

Superplants vs. Superbugs May 11, 2022

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After losing a leg as a toddler and struggling with repeated infections, Cassandra Quave became obsessed, even as a young child, with preventing infection. That obsession has led her from Florida's swamps to the Peruvian Amazon in pursuit of plants that can defeat antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Her stories are personal, riveting and inspiring, and they offer hope for a medical future that's quite different from our present. Guest: Cassandra Quave, author of "The Plant Hunter: A Scientist's Quest for Nature's Next Medicines" and Associate Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory School of Medicine Visit Cassandra online to learn more about her work: https://www.cassandraquave.com/

Animal Duets May 04, 2022

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Clarinet duets with laughing thrushes, nightingales, whales and cicadas. Philosopher and ornithologist David Rothenberg poses the question: do birds make music, or do they just make sounds to defend a territory or attract a mate? We also talk to a zoomusicologist in Scotland, and we listen to a trio of two oboes and a dog. Guests: David Rothenberg, musician, composer, author, philosopher-naturalist, and Professor of music and philosophy at the New Jersey Institute of Technology Emily Doolittle, composer, zoomusicologist, and Athenaeum Research Fellow and Lecturer in Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Learn more about David's work at his website: https://davidrothenberg.wordpress.com/ Visit Emily online to learn about her compositions: https://emilydoolittle.com/

Roots of Belief Featuring: The Apple Seed Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Constant Wonder is giving listeners a sneak peak of another BYUradio show, The Apple Seed. In this episode, a musician and a couple of actors take unlikely approaches to sharing scripture. (4:58) Detroit storyteller and blues guitarist Robert B. Jones talks about how he became an ordained minister (9:51) Rev. Jones tells the story of he built his guitar from the wood from different parts of his childhood home to stay connected to his hometown in the story “Detroit Guitar,” recorded live in the Apple Seed studio (25:32) Host Sam Payne connects with his Greek grandparents by learning to cook Greek food in today’s entry in The Radio Family Journal (34:03) Two New York pals connect to their heritage by performing Torah stories for families as a duo called The Bible Players

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