Podcast appearances and mentions of ferris jabr

Celebrate Earth Day with fresh insights from authors and environmentalists Ferris Jabr and Amy Stewart at the 2024 Portland Book Festival.

After you read Becoming Earth by Ferris Jabr, be prepared to reconsider everything you think, know or believe to be true thanks to this engaging and thoughtful new look at our world. Ferris joins us to talk about the Gaia hypothesis, understanding planetary systems from your own backyard, science writing and more with guest host Chris Gillespie. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Chris Gillespie and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Becoming Earth by Ferris Jabr The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne Featured Books (TBR Top Off): The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd An Immense World by Ed Yong

Lange, Michael www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Studio 9

Lange, Michael www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Studio 9

Lange, Michael www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Studio 9

Episode 105: In this conversation, Kate sits down with author and entrepreneur Paul Hawken ti explore the multifaceted role of carbon in life and talk about his new book, ‘Carbon: the Book of Life'. It's an episode challenging the conventional narrative that reduces carbon to an errant molecule within the atmosphere and connects it back to the molecule that flows through 99% of all substances on earth. Paul and Kate discuss the importance of recognizing the complexity and interconnectedness of life–encouraging a shift from reductionist thinking to a more holistic understanding of our relationship with the environment, advocating for transformative actions rooted in compassion and connection while recognizing humanity's role. They also discuss the power of language, the potential of possibility, and some of the incredible innovations we're embarking on. This is an episode for the curious!Find Paul: Carbon: the Book of Life by Paul HawkenRegeneration by Paul HawkenDrawdown by Paul HawkenBlessed Unrest by Paul HawkenInstagram: @paulhawkenWebsiteResources Mentioned:Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de WaalThe Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist Related Episodes:Episode 67 with Dan Egan on Phosphorous Episode 87 with Ferris Jabr on Earth's InterconnectionsEpisode 76 with Melanie Challenger on the Human AnimalEpisode 58 with Fred Provenza on Embracing the Unknown and AweEpisode 72 with Ben Goldfarb on Circular EconomiesSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRONUSA made cast iron. Light, thin bottomed, and smooth - just like vintage cast iron. My go to for everything from small skillets to big dutch ovens. fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaugh

How do the biological life forms of the Amazon rainforest — from pollen grains, fungal spores, to microbes — play active roles in their regional water cycle? How might we connect chemistry, biology, physics, ecology, and other less quantifiable measures of aliveness to look at our planetary crises in much more holistic ways? And if the Earth's “systems” were ever-emergent and everchanging, then how do we know what to orient healing and restoring balance towards?In this episode, kaméa is joined by Ferris Jabr, who shares his wealth of ecological knowledge while drawing upon his book, Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.Join us as we explore some big and larger-than-life questions pertaining to the Earth as a living body — one that gave rise to humanity, one whose living systems we contribute to shaping, and one that will continue reiterating well beyond human timescales.We invite you to…tune in and subscribe to Green Dreamer via any podcast app;subscribe to Kaméa's newsletters here;and support our show through a one-time donation or through joining our paid subscriptions on Patreon or Substack.

Acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr reveals a radical new vision of Earth where lush forests emit dust, pollen and bacteria to summon rain in his new book, "Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life." Then, Miranda Massie, the founder and director of the Climate Museum located in New York City, describes this first of its kind museum which explores the changing climate and how the public can take action to reduce their carbon footprint.

In the 1970s, some scientists proposed that Earth and its life forms are a single, self-regulating system. At the time, the "Gaia hypothesis" was widely criticized. But since then, the concept of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance. Portland-based science writer Ferris Jabr’s new book, “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life,” describes how the living and nonliving components of the planet work together as an integrated whole. Ferris Jabr joined us at the 2024 Pickathon Experiential Music Festival.

In this episode, host Susan Mathews is in conversation with Ferris Jabr, author of Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life (2024), and a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and Scientific American. The interview focused on the central question in the book: in what ways and to what extent has life changed the planet? From microbes to mammoths, life has transformed the continents, oceans, and atmosphere, turning a lump of orbiting rock into the world as we've known it. In the conversation, Jabr spoke of how Western science in particular has segregated geology from biology, regarding planet Earth essentially as a giant rock that happens to have some life, minimising the role of life in shaping the planet. Ferris Jabr has written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper's, National Geographic, Wired, Outside, Lapham's Quarterly, McSweeney's, and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among other publications. He is the recipient of a Whiting Foundation Creative Nonfiction Grant, as well as fellowships from UC Berkeley and the MIT Knight Science Journalism Program. His work has been anthologized in several editions of The Best American Science and Nature Writing series. He has an MA in journalism from New York University and a Bachelor of Science from Tufts University. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his partner, Ryan, their dog, Jack, and more plants than they can count. You can find him @ferrisjabr on all social media (Twitter/X, Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, Mastodon).

Send us a textThis week, we unravel the indispensable role doulas play in maternal health, highlighting fresh findings from the American Journal of Public Health. Learn how these incredible individuals provide vital support, helping mothers navigate the pivotal phases of pregnancy and postpartum with better health outcomes and stronger family bonds.Next, we turn our attention to the world of canine generosity—ever wondered if your furry friend has a giving nature? Join us as we examine a fascinating study on how dogs engage in pro-social behavior, and their tendency to share food rewards with familiar companions. We wrap up with a thrilling exploration of science writing and the career of our guest, Ferris Jabr. From traversing the Amazon rainforest to uncovering Earth's oxygen-rich history, Ferris shares an inspiring journey from a double major at Tufts to a celebrated science communicator. His anecdotes paint a vivid picture of the adventures and challenges faced while crafting compelling narratives that bridge the gap between science and the public. Whether scaling towers or diving into ancient plankton, these stories offer a captivating glimpse into the wonders of our planet.Thanks for coming back week after week!Ask an Expert's LinksFerris Jabr's Website Get Becoming Earth: How Our Life Came To BeFerris on TwitterBunsen and Beaker Links to support us!Join the Paw Pack!Our Website!www.bunsenbernerbmd.comSign up for our Weekly Newsletter!Bunsen and Beaker on Twitter:Bunsen and Beaker on TikTokSupport the showFor Science, Empathy, and Cuteness!Being Kind is a Superpower.https://twitter.com/bunsenbernerbmd

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 26, 2024 is: deter • dih-TER • verb To deter someone is to discourage or prevent them from acting. To deter a thing is to stop or limit it. // The heavy fines aim to deter people from dumping garbage here. // The device is designed to deter automobile theft. See the entry > Examples: "Sergey and other scientists have proposed that, rather than rely on robust and elaborate defenses, certain grasses negotiated a symbiosis—an ecological partnership—with large herbivores. These grasses offered grazers endless fields of tender green leaves that quickly regenerated when shorn. In exchange for this perpetual sustenance, mammoths and other megafauna trampled, ate, and otherwise deterred the grasses' main competitors, such as shrubs and trees, and fertilized the fields with their copious dung." — Ferris Jabr, Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life, 2024 Did you know? The word deter is rooted in fear. It was borrowed into English around the mid-16th century from the Latin verb deterrēre, which in turn was formed by combining de-, meaning "from" or "away," with terrēre, meaning "to frighten." Terrēre is also the source of terror, terrible, and even terrific, which originally meant "very bad" or "frightful." These days, you may be deterred by something that frightens you or by something that simply causes you to think about the difficult or unpleasant consequences of continuing. Things, as well as people, can be deterred: the word can also mean "to stop or limit something," as in "policies that aim to deter vandalism."

Acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr visits Google to discuss his book "Becoming Earth: How our Planet Came to Life." One of humanity's oldest beliefs is that our world is alive. Though once ridiculed by some scientists, the idea of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth—we are Earth, an outgrowth of its structure and an engine of its evolution. Life and its environment have coevolved for billions of years, transforming a lump of orbiting rock into a cosmic oasis—a planet that breathes, metabolizes, and regulates its climate. Acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr reveals a radical new vision of Earth where lush forests spew water, pollen, and bacteria to summon rain; giant animals engineer the very landscapes they roam; microbes chew rock to shape continents; and microscopic plankton, some as glittering as carved jewels, remake the air and sea. Humans are one of the most extreme examples of life transforming Earth. Through fossil fuel consumption, agriculture, and pollution, we have altered more layers of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis. But we are also uniquely able to understand and protect the planet's wondrous ecology and self-stabilizing processes. Jabr introduces us to a diverse cast of fascinating people who have devoted themselves to this vital work. Becoming Earth is an exhilarating journey through the hidden workings of our planetary symphony—its players, its instruments, and the music of life that emerges—and an invitation to reexamine our place in it. How well we play our part will determine what kind of Earth our descendants inherit for millennia to come. Visit http://youtube.com/TalksAtGoogle/ to watch the video.

The development of life on Earth is often framed through the evolution of separate and distinct life forms but less common is the idea of the Earth itself as being one whole living organism. Writer Ferris Jabr's new book, Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life, takes an all-encompassing view of the intertwined ecosystems on our planet, their origins and where issues such as the climate crisis today might leave them in the future for a book that views the natural world in widescreen. Joining him to discuss it is the journalist, audio producer and book critic, Mythili Rao. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/IS for £100 sponsored credit. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all of our longer form interviews and Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did our planet come to life? Is it alive? And where are we as part of that? Those are today's big questions and my guest is Ferris Jabr. His new book, Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life, is one of the most compelling, beautiful, timely, and important reads I've ever got to underline throughout.Ferris is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and Scientific American. He has also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper's, National Geographic, Wired, Outside, Lapham's Quarterly, McSweeney's, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other wonderful publications. I've been on a bit of a bender lately. I'm getting older. I've got kids that are getting older quickly. Work continues. Everything keeps changing and staying the same. I'm trying to contextualize for myself, for this work, for you all, and for my kids, time and place and presence and relationships.How much time do we each have here? Do we as a species have here? Who do we spend it with? How do we spend it? How precious is it to each of us? Does it become more so, less so? How should we use our time and experience, and how can we help?-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:The Mountain in the Sea by Ray NaylerFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Read Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to LifeRead more of Ferris' work and follow him on social mediaFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky -

Science has a mystery on its hands: Did life begin on the surface of the earth, or far, far below it? Ferris Jabr is the author of “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.” He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the amazing microbes embedded deep within the Earth's mantle that might be keys to understanding life as we know it on this planet — as well as many others. His companion article in The New York Times Magazine is “The Mysterious, Deep-Dwelling Microbes That Sculpt Our Planet.”

Hello Interactors,I recently read an intriguing article about unexpected forms of life thriving deep within the Earth's crust. These discoveries are revitalizing environmental theories and processes that mainstream science has long tried to dismiss—yet I've been exploring them over the past few summers. While working outside, I realized that some of these processes are unfolding right under my nose...and possibly even inside it!On that note, this might sound a bit awkward, but...Let's dig in!WORLDWIDE WEATHERING WHISPERSI'm behind on my pressure washing. This can have detrimental effects here in the predominantly damp Northwest as moss spores, tiny lightweight travelers, are lifted and lofted by the wind's wings until they land on damp concrete. A new home for moss to roam.Upon contact, the spores absorb moisture and germinate, developing into a protonema — fine lines of sprawling verdant vines. As the structure crawls through the creviced concrete an anchored lace unfolds. Atop it grows a carpet of green and gold, down below tentacles grab hold.The rhizoid roots anchor mounding moss, absorbing food and water nature has tossed. As the concrete crumbles into nutrient stores, the soft moss blossoms with chromophores. Over time, atop the luscious mountains and rocky moistened pours, the wind releases more lofting spores.It turns out the contrasting boundary between soft squishy plants and hard concrete is as pronounced as the divisions between the disciplines of biology and geology. But advances in Earth System Science are starting blur these boundaries, as integrative science tends to do. Like moss softening concrete.My expansive moss colonies, part of the plant kingdom, house communities of tiny microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and microscopic animals like rotifers and tardigrades. Many of these communities have symbiotic relationships with moss. For example, some bacteria promote moss growth through the production of the plant growth hormone auxin using specific enzymes in plant tissues.As the moss and its associated microbes grow and expand, they can penetrate small cracks or pores in the concrete, potentially widening them and exposing more surface area to weathering processes. This can be accelerated by certain bacteria and fungi that produce organic acids as metabolic byproducts. These acids can slowly dissolve or weaken calcium carbonate and other minerals found in concrete.The biogeochemistry contributing to rock weathering and sediment formation reveals the intricate connections between biological processes and geological phenomena. At massive space and time scales they can not only affect the meteorological conditions above ground, but also the layers of sediment below ground.In a recent New York Times piece, Ferris Jabr, author of “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life” reveals how“Within the forest floor [of the Amazon rainforest], vast symbiotic networks of plant roots and filamentous fungi pull water from the soil into trunks, stems and leaves. As the nearly 400 billion trees in the Amazon drink their fill, they release excess moisture, saturating the air with 20 billion tons of water vapor each day. At the same time, plants of all kinds secrete salts and emit bouquets of pungent gaseous compounds. Mushrooms, dainty as paper parasols or squat as door­ knobs, exhale plumes of spores. The wind sweeps bacteria, pollen grains and bits of leaves and bark into the atmosphere. The wet breath of the forest — peppered with microscopic life and organic residues — creates conditions that are highly conducive to rain. With so much water vapor in the air and so many minute particles on which the water can condense, clouds quickly form. In a typical year, the Amazon generates around half of its own rainfall.”Below ground, he describes work by Earth scientist Robert Hazen and colleagues.“When Earth was young, microbes inhabiting the ocean crust were likely dissolving the basalt with acids and enzymes in order to obtain energy and nutrients, producing wet clay minerals. By lubricating the crust with those wet byproducts, the microbes may have accelerated the dissolution of both mantle and crust and their eventual transfiguration into new land. The geophysicists Dennis Höning and Tilman Spohn have published similar ideas.They point out that water trapped in subducting sediments escapes first, whereas water in the crust is typically expelled at greater depths. The thicker the sedimentary layer covering the crust, the more water makes it into the deep mantle, which ultimately enhances the production of granite.In Earth's earliest eons, micro-organisms and, later, fungi and plants dissolved and degraded rock at a rate much greater than what geological processes could accomplish on their own.In doing so, they would have increased the amount of sediment deposited in deep ocean trenches, thereby cloaking subducting plates of ocean crust in thicker protective layers, flushing more water into the mantle and ultimately contributing to the creation of new land.”LOVELOCKS LIVING LOOPSThis kind of Earth System Science has been given a name by one of first contributors, James Lovelock — geophysiology. Lovelock describes geophysiology as a systems approach to Earth sciences, viewing Earth as a self-regulating entity where biological, chemical, and physical processes interact to maintain conditions suitable for life. It integrates various scientific disciplines to understand and predict the behavior of Earth's systems, aiming to diagnose and prevent environmental issues by considering the planet as a cohesive, self-regulating system.This concept, rooted in Lovelock's initial Gaia hypothesis, emphasizes the feedback mechanisms that stabilize Earth's environment, akin to physiological processes in living organisms. Gaia is named after the primordial Greek goddess who personifies the Earth. This naming occurred in the context of Lovelock developing his ideas about Earth as a self-regulating system in the 1960s and early 1970s.Lovelock had been working on methods to detect life on Mars at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which led him to consider how life might be detected on a planetary scale. This work eventually evolved into his hypothesis about Earth functioning as a complex, self-regulating system maintained by the community of living organisms.As Lovelock was formulating these ideas, he was looking for a suitable name for his hypothesis. It was during this time that William Golding, Lovelock's neighbor and renowned author of "Lord of the Flies", suggested using the name "Gaia".In Greek mythology, Gaia is considered the ancestral mother of all life and one of the first beings to emerge from earliest chaotic stages of Earth's formation. She is often depicted as a maternal, nurturing figure who gave birth to the Titans, the Cyclopes, and other primordial deities. Gaia is associated with fertility, the earth's abundance, and the cycle of life and death.In ancient Greek religion, Gaia was worshipped as the Great Mother and was sometimes referred to as "Mother Earth." That title, and her influence, extends beyond Greek mythology, perpetuating the concept of Earth as a living, nurturing entity — a concept that has resonated in various cultures for Millenia.Elements of the Greek notion of Gaia likely have roots in earlier Middle Eastern knowledge.  Several ancient cultures had earth goddesses that predate or are contemporaneous with the Greek Gaia. For instance, in Mesopotamia, Sumerian mythology offers Ki is the earth goddess, and in Akkadian mythology, there is Ninhursag.It turns out “Mother Earth” birthed similar concepts all around her. Egypt had Isis, Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) had Cybele, India's Hinduism had Parvati and Durga, Pre-Columbian American cultures featured Pachamama, Celtic cultures had Danu and Brigid, while Norse mythology features Frigg and Freyja.In 1960's and 70's America, “Mother Nature” and “Gaia” emerged among some environmentalists as New Age mystical beliefs associated with alternative spiritualities. Lovelock's decision to use the word “Gaia” thus made him and his ideas a target among many Western trained scientists and his Earth system concepts endured harsh criticisms.It's worth mentioning that when Alexander Humboldt put forth similar ideas in his book "Cosmos" (first published in 1845), taking a holistic view of nature, exploring connections between various Earth systems and life forms, he was heralded as the greatest scientist of his time. Even Charles Darwin took a copy of Cosmos with him on his famous Beagle voyage. Humboldt, like Lovelock, uniquely and successfully integrated knowledge from diverse fields like astronomy, geology, biology, meteorology, and even art and literature.But the specialization, reductionism, and quantification of dominant Western science distanced itself from these holistic approaches viewing them as too spiritual and outdated. By the twentieth century, the growing New Age interpretation of Gaia often personified the Earth as a conscious, living entity, drawing on both Lovelock's scientific hypothesis and ancient mythological concepts. Many modern religions and philosophical concepts about the origin of life still incorporate anthropomorphic elements, such as the idea of a creator with human-like qualities or intentions.These mainstream images can lead to engrained tendencies to see humans and other living organisms as being born:* into a world as separate entities from the world they inhabit* onto a physical plane as a separate, tangible reality* unto which they individually acquire and consume energy to live and grow.This perspective sees living beings as somewhat separate from their environment, rather than as integral parts of a larger system. It's a view consistent with traditional Western science that emphasizes reductionist approaches, breaking systems down into component parts. But it contrasts with more holistic perspectives, such as those found in ecological theories like Geophysiology, other branches of Earth System Science, or Traditional Ecological Knowledge which see earth's components, including humans, as inseparable parts of their environments.This was confirmed at the 2001 Amsterdam Declaration, signed by the Chairs of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP), International Human Dimensions Program (IHDP), World Climate Research Program (WCRP) and DIVERSITAS at the 2001 ‘Challenges of a Changing Earth' conference. The declaration concluded:“The Earth System behaves as a single, self-regulating system comprised of physical, chemical, biological and human components, with complex interactions and feedbacks between the component parts.”Integrative Western scientists have now amassed enough data to recognize that living matter is born:* into a living, interconnected Earth system,* onto a dynamic web of relationships,* unto which we belong as integral participants, exchanging energy and matter in a continuous cycle of life and growth.In this view, my moss colonies and their microbial companions emerge as vital threads, weaving together the living and non-living elements of our planet. These intricate communities, from the tiniest bacteria to the visible expanse of moss, exemplify the self-regulating nature of Earth's systems that Lovelock envisioned.As they slowly transform concrete through their metabolic processes, they participate in the larger process of biogeochemical cycling. They influence not only my cinderblock walls and concrete surfaces, but they also contribute to the broader patterns of weathering, sedimentation, and even microclimate regulation.This interplay between the microscopic and the global, the biological and the geological, embodies the essence of Humboldt's and Lovelock's theory — a planet alive with interconnected processes, where every organism, no matter how small, plays a role in maintaining the delicate balance of life.In this living system, my moss and its microbiome, like me and the symbiotic communities of microorganisms in me and on me, are not mere passive inhabitants, but active agents in the ongoing story of Earth's evolution. Together we demonstrate the profound interconnectedness that defines our planet's unique capacity for self-regulation and adaptation.Now where's my pressure washer? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit interplace.io

Today on the show, earth! Is it a spaceship? Is it a blue marble? A giant egg? A hologram projected by aliens? Or is it a living, breathing organism? I'm joined by science writer Ferris Jabr to talk about his new book "Becoming Earth" and whether the planet is alive! Guest: Ferris Jabr See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth—we are Earth! Life and its environment have coevolved for billions of years, transforming a lump of orbiting rock into a cosmic oasis that supports and is shaped by life.. . . Join acclaimed science writer Ferris Jabr as he reveals a radical new vision of Earth where lush forests spew water, pollen and bacteria to summon rain; giant animals engineer the very landscapes they roam; microscopic plankton, some as glittering as carved jewels, remake the air and sea; and humans alter more layers of the planet in less time than any other species, pushing Earth into a crisis. Jabr will draw on the work in his new book Becoming Earth, which delves into the hidden workings of our planet and its many lifeforms and invites us to reexamine our place in it. What we do next will determine what kind of Earth our descendants inherit for millennia to come . . .  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think about Earth, you might think of a giant rock, floating around in space, making laps around the sun. A rock that just happens to have critters, plants, and people crawling around its surface. A new book by Ferris Jabr called Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life argues otherwise: Life doesn't just exist on Earth, but life is Earth, and the Earth itself is alive. That idea might sound radical, and it is. There's a shift happening in how we understand the planet, and what it'll take to save it, and ourselves, from the future humans are creating. Becoming Earth takes readers on adventures across the world to learn how life has transformed the Earth, from changing the color of the sky to reshaping the continents. Guest host Anna Rothschild talks with author Ferris Jabr, a science writer based in Portland, Oregon. Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

In this episode, Kate sits down with author Ferris Jabr, whose book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life comes out on June 25th. Ferris' love of other animals and plants started at an early age and that fascination has grown into an incredible career as a journalist, exploring the perspective of ecosystems, animals, and the earth itself. Beginning with his garden in Portland, Kate and Ferris span out into the garden of earth itself and the way life creates the conditions for its own existence. From the young ages of the earth and the reciprocal processes between bacteria and our atmosphere, they explore some of the salient cycles that bend chronological time and minds alike. Plankton, and their jaw-dropping role in earth, become a vehicle for talking about how Saharan Africa fertilizes the Amazon which causes rain in the midwest. They discuss how throughout earth's timescale, complexity grows and with it, the complexity of the relationships between life and environment and earth. They also explore the human animal's role on earth and its cycles and what it might mean to tell ourselves a new story. An excellent episode to explore complexity, cooperation, mutuality, and beauty. Sponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeSUNDRIES FARM GARLICHand grown Sundries Farm Garlic is certified disease-free and grown in the volcanic soils of Idaho. With a range of soft and hard-neck varietals the unmatched flavor and big cloves are perfect for both your seed and culinary needs. Pre-order now for shipping in September. sundriesfarm.comSupport the Podcast:SubstackLeave a one-time TipFind Ferris:Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life X: @ferrisjabr Instagram: @ferrisjabrFerris' ArticlesThe Story of StorytellingHow Beauty is Making Scientists Rethink EvolutionResources Mentioned: An Immense World by Ed YongThe Ends of the World by Peter BrannenHow to Be Animal by Melanie Challenger

About ten years ago, science writer Ferris Jabr started contemplating Earth as a living planet rather than a planet with life on it. It began when he learned that the Amazon rainforest doesn't simply receive the rain that defines it; rather, it helps generate that rain. The Amazon does that by launching bits of biological confetti into the atmosphere that, in turn, seed clouds. After learning this, he began looking for other ways life changes its environment. That led to his new book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life. He talks to host Regina G. Barber about examples of life transforming the planet — from changing the color of the sky to altering the weather. Have a story about the environment you'd like us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by science writer and author Ferris Jabr to discuss his forthcoming book, “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.” Follow Ferris: @ferrisjabr

A cell is alive. So is a leaf and so is a tree. But what about the forest they're a part of? Is that forest alive? And what about the planet that forest grows on? Is Earth alive? Science writer Ferris Jabr says: Yes. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It's a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show. Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com We read every email. Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts Please take a second to help us learn more about you! vox.com/podcastsurvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#293The Logistics of Moving OnInterview2023.02.22Your nice hosts invite Zachtronics founder Zach Barth to discuss the closing of the studio and the logistics of moving on from that. In this episode, you'll also hear about ruminations on what success means as a game dev, a theory about how great walking is and exclusive news about Zach's future plans.The Logistics of Moving OnIRLProductionZachtronics websiteLast Call BBSWhy Zachtronics is shutting down for good this time - Alex Calvin, gameindustry.bizLegal Systems Very Different From Ours - David Friedman, Peter Leeson, David SkarbekWhy Walking Helps Us Think - Ferris Jabr, The New YorkerCoincidenceZach BarthGuestZach Barth was the founder of Zachtronics and is currently working on unannounced projects.External linkZachtronics on Twitter

What causes seasons on Earth? Our planet's axial tilt! But what might life be like on a world with no tilt at all? HOSTED by Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Maureen Kahiu is a Masters student of plant sciences at Penn State with a focus on turf grass pathology. She also has experience working as a golf course supervisor, a field dominated by men. You can follow Maureen on twitter at @MaureenKahiu. Ferris Jabr is a science writer who has contributed to the New York Times and Scientific American. He's also currently writing a book about the coevolution of Earth and life! You can follow Ferris on twitter at @ferrisjabr and learn more about his work at ferrisjabr.com   SPONSORS Get high-quality puzzles at Ravensburger.us   HOUSEKEEPING Listen to BIG GAME HUNGER every Monday Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/ BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore   FIND US ONLINE patreon: patreon.com/exolorepod twitter: twitter.com/ExolorePod instagram: instagram.com/exolorepod website: exolorepod.com subreddit: reddit.com/r/ExolorePod   CREDITS Music: https://www.purple-planet.com Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/    ABOUT US How would you like to swim in an ocean ruled by matriarchal squid, or fly over a planet as it rotates with a swarm of migrating wasps? No, it's not the latest VR craze (... yet); it's Exolore! Exolore helps you imagine other worlds with the help of facts and science. Every other week, host Dr. Moiya McTier invites experts to build a world from scratch or sits down with a fiction fan to dive deep into their favorite worlds. Every episode will make you laugh, go "huh?" and appreciate how special our world really is. Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

YouTube's slogan is, “Broadcast Yourself,” and that is what we do online. We produce and express ourselves as a brand to be procured and optimized for online achievement: Me Inc. We sell this brand to Big Tech (Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft) like a contestant on the television show Shark Tank. The show promotes the neoliberal myth of self-determination: only hard workers who push themselves become winners (superiors) and survive (fittest). The recurring storyline is that the Sharks are winners by their own free will (self-made): grit, hustle, determination, triumph over adversity, discipline, etc. Be Perfect and Try Harder. We are scripted to build an Empire of the Self: Be Your “self”, Be Transparent, Never Settle (i.e., never lose your “self”), and Compete (Win)! Big Tech are the billionaire Sharks, and our online activity is incorporated. But in this digital Shark Tank, we own 0% equity in our digital selves. George Orwell understood that an efficient totalitarian regime drowns the consciousness of the citizens. In the book Nineteen Eighty-Four he notes this as “an act of self-hypnosis.” We are hypnotized by the hype of so-called “artificial intelligence” because the claims are that it is traveling in a direction that will succeed human intelligence, e.g., ChatGPT. As Erik Larson (2021) notes, “The path exists only in our imaginations.” The AI system lacks common sense (intuition) and as these systems are trained for general knowledge (rather than just Jeopardy!), they become more erroneous in their responses. Intelligence includes an inwardness and also goosebumps.  As has been noted, the relationship with the virtual world is symbiotic (psychologically). Now, it is becoming a physical symbiosis. Ferris Jabr quotes Elon Musk in The New York Times Magazine on his ultimate goal for Neuralink. Musk stated that an achievement of “a sort of symbiosis with artificial intelligence” is necessary so that humanity is not obliterated, subjugated or “left behind” by superintelligent machines. “If you can't beat em, join em,” he once said on Twitter, calling it a “Neuralink mission statement.”  Big Tech is after the capture of desire at the neuroplastic level. How do they do this? Big Tech and the new semiocapitalism in general, play the Game called Happy To Help! Digital platforms, applications, and enthusiastic bots (“How can I help you?”) are always Happy To Help! Apps dutifully remember our tasks, memories, documentation, bank records, calendars, social lives, transactions etc., all while having an ulterior motive. If Big Tech is the user's parent, it is saying to us, “Don't think what you think, think what I think.” These monopolies exploit the user's behavioral surplus data to sell it to third party entities for ad revenue. Yeah surveillance! The smartphone, smart home, smart vacuum, and smart bed are all collecting data for what Byung Chul-Han (2022) calls the “information regime.” Han notes that this is how “Surveillance creeps into daily life by way of convenience.” Therefore, the real “value” of Big Tech is its ability to surveil the populace as it is in a symbiotic relationship with governments, intelligence agencies, and militaries.  The solution is subversion. Undermine the authority of internal and external cultural conditioning, i.e., artificial system (ego/ideology). Don't be your “self”, be authentic (Martian). This implies having the naïvest possible frame of mind (talk about FOMO) for observing earthly phenomena, thus “leaving the intellect free for inquiry without the distraction of preconceptions.” (Berne, 1966) We must be clueless, an idiot, in order to “set aside preconceived notions and allow oneself to not know what the hell is going on.” (Lennox, C. Ed., 1997; p. 62). As Martian (Zen) we access intuitive knowledge for an appropriate response.  www.StayAtHomeDay.com Visit MankatoTherapist.com for more information and to contact Andrew Archer. References Berne, E.

Your nice hosts invite Zachtronics founder Zach Barth to discuss the closing of the studio and the logistics of moving on from that. In this episode, you'll also hear about ruminations on what success means as a game dev, a theory about how great walking is and exclusive news about Zach's future plans. The Logistics of Moving On IRLProductionZachtronics websiteLast Call BBSWhy Zachtronics is shutting down for good this time - Alex Calvin, gameindustry.bizLegal Systems Very Different From Ours - David Friedman, Peter Leeson, David SkarbekWhy Walking Helps Us Think - Ferris Jabr, The New YorkerCoincidenceZach BarthGuest Zach Barth was the founder of Zachtronics and is currently working on unannounced projects. External link Zachtronics on Twitter

I think sometimes we can get lost in the creativity of our work and in the focus that we bring to it but if we gave ourselves a break, literally and figuratively, we could all do a lot better.This episode was written by Ian O'Neill from the "How the Did It: Filmmaking" podcast.Listen to Ian's show here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-they-did-it-filmmaking/id1434224016For a full transcript of this episode please go to the official website https://www.filmproproductivity.com/ Show links:OFFICIAL WEBSITE: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/FilmProProdPod FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/filmproproductivity CONTACT: https://www.filmproproductivity.com/contact INDIE FILM HUSTLE: https://indiefilmhustle.com/ifh-podcast-network-filmmaking-and-screenwriting/QUOTES:Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you. Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Annie Dillard.There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither. Alan CohenWhen you are doing goal-oriented work that requires concentration, the PFC keeps you focused on your goals. The PFC is also responsible for logical thinking, executive functioning and using willpower to override impulses. Meg Selig Constant sitting—whether at your desk, the TV, or in the lecture hall—puts you at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity. Meg SeligWhen we work, our prefrontal cortex makes every effort to help us execute our goals. But for a challenging task that requires our sustained attention, research shows briefly taking our minds off the goal can renew and strengthen motivation later on. Nir EyalDowntime replenishes the brain's stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life … moments of respite may even be necessary to keep one's moral compass in working order and maintain a sense of self. Ferris JabrA vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. Earl WilsonAfter a while, just staying alive becomes a full-time job. No wonder we need a vacation. Michael ZadoorianThe vacation we often need is freedom from our own mind. Jack Adam WeberSPONSOR:This episode is sponsored by Scare Scotland. Providing creature actors, Scare actors and specialist talent for events, Film Productions, TV Productions, Scare tours and attractions.Official Website: https://www.scarescotland.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScareScotland/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/scarescotlandSeason 9 Executive Producer: Christopher McPhillips from Artos Digital2-time winners of 'Social Media Agency of the Year' at the Prestige Awards; Artos Digital specialise in marketing communications, coaching and personal branding. Owner Christopher McPhillips launched the business from his home in Bathgate and now works alongside his wife, Electra, for specialised event management and fundraising. Enjoying a broad portfolio of clients over the years, ranging from established enterprises to start-ups - a good fit for Artos Digital given their adaptable and agile approach. Christopher and Electra have combined their talents for three significant clients this past year: Reconnect, a SCIO who run the Regal Theatre in Bathgate; Pro2 Wrestling in Ayr; and Puppet Animation Scotland in Edinburgh.Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/artos.digital Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/artosdigitalInstagram - www.instagram.com/artos.digitalLinkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/artosdigitalWeb - https://artosdigital.co.ukReferences:How Do Work Breaks Help Your Brain? 5 Surprising Answers https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/changepower/201704/how-do-work-breaks-help-your-brain-5-surprising-answers Ferris Jabr, Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/ Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/experts/susan-krauss-whitbourne-phd The Importance of Vacations to Our Physical and Mental Healthhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201006/the-importance-vacations-our-physical-and-mental-health 30 Ideas for Summer Fun, Staycation Stylehttps://www.mymoneycoach.ca/blog/30-staycation-ideas.html Importance of taking a vacationhttps://www.allinahealth.org/healthysetgo/thrive/importance-of-taking-a-vacation Thanks: A HimitsuMusic By: Music by A HimitsuTrack: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.soundcloud.com/a-himitsu Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music released by Argofox https://www.youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://www.youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8 Contact the artist: x.jonaz@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/ahimitsuhttps://www.twitter.com/ahimitsu1 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A

Why is a bird of paradise so fantastic? Do the beautiful colors and crests found in birds and other animals have some secret purpose, or do they just like to look hot? Joining me today to discuss this question is science writer the New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, and many other publications, Ferris Jabr!  Guest: Ferris Jabr  Footnotes: Check out Ferris Jabr's article on bird beauty! https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/magazine/beauty-evolution-animal.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few people enjoy going to the dentist. But generally speaking, we don't question what's done to us when we're there. On episode 33 of The Politics of Everything, Laura Marsh and Alex Pareene speak with Ferris Jabr and Daryl Austin, two journalists who have investigated dental overtreatment and fraud. It's impossible to say exactly how widespread gratuitous treatment is—and it can even be difficult to know what necessary treatment is. Because of a lack of reliable research into dentistry practices, because the field operates with minimal oversight and regulation, and because of high costs and dwindling insurance reimbursements, there may be a real incentive to “creatively diagnose,” as one dentist put it. In other words: Get a second opinion. Then get a third. This episode originally aired on July 21, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Octopuses are some of the ocean's most enigmatic creatures. Highly intelligent, curious, playful, and, as more and more research is showing, sometimes social. But although we're witnessing more instances of octopuses interacting with one another—sharing dens, cooperatively hunting, or gathering in large numbers—can they form social bonds with humans? If an octopus seems to reach out to touch us, is it making a connection or just exploring the strange thing in front of it? In this special episode Hakai Magazine managing editor Adrienne Mason and guests discuss how octopuses perceive their environments, the current understanding of octopus social behaviors, and how we might interpret interactions between humans and octopuses. Guests are researcher Piero Amodio, who studies the behavior and cognition of cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish, and squid), and Ferris Jabr, who researched and wrote "Can We Really Be Friends with an Octopus?" If you prefer to watch the discussion in video format, you can find it on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/mU64zgVrtNU?t=170

Jeanne Calment lived her entire life in the South of France. She filled her days with leisurely pursuits, enjoying a glass of port, a cigarette and some chocolate nearly every day. In 1997, Ms. Calment died. She was 122.With medical and social advances mitigating diseases of old age and prolonging life, the number of exceptionally long-living people is increasing sharply. But no one is known to have matched, let alone surpassed, Ms. Calment's record.Longevity scientists hold a wide range of nuanced perspectives on the future of humanity. Some consider life span to be like a candle wick, burning for a limited time. While others view it as a supremely, maybe even infinitely elastic band.As the eminent physicist Richard Feynman put it in a 1964 lecture, “There is nothing in biology yet found that indicates the inevitability of death.”This story was written by Ferris Jabr and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Nobody enjoys going to the dentist. But, generally speaking, we don't question what's done to us when we're there. On Episode 33 of The Politics of Everything, Laura Marsh and Alex Pareene speak with Ferris Jabr and Daryl Austin, two journalists who have investigated dental over-treatment and fraud, about whether we should. It's impossible to say exactly how widespread gratuitous treatment is—and it can even be difficult to know what constitutes necessary treatment. Because of a lack of reliable research into dentistry practices, because the field operates with minimal oversight and regulation, and because of high costs and dwindling insurance reimbursements, there may be a real incentive to “creatively diagnose,” as Jeffrey Camm memorably put it in an article for ADANews, the newspaper of the American Dental Association. In other words: Get a second opinion. Then get a third. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The bright elastic throats of anole lizards, the Fabergé abdomens of peacock spiders and the curling, iridescent and ludicrously long feathers of birds-of-paradise. A number of animal species possess beautifully conspicuous and physically burdensome features.Many biologists have long fit these tasking aesthetic displays into a more utilitarian view of evolution. However, a new generation of biologists have revived a long-ignored theory — that aesthetics and survival do not necessarily need to be linked and that animals can appreciate beauty for its own sake.Today on The Sunday Read, a look at how these biologists are rewriting the standard explanation of how beauty evolves and the way we think about evolution itself. This story was written by Ferris Jabr and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

What causes seasons on Earth? Our planet's axial tilt! But what might life be like on a world with no tilt at all? HOSTED by Moiya McTier (https://twitter.com/goastromo (@GoAstroMo)), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Maureen Kahiu is a Masters student of plant sciences at Penn State with a focus on turf grass pathology. She also has experience working as a https://www.gcmonline.com/course/environment/news/maureen-kahiu (golf course supervisor), a field dominated by men. You can follow Maureen on twitter at https://twitter.com/maureenkahiu (@MaureenKahiu). Ferris Jabr is a science writer who has contributed to the New York Times and Scientific American. He's also currently writing a book about the coevolution of Earth and life! You can follow Ferris on twitter at https://twitter.com/ferrisjabr (@ferrisjabr) and learn more about his work at https://ferrisjabr.wordpress.com/ (ferrisjabr.com) RAICES Learn about the Refugee and Immigration Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) at https://www.raicestexas.org/ (raicestexts.org). And you can donate to the Families Together Fund at https://www.raicestexas.org/ways-to-give/families-together-fund/ (raicestexas.org/ways-to-give/families-together-fund). FIND US ONLINE - patreon: http://patreon.com/goastromo (patreon.com/goastromo) - twitter: https://twitter.com/ExolorePod (twitter.com/ExolorePod) - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exolorepod/ (instagram.com/exolorepod) - website: https://www.exolorepod.com/ (exolorepod.com) - subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ExolorePod/ (reddit.com/r/ExolorePod) CREDITS - Music: https://www.purple-planet.com/ (purple-planet.com) - Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/ (stephenjreisig.com) - Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/ (mischastanton.com) - Transcriptions by Iesir Moss at https://www.exolorepod.com/episodes (exolorepod.com/episodes) ABOUT US Have you ever wished you could travel to a different world? Exolore can help with that! In each episode, astrophysicist/folklorist Moiya McTier explores fictional worlds by building them with a panel of expert guests, interviewing professional worldbuilders, or reviewing the merits of worlds that have already been built. You'll learn, you'll laugh, and you'll gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is. Exolore is a member of https://multitude.productions/ (Multitude Productions), an independent podcast collective and production studio. Support this podcast

Another edition of Ask Sam, where Sam answers listener questions about the natural world. This time, questions about hugging trees, bumpy roads, objects stuck on power lines, and epic hummingbird battles. Featuring special guests, Maddie Sofia, host of NPR's Short Wave, and Kendra Pierre-Louis, climate journalist with Gimlet's How to Save a Planet. Also featuring Ferris Jabr, Stephen Morris, Greg Bruton, and Anusha Shankar. Sign up for the Outside/In newsletter for our biweekly reading lists and episode extras. Support Outside/In by making a donation!

Foresters once regarded trees as solitary individuals: They competed for space and resources, but were otherwise indifferent to one another.The work of the Canadian ecologist Suzanne Simard upended that, finding that while there is indeed conflict in a forest, there is also negotiation, reciprocity and even selflessness.Ms. Simard discovered that underground fungal threads link nearly every tree in a forest.On today’s Sunday Read, listen to an exploration of these links and the influential and contentious work of Ms. Simard.This story was written by Ferris Jabr and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

در قسمت ۷ با سامان جواهریان از  پادکست ری‌را و روزبه استیفایی از پادکست چیروک درباره‌ی سنت قصه‌های شفاهی و شکل‌گیری‌شان حرف می‌زنیم. از نقالی‌ها و افسانه‌ها؛ فرم‌های مختلف روایی‌شان، سازوکار سیال‌شان و روندی که در طول تاریخ طی کرده‌اند. و گریزی هم می‌زنیم به رد پای حضورشان در روایت‌های معاصرتر.   مقاله‌های اشاره‌شده- The Story of Storytelling, Ferris Jabr, Harpers Magazine, March 2019 جادوی شگفت‌انگیز، جادوی عادی، محمدسامان جواهریان، همشهری داستان، بهمن ۹۳ قصه‌ی پریان فرم و فرم قصه‌ی پریان است، کیت برنهایمر، ترجمه‌ی رضا علیزاده، همشهری داستان، بهمن ۹۳   موسیقی‌ها- قطعه‌ی حاج‌قربان، ماهان میرعرب بحر طویل، حاج‌قربان سلیمانی  

In the third episode of this six-part series about the skills needed to explain your research to a general audience, Pakinam Amer talks to scientists who left the lab to work as full-time science communicators in print, online and broadcast journalism.Often the biggest challenge some of them faced was telling family they were swapping the well-trodden career path of academic research for the more precarious field of science communication.Gareth Mitchell, a technology reporter and science communications lecturer who presents the BBC programme Digital Planet, tells Amer:“I was fine with the transfer and the lack of money and the insecurity and the randomness that came when I transferred from a reasonably safe and hard fought-for career in engineering into something much more uncertain and media-related, but my parents freaked out.“Maybe that's putting it a bit strongly, but they questioned me quite forensically about why on earth their wonderful bright engineering son would possibly want to get his hands dirty with a Masters course in communication and then busk it in the land of radio.”Buzzfeed science editor Azeen Ghorayshi was a fruit fly researcher until 2012, and recalls breaking news of her career switch to her parents, who fled to the US from Iran following the 1979 Revolution.“Journalism plays a very different role there. There’s state media, for example. It’s not a job that they thought of as being easy, or safe, or secure or prestigious. My dad wanted me to become a doctor. That’s a very common thing with immigrant parents.”How do you break into the field, either in a staff or freelance role? Do you need to complete an expensive graduate programme? Mitchell tells Amer: “Ask yourself why you want to do it, why it matters to you, and it’s OK to say because it’s cool and will make me happy.“But maybe you have a deeper reason. Perhaps you think your particular subject area or discipline is insufficiently represented in the wider media? Or maybe it’s over-represented, or misrepresented? Then tell yourself that you can do it, and then think about the mode.Are you the kind of person who might be better going round schools giving talks, or doing stand-up comedy in a science festival? Do you want to be a podcaster, a blogger, a vlogger, a YouTuber?”Finally, Ferris Jabr tells Amer about his work as a science writer and author, and his forthcoming book about the co-evolution of earth and life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially declared a 30-day stay-at-home order for the state after facing criticism for not doing so earlier. The other issue facing Florida is what to do with sick people on the Zaandam cruise ship that wants to dock in Port Everglades. DeSantis only wants to take state residents that are on the ship and the Coast Guard has said that the ships must stay out at sea with the sick on board. A plan is still being worked on for what to do even as another sick cruise ship also plans to make its way there. Samantha Gross, reporter at the Miami Herald, joins us for more. Next, the CDC is considering recommendations for people to wear face masks while out in public. Previously, the recommendation was not to buy any masks, as medical workers needed them and they were in short supply. But we have gotten to the point where we need to step up efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus. Masks reduce the spread of infectious disease by catching microbes expelled by the wearer and also protecting them from outside microbes, and while they might not catch everything, there's a strong case we should all be wearing masks during a pandemic. Ferris Jabr, writer for Wired, joins us for how wearing face masks could help. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The CDC is considering recommendations for people to wear face masks while out in public. Previously, the recommendation was not to buy any masks, as medical workers needed them and they were in short supply. But we have gotten to the point where we need to step up efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus. Masks reduce the spread of infectious disease by catching microbes expelled by the wearer and also protecting them from outside microbes, and while they might not catch everything, there’s a strong case we should all be wearing masks during a pandemic. Ferris Jabr, writer for Wired, joins us for how wearing face masks could help. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Jane, Dara, and Matt on the evidence for mask wearing, and a totally non-coronavirus white paper. Resources: "Why America ran out of protective masks — and what can be done about it" by German Lopez, Vox "Why Telling People They Don’t Need Masks Backfired" by Zeynep Tufekci, NYTimes "It's Time to Face Facts, America: Masks Work" by Ferris Jabr, Wired "Masks for Coronavirus Will Not Last Long in the West" by Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review "FACE MASKS: MUCH MORE THAN YOU WANTED TO KNOW" by Scott Alexander, Slate Star Codex "the global coronavirus epidemic: commentary on east asia’s response" by Rashawn Ray and Fabio Rojas, Contexts White paper Hosts: Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Senior Correspondent, Vox Jane Coaston (@cjane87), Senior politics correspondent, Vox Dara Lind (@DLind), Immigration reporter, ProPublica More to explore: Subscribe to Impeachment, Explained on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or your favorite podcast app to get stay updated on this story every week. About Vox Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Follow Us: Vox.com Facebook group: The Weeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world is still trying to figure a way out of the coronavirus outbreak. So in this episode, we take a step back and discuss common epidemics in India — their reasons, cures, and preparedness. Joining us is Shambhavi Naik, a cancer biologist and fellow at Takshashila Institution’s Technology Policy Programme.वायरस क्या हैं और इतने घातक क्यों हैं? महामारियाँ कैसे फैलती हैं? अब जब करोनावायरस महामारी के कहर से पूरा विश्व जूझ रहा है तो इस बार सुनिए संक्रामक रोग के विज्ञान और रोकथाम पर गहरी चर्चा साइंस पॉलिसी रिसर्चर शाम्भवी नाईक के साथ |Readings:The Unforgiving Math That Stops Epidemics, Tara Smith, The Scientific American (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-unforgiving-math-that-stops-epidemics/)Why Soap Works, Ferris Jabr, The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/health/soap-coronavirus-handwashing-germs.html)Epidemics in India Since 1900, Neha Banka, The Indian Express (https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-epidemics-that-have-hit-india-since-1900-6317367/)How the Spanish Flu of 1918 Changed India, Laura Spinney, Caravan (https://caravanmagazine.in/history/spanish-flu-1918-changed-india)A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Public Health Expenditure in India, Pavan Srinath, Pranay Kotasthane, Devika Kher, Takshashila Institution Working Paper (https://takshashila.org.in/takshashila-working-paper-a-qualitative-and-quantitative-analysis-of-public-health-expenditure-in-india-2/)Puliyabaazi is on these platforms:Twitter: https://twitter.com/puliyabaaziFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/puliyabaaziInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/puliyabaazi/Subscribe & listen to the podcast on iTunes(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/puliyabaazi-hindi-podcast/id1380601120?mt=2) , Google Podcasts(https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL3B1bGl5YWJhYXppLml2bS5saWJzeW5wcm8uY29tL3Jzcw%3D%3D) , Castbox,(https://www.castbox.fm/channel/Puliyabaazi-id1262628?country=gb), AudioBoom (https://audioboom.com/channel/puliyabaazi), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBVsra3A46rMrjyv7sEh1M4RTWh4dC0i) or any other podcast app.

In my last solo episode I spoke about the importance of sleep. Today I want to talk about rest.Our brains thrive when they have time to rest. We make over 30,000 decisions a day, so the cognitive load on our mind is immense. If we don't take some time during the day to rest our brains, our performance, moods and physical and mental health all suffer.The risk of fatigue is well known. When we are over-tired our brain switches off and we have micro-sleeps. These can last from a fraction of a second to thirty seconds. Long enough to have a car accident if you're driving.Our brain has the same reaction to serious sleep deprivation as it does to excessive alcohol consumption. In fact, being awake for 17 hours has the same impact on our cognition and our bodies as having a blood alcohol content of .05. And 21 hours awake is the equivalent of a blood alcohol content of .08.Our brains have two modes of processing and are designed to have regular rest periods:The first mode is when we are focused and concentrating on tasks, solving problems and processing incoming information – this includes when we scroll through Instagram or Facebook, do work that requires us to think and when we are watching TV. The second mode is the default mode network, which switches on when our minds start to wander – such as when we are in the shower or out for a walk. It's when our brain is in default mode that we get some of our best ideas. Our brains work best when we give them the opportunity to switch between these two modes. Something that happens with less frequency when we are glued to our phones…Ferris Jabr writes in Scientific American “downtime replenishes the brain's stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life”.So how can we rest?Personally, I love a good power nap. Research has shown that a 20 minute power nap can increase cognitive performance by up to 40%, with the benefit lasting two to three hours.If napping isn't for you, or you don't have an opportunity to nap during the day, there are plenty of other things you can do:Use a productivity technique such as 52:17 or Pomodoro Go for a walk or do some other sort of physical exercise Meditate for a few minutes close your eyes and taking some deep breaths to help relax your mind and body Unplug and enjoy the silence Go outside and get some fresh air Do something creative with your hands such as draw, knit, make some origami Get into the garden The consistent pattern here is that you step away from your desk to do a different type of activity that doesn't require a lot of thought.Getting enough rest isn't only about enough sleep. We need to make sure we give our brains time to rest during the day.How do you rest your brain during the day? Or do you go flat out and fade at 3pm? Or sooner?You can connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #thisconnectedlife and tagging me @melkettleIf you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Spotify or via the podcast app on your smartphone.If you REALLY loved it, please leave me a rating and review on iTunes.

26 years ago, Bette Midler took a break from her busy music schedule to put a spell on us in Disney's "Hocus Pocus", a family Halloween classic that'd been in development for almost a decade. The focus? The Sanderson Sisters, a group of wickedly funny witches. Decades later, Robert Eggers made his feature film debut with "The Witch" and won Sundance's Best Director prize. The focus of that film? Witches, and the conspiracies that surround them. This Hallows' Eve, we thought we'd pit the two movies against one another to see how they hold up. A massive thank you goes to Emma Thorpe, the composer and producer of all of our music. Don't forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and we look forward to seeing you all in two weeks! LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: "Is This Our Final Century?" TEDTalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_rees_asks_is_this_our_final_century "Can You Really Be Addicted to Video Games?" by Ferris Jabr for the NYT Mag: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/magazine/can-you-really-be-addicted-to-video-games.html Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/moviesinanorder Visit the website: https://shaunnolan.com/portfolio/nobody-puts-movies-in-an-order/ Email us at moviesinanorder@gmail.com Follow Shaun on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaunycat Follow Shaun on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaunynolan/ Follow Shaun on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/shaunycat/ Follow Verity on Twitter: https://twitter.com/veriT_REX Follow Verity on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queen_veritea/ Follow Verity on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/veritee/

In the 1970s, scientists proposed what has become known as the Gaia Hypothesis: the idea that earth is best understood not as a passive substrate or background to life but as a life form in its own right. Our guest, journalist Ferris Jabr, believes the time has come to revive that idea. To understand how … Continue reading Ep. 22 – Ferris Jabr on reviving the Gaia hypothesis →

Episode 86 of the Dental Hacks Daily features Alan dissecting a hit piece in the Atlantic called "The Truth About Dentistry." The article is in the Atlantic Magazine and it's written by Ferris Jabr. It had potential, but predictably was used to make the profession of dentistry look bad. Some links from the show: The Truth About Dentistry (the original article) Dentists As Clickbait (Al's rebuttal do the article) "Why Most Published Research Findings are False" by Dr. John Ioannidis   Dental Online Training is going to change hands on CE for the better! It’s cost effective and saves you time and travel expense. It’s an ideal way to get amazing continuing ed! Go check it out at dentalhacks.com/DOT and get your free copy of "CPR for the Worn Dentition!" I don’t know about you, but I go out of my way to find the self checkout line. And if I had to go into the gas station to pay, I’d probably find another gas station! Maybe I’m antisocial. Or maybe sometimes I just really like the convenience of not having to deal with a human being. Give your patients the convenience that they’ve come to expect with Localmed! Check them out at dentalhacks.com/localmed and see what they can do for you! Microcopy dental is so sure that you’ll love their products that they’ve build their business around giving free samples! I’ve been using Microcopy burs for over 10 years and I love the convenience and that “new bur feeling” every time I prepare a tooth! So go take the Microcopy challenge at dentalhacks.com/challenge! You’ve got nothing to lose and you may just find a favorite new bur!  

Playwright, dramaturg, producer, and educator Kristin Idaszak joins us to discuss her play, "Strange Heart Beating." Idaszak also shares her approach to starting new plays, her passion for climate change, and her role as artistic director at Cloudgate Theatre. Join us for this new episode of Beckett's Babies... as we all try to figure out playwriting. To learn more about Kristin Idaszak, visit www.kristinidaszak.com ----------------------------------- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies We would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it on our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com Website: www.beckettsbabies.com Theme Music: "Live Like The Kids" from Audio Network Additional Links Mentioned in the Show! The Story of Storytelling by Ferris Jabr https://harpers.org/archive/2019/03/the-story-of-storytelling/

Playwright, dramaturg, producer, and educator Kristin Idaszak joins us to discuss her play, "Strange Heart Beating." Idaszak also shares her approach to starting new plays, her passion for climate change, and her role as artistic director at Cloudgate Theatre. Join us for this new episode of Beckett's Babies... as we all try to figure out playwriting. To learn more about Kristin Idaszak, visit www.kristinidaszak.com ----------------------------------- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies We would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it on our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com Website: www.beckettsbabies.com Theme Music: "Live Like The Kids" from Audio Network Additional Links Mentioned in the Show! The Story of Storytelling by Ferris Jabr https://harpers.org/archive/2019/03/the-story-of-storytelling/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/support

The wings of a bird, the colors of a butterfly, and the patterns on a seashell defy the theory of Darwinian evolution. Many of us intuit, simply by looking at the splendor that permeates the natural world, that there must be some agent involved other than blind mutations or mere survival-of-the-fittest mechanisms. And now, it seems, some scientists are beginning to accept that intuition, finally admitting that beauty cannot be explained by the theory of evolution, at least as we know it. In a surprising article in The New York Times, Ferris Jabr writes about a small but growing band of scientists who argue that natural selection alone can't account for the eye-popping artistry we see in nature. He cites Yale ornithologist Richard Prum, who argues in his book, “The Evolution of Beauty,” that the elaborate plumage and outrageous mating displays of many birds confer no obvious survival advantage. Instead, they often put these birds at a disadvantage, wasting precious energy and making them stand out to predators. By all the conventional rules of evolution, such costly adaptations should have disappeared long ago. Instead, says Prum, we find them all over nature, not only in birds, which play their wings like violins, but in beetles with high-fidelity, crystalline scales, fish with flags for tails, and a whole assortment of mammals sporting over-the-top headgear. Our world is bursting with unnecessary beauty that Jabr describes as “an affront to the rules of natural selection.” Now, the traditional explanation for aesthetically awe-inspiring traits is that they show off an animal's fitness to potential mates. The parrot with the brightest plumage might have the healthiest immune system. The lion with the bushiest mane must be the most successful hunter. But more and more scientists are challenging this so-called “good genes” theory. Many natural ornaments, like the flamboyant tail of the peacock, put their owner in serious danger without necessarily signaling genetic fitness. Yet peahens (or the females) keep picking the fellahs with the biggest, brightest tails to sire their offspring. While many scientists insist that somehow a cumbersome caboose confers a survival benefit, Prum thinks that's ridiculous. Animals are beautiful not because beauty is useful, he insists, but because…they like it! Through a process called “sexual selection,” Prum and other experts now believe animals shape their own evolution, choosing features in mates that strike their fancy, and exaggerating these over countless generations to produce colors, shapes, and behaviors that dazzle human observers. Now, maybe animals do like being beautiful, but that seems as much a forced theory as the one it replaced. I'm glad some Darwinists are recognizing that survival alone can't account for the art gallery we call the natural world, but is it really a better option to look at that same art gallery and conclude that the paintings produced themselves? Well, here's another option... Recently, Evolution News reported on a peer-reviewed study by scientists in Spain that suggests that just seeing natural designs improves human engineers' creativity. The researchers created a program that “help[s] industrial designers find natural shapes that [are] both functional and aesthetically pleasing” by showing them the features of plants and animals. This is just the latest in an emerging field called “biomimetics,” which literally means “copying life.” The paper uses the term “design” no less than 130 times and “agency” over 140 times. Considering this, plus Jabr's outstanding piece in the Times, it's fair to wonder if we are “approaching the threshold of design acceptance in science.” I hope so. Faced with a natural world brimming with beauty and engineering, scientists should reconsider the dogma that all of this created itself. Instead, they should consider that the mind-boggling beauty we see around us was always intended for our eyes—designed by a master Engineer and Artist, to display His genius and glory through the language of beauty—in a language best understood not by peahens, but by people. As Andrew Peterson sings, could the beauty before us…be for us? I look forward to the day when science joins Christianity in saying “yes.”  

Most fish die by slowly suffocating to death on the deck of a boat, struggling for air. That’s horrendously cruel, but it also makes for acidic, rubbery, smelly fish. There’s another way: ikejime, a Japanese method of fish slaughter where the fish is stabbed in the skull and dies instantly with a minimum of pain. That’s good for the animals — and, our guest Andrew Tsui argues, it makes for much tastier food. ––– Further reading: Cat Ferguson’s feature in Topic on Andrew Tsui and ikejime Ferris Jabr reviews the evidence that fish feel pain in Hakai Magazine Ikejime demonstrated by a chef at Go, a Japanese sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills More of Vox’s effective altruism coverage ––– Discover more podcasts from Vox here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1932 a quartet of Bronx gangsters set out to murder a friend of theirs in order to collect his life insurance. But Michael Malloy proved to be almost comically difficult to kill. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll review what one observer called "the most clumsily executed insurance scam in New York City history." We'll also burrow into hoarding and puzzle over the value of silence. Intro: In May 1856 Abraham Lincoln gave a fiery speech of which no record exists. Calvin S. Brown argued that Thomas De Quincey modeled the third part of his 1849 essay "The English Mail-Coach" deliberately on a musical fugue. Sources for our feature on Michael Malloy: Simon Read, On the House: The Bizarre Killing of Michael Malloy, 2005. Deborah Blum, The Poisoner's Handbook, 2011. Karen Abbott, "The Man Who Wouldn't Die," Smithsonian, Feb. 7, 2012. Isabelle Keating, "Doctor and Undertaker Held in 'Murder Trust,'" Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 12, 1933. "Insurance Murder Charged to Five," New York Times, May 13, 1933. "4 Murder Attempts Cited in Weird Insurance Plot," Altoona (Pa.) Tribune, May 13, 1933. "Murder Plot Seen in Another Death," New York Times, May 14, 1933. "Murder Inquiry Is Widened by Foley," New York Times, May 16, 1933. "Six Are Indicted in Insurance Plot," [Washington D.C.] Evening Star, May 17, 1933. "Indicted as Slayers in Insurance Plot," New York Times, May 17, 1933. "4 on Trial in Bronx Insurance Slaying," New York Times, Oct. 5, 1933. "4 Men Go on Trial in Old Insurance Plot," Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Oct. 18, 1933. "Jury Weighs Fate of Four in Killing," New York Times, Oct. 19, 1933. "Four Men to Die for Bronx Killing," New York Times, Oct. 20, 1933. "Three Die at Sing Sing for Bronx Murder," New York Times, June 8, 1934. "Murphy Goes to the Chair," New York Times, July 6, 1934. "The Durable Mike Malloy," New York Daily News, Oct. 14, 2007. Max Haines, "Inept Gang of Murderers Found Barfly Michael Malloy Almost Indestructible," Kamloops [B.C.] Daily News, Feb. 23, 2008. Deborah Blum, "The Strange Death of Mike the Durable," Women in Crime Ink, March 23, 2010. Listener mail: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association, 2013. Fugen Neziroglu, "Hoarding: The Basics," Anxiety and Depression Association of America (accessed April 27, 2018). Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz, "Hoarding Can Be a Deadly Business," Scientific American, Sept. 1, 2013. Ferris Jabr, "Step Inside the Real World of Compulsive Hoarders," Scientific American, Feb. 25, 2013. Homer and Langley's Mystery Spot Antiques: This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener David Marrero, who sent these corroborating links (warning -- these spoil the puzzle). You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Google Play Music or via the RSS feed at http://feedpress.me/futilitycloset. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- you can choose the amount you want to pledge, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

In 1919 a bizarre catastrophe struck Boston's North End: A giant storage tank failed, releasing 2 million gallons of molasses into a crowded business district at the height of a January workday. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Boston Molasses Disaster, which claimed 21 lives and inscribed a sticky page into the city's history books. We'll also admire some Scandinavian statistics and puzzle over a provocative Facebook photo. Intro: In 1888 three women reported encountering a 15-foot flying serpent in the woods near Columbia, S.C. In 1834 the American Journal of Science and Arts reported the capture of a pair of conjoined catfish near Fort Johnston, N.C. Sources for our feature on the Boston Molasses Disaster: Stephen Puleo, Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, 2003. Fred Durso Jr., "The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919," NFPA Journal 105:3 (May/June 2011), 90-93. Sean Potter, "Retrospect: January 15, 1919: Boston Molasses Flood," Weatherwise 64:1 (January/February 2011), 10-11. Kaylie Duffy, "Today in Engineering History: Molasses Tanker Explodes, Kills 21," Product Design & Development, Jan. 15, 2015. Steve Puleo, "Death by Molasses," American History 35:6 (February 2001), 60-66. Chuck Lyons, "A Sticky Tragedy," History Today 59.1 (January 2009), 40-42. Dick Sinnott, "21 Persons Drowned in Molasses Flood," Reading [Pa.] Eagle, Jan. 15, 1959. Edwards Park, "Without Warning, Molasses in January Surged Over Boston," Smithsonian 14:8 (November 1983), 213-230. "12 Killed When Tank of Molasses Explodes," New York Times, Jan. 16, 1919. Ferris Jabr, "The Science of the Great Molasses Flood," Scientific American, Aug. 1, 2013. United Press International, "The Great Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919," Jan. 17, 1979. Peter Schworm, "Nearly a Century Later, Structural Flaw in Molasses Tank Revealed," Boston Globe, Jan. 14, 2015. William J. Kole, "Slow as Molasses? Sweet but Deadly 1919 Disaster Explained," Associated Press, Nov. 24, 2016. Erin McCann, "Solving a Mystery Behind the Deadly 'Tsunami of Molasses' of 1919," New York Times, Nov. 26, 2016. (The corn syrup video is midway down the page.) Jason Daley, "The Sticky Science Behind the Deadly Boston Molasses Disaster," Smithsonian, Nov. 28, 2016. Jennifer Ouellette, "Incredible Physics Behind the Deadly 1919 Boston Molasses Flood," New Scientist, Nov. 24, 2016. The Boston Public Library has photos and newspaper headlines. Listener mail: Erik Bye's song on the 15th Wisconsin Regiment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o5TUozjQXw Statistics Norway's names database. Wikipedia, "Old Norse" (accessed Jan. 5, 2017). This week's lateral thinking puzzle was contributed by listener Tommy Honton, who sent this corroborating link (warning -- this spoils the puzzle). You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on iTunes or Google Play Music or via the RSS feed at http://feedpress.me/futilitycloset. Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet -- on our Patreon page you can pledge any amount per episode, and we've set up some rewards to help thank you for your support. You can also make a one-time donation on the Support Us page of the Futility Closet website. Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode. If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!

Step away from the French fries—and even from that bag of pre-washed mixed greens lurking in the crisper drawer. It's time to reconsider the potato and up your salad game. In this episode, Cynthia and Nicky talk to science writer Ferris Jabr about the chestnut-flavored, gemstone-hued potatoes he discovered in Peru, as well as the plant breeders working to expand American potato choices beyond the Russet Burbank and Yukon Gold. Plus we meet wild gardener Stephen Barstow, whose gorgeous megasalads include 537 different plants, to talk about ancient Norwegian rooftop onion gardens and the weedy origins of borscht. If you thought you knew your veggies, think again—and listen in! A farmer holds up a potato in Peru. Photograph by Cynthia Graber.Episode NotesFerris Jabr's “Reinventing the Potato” Lots of different kinds of potatoes and tubers for sale at a market in Peru. Photograph by Cynthia Graber. Ferris Jabr is a freelance science journalist based in New York City. This article, written with the support of the UC Berkeley-11th Hour Food & Farming Journalism Fellowship, introduces readers to an alien universe of potatoes with pink flesh and dark blue skin, curved like croissants or knobbly like a pine cone—potatoes that taste like buttercream and caramelized beets, and that turn out to be pretty good for you, too. Read it and drool. Ferris Jabr's purchases from the Mistura food festival, chopped and ready to be cooked. Photograph by Ferris Jabr. Potato varieties grown by Shelly Jansky, potato breeder and flavor expert at the University of Wisconsin. Photograph by Ferris Jabr.Stephen Barstow's Around the World in 80 Plants Multi-species salad, via Stephen Barstow. This is a gardener's guide to the stories behind Barstow's favorite edible perennials, from rock samphire, a cliff-dwelling leafy green used to make the most popular pickle in Shakespeare's London, to the unexpected deliciousness of the invasive Japanese knotweed. Recipes included! Multi-species salad, via Stephen Barstow.Hampton Creek Our sponsor for this episode is Hampton Creek, a technology company that is pioneering the food space. You can find their (very tasty, egg-free) products at your local Whole Foods, Target, or Walmart. For more on their project to build the world's largest database of plant compounds, check out this Fast Company story, “Google Maps' Former Lead Data Scientist Is Now Building The World's Largest Plant Library,” from August 2014. The post Extreme Salad and Crazy Potatoes appeared first on Gastropod. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.