Podcasts about never home alone

Our houses are homes to hidden worlds of bugs. And the more ecologists explore those worlds, the more they realize that some of our creepy, crawly housemates actually have a lot to teach us. (First published in 2023) Guests: Rob Dunn, ecologist at NC State University and author of Never Home Alone; Michelle Trautwein, entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences For show transcripts, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unxtranscripts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For more, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unexplainable⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And please email us! ⁠⁠unexplainable@vox.com⁠⁠ We read every email. Support Unexplainable (and get ad-free episodes) by becoming a Vox Member today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/members⁠⁠⁠⁠ Help us plan for the future of Unexplainable by filling out a brief survey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠voxmedia.com/survey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we are at our lowest, God is at His nearest. Join Pastor Cameron as he reminds us that the Lord is near the brokenhearted, even during this challenging season. 

During the Christmas season, we often miss those who have left us. But as Pastor Cameron encourages us today, an assured future is coming when all of us who are in the faith will be reunited in the glorious presence of the Lord! 

Screen Capture from Class Demo Video Paula Rebsom describes herself as an Artist, Mother, Educator, and Trickster. All of these identities inform her interdisciplinary visual art practice which includes making sculptures from wood and fabric, site-specific installations, and image-based work using motion-sensor cameras. She's always had an interest in science, specifically wildlife ecology, and applies elements of that into her work. Born and raised in Southwest North Dakota she spent a great deal of time exploring nature and learning to sew and craft. Much of her work after grad school was situated outdoors and used motion-sensor cameras to document animal interactions with site-specific installations. Becoming a mother 6 years ago radically shifted her practice. No longer able to spend extended periods of time in remote locations, she returned to sewing, making quilts in order to process the raw emotions she was experiencing as a new mother. She is currently returning towards more image-based surveillance work by documenting the flora and fauna using her backyard and neighborhood greenspaces as installation sites. She is currently full-time faculty in the art department at North Seattle College. Her work has been exhibited across the US, including group shows in New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, and Los Angeles, along with solo exhibitions at The Art Gym in Portland, OR, Gallery of Contemporary Art in Colorado Springs and SOIL Gallery in Seattle. The Books mentioned in the interview were Never Home Alone and The Artist as Culture Producer. Undetected, 2013, Digital image taken with a RECONYX motion detection infrared camera, Dimension Vary. Absence of Color, 2019, Pigment Print, 24"x18"

Please support this podcast by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, leaving a 5-star review, and sharing with your friends and family!Nature, broadly speaking, is the natural, physical, or material world and the collective phenomena that occur within it. Over the course of human existence, we have accumulated extraordinary knowledge of the natural world. The problem is that rather than utilize that knowledge to further understand and improve our relationship with the natural world, we've taken what we know thus far and used it to try to bend nature to our will.In his new book “A Natural History of the Future: What the Laws of Biology Tell Us about the Destiny of the Human Species”, Dr. Rob Dunn argues that such endeavors will ultimately be fruitless. We are at nature's mercy, not the other way around. Environmental efforts to mitigate climate change are not because we want to save Earth, but to save our species.Today, I'm speaking with Dr. Rob Dunn, a Professor of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. Rob heads the Public Science Lab at NC State, where he and his colleagues study the ecology, evolution, and biodiversity of humans and food. He is the author of 7 books and countless scientific publications on issues relating to the world around us. Rob's research looks at the seemingly ordinary yet underexplored – things like alcoholic fruit flies, microbes in the home, parasites and nanobacteria, threats to our food supply, the evolution of flavor, and much more!In this episode, we discuss: The Emerging Field of HologenomicsHow Anthropocentrism Affects Our Perception of NatureThe Truth About Our Understanding of Life on EarthThe Impact of Climate Change on HumansHow Global Warming is Changing the BiosphereThe Future of ConservationRob's Books:A Natural History of the World, Delicious, Never Home Alone, The Man Who Touched His Own Heart, The Wild Life of Our Bodies, Never Out of Season, Every Living ThingConnect with Ahmed:Website: https://ahmednayel.com/ Facebook: Ahmed NayelInstagram: @the.ahmed.nayelTwitter: @theahmednayelYouTubeReferences:Available on episode webpageReminder: Listening is great, but don't forget to apply what you learned in your life.Thank you for tuning in!

Traditionally, biologists and ecologists study microbes and hosts separately. And, it's only recently that 'Hologenomics' emerged as a discipline with a holistic perspective. Rob Dunn's work in this field influenced his three best-selling books, Delicious, The Wildlife Of Our Bodies, and Never Home Alone.In this episode, Rob takes us on a scientific taste adventure. In his use of “hologenomics” perspectives, he explains why humans crave flavors that cannot be explained by their nutritional needs, and how they may have been influenced by evolutionary development. Tune in to hear Greg and Rob talk about anthropology, history, and evolutionary biology, including the extinction of megafauna and the influence of plants and animals on the human palate.Episode Quotes:How Hologenomics combines different fields of sciences in its applicationsHistorically people who studied microbes, so things that are invisible without a microscope and people who studied animals, were in different departments. And even if they were studying the same interaction, they would study it from totally different perspectives. And so, if I studied skin microbes, I'd focus on them. And if you studied skin, you would focus on the human. And so, Hologenomics is an approach where you study all of that at the same time. And so, a human and its microbes, a goat and its microbes, a Gobi fish and its microbes. And this is made possible partly because the tools are now the same tools. I can study your genes and your microbes' genes at the same time. And so, it's a field that recognizes the value of whole-ism, but at the same time, reflects changes in how we study things.Thoughts on co-evolutionary process of plants and animalsSo, some species— well, some parts of species like fruits, they have evolved to have chemicals that appeal to the taste and the smell of the specific animals they want to eat them. And then, by the flip side of that is that, many sorts of the leaves of plants, very often, produce chemicals that relate to bad tastes in the animals they don't want to eat them. And so, there's this kind of culinary dance between plants and animals and between lots of organisms. That's super fascinating and hinges on that bite, you know, that we all do that, animals do.Why do you think science hasn't really paid a lot of attention to things like taste?Because we're just still so early in science, but I think the second thing is that often we don't have the right tool yet. I think taste receptors are like that. That, for a long time, it was really hard. Even if you knew what the gene might be for a taste receptor, to then compare that from one species to another, it was expensive. Maybe if you'd looked at sweet taste receptors in humans, you could also look at them in rats, and then your Ph.D. was over. Now, that's cheap and easy. Easy is too strong. It's cheap and feasible. And so that's the other part, is that the technology that you need is sometimes lagging. And I think with tastes, that's been one of the pieces. Now we have genetic technologies that allow us not only this study tastes in humans, But also to compare it.Time Code Guide:00:00:57 What is hologenomics?00:02:13 Hologenomics and ecology as fields that help us understand the world better00:03:47 Rob Dunn's early work as an intern00:07:12 What's so different about the book Delicious and did you take unique approaches to animal behavioral science?00:11:45 Why bacteria in cadavers secrete weird odors00:13:00 How our taste palette's affected by our evolution00:15:00 Stoichiometry, taste palettes and signaling what the body needs00:21:24 Bias on technology and detecting existing conditions only00:23:09 Gap between studying known conditions vs. studying different aspects of biology to add context on these known diseases00:24:25 Will exposing doctors to evolutionary theories or studies create a different framework for looking at the human body?00:26:33 Understanding Covid-19 and why looking at any bacteria, as bad bacteria may not be the best perspective00:31:31 Wildlife of our bodies and fecal transplants00:34:00 Fermented foods and garden of microbes00:35:39 Evolution of fruit trees and the animals that consume them00:37:53 Flavor of plants and animals and how they serve as chemical defense00:39:34 Spices, microbial components, human, and plant evolution00:40:19 Why do humans have to learn how to like certain tastes?00:47:44 How do you fix what's wrong with science and thoughts on rigorous testing00:53:51 Rob Dunn's next bookShow Links:Guest ProfileRob Dunn's Adacemic Profile at NC State UniversityRob Dunn on LinkedInRob Dunn on TwitterHis WorkRob Dunn LabRob Dunn on Google ScholarRob Dunn's Articles on TEDRob Dunn Podcast Episodes on Science FridayA Natural History of the Future: What the Laws of Biology Tell Us about the Destiny of the Human SpeciesDelicious: The Evolution of Flavor and How It Made Us HumanNever Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We LiveThe Man Who Touched His Own Heart: True Tales of Science, Surgery, and MysteryThe Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are TodayEvery Living Thing: Man's Obsessive Quest to Catalog Life, from Nanobacteria to New Monkeys

Scotty Real Is Hanging Out With Rob Dunn. He is a biologist, writer and professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. He has written several books and his science essays have appeared at magazines such as BBC Wildlife Magazine, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic and others. He is quickly becoming known for efforts to involve the public as citizen scientists in arthropod surveys and bacterial flora studies. His projects include studies of belly button biodiversity, mites that live on human faces, ants in backyards, and fungi and bacteria in houses. Every Living Thing: Man’s Obsessive Quest to Catalog Life, from Nanobacteria to New Monkeys (HarperCollins Publishers, 2009) The Wild Life of Our Bodies (HarperCollins Publishers, 2011) The Man Who Touched His Own Heart (Little Brown, February, 2015), a biography of Werner Forssmann Never Out of Season: How Having the Food We Want When We Want It Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future (Little, Brown, 2017) Never Home Alone (Basic Books, 2018)

Scotty Real Is Hanging Out With Rob Dunn. He is a biologist, writer and professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. He has written several books and his science essays have appeared at magazines such as BBC Wildlife Magazine, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic and others. He is quickly becoming known for efforts to involve the public as citizen scientists in arthropod surveys and bacterial flora studies. His projects include studies of belly button biodiversity, mites that live on human faces, ants in backyards, and fungi and bacteria in houses. Every Living Thing: Man’s Obsessive Quest to Catalog Life, from Nanobacteria to New Monkeys (HarperCollins Publishers, 2009) The Wild Life of Our Bodies (HarperCollins Publishers, 2011) The Man Who Touched His Own Heart (Little Brown, February, 2015), a biography of Werner Forssmann Never Out of Season: How Having the Food We Want When We Want It Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future (Little, Brown, 2017) Never Home Alone (Basic Books, 2018)

Tough times prepare us for tough times. As we get towards the end of the year, we look back on what 2020 and the COVID craziness has done to make us better.This week, Asante and Craig talk about how we can finish out 2020 on a high note and create momentum going into the new year. They also talk about how the pandemic has impacted all of us from a mental perspective and how getting physical can pay significant dividends in your health, wealth and relationship with yourself. We also dive into some interesting news about former NFL quarterback and former teammate of Asante's, Colin Kaepernick and Why Craig is finally gaping to make his Olympic run in the 2024 Sumer Olympics in Paris. Bonus Christmas Movie Review: Craig drops his rant on why Home Alone is the worst X-Mas movie going and also talks about a couple of movies that you may be sleeping on. Hear all of this and much more on this week's episode of The White Tiger Podcast!

Week 1 in our series "Immanuel".

Week 1 in our series "Immanuel".

Join us as we chat with Dr. Rob Dunn, Professor of Applied Ecology at NC State University and author of five popular science books, including “Every Living Thing” and “The Wild Life of our Bodies.” From bellybutton microbes to fabulous face mites, listen and learn all about the species that are on us, in us and around us. Rob Dunn's bio Rob Dunn is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist who works in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University and in the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics at the University of Copenhagen, where he a the professor of human biodiversity. His work considers the biology of daily life, whether that is the species bubbling in sourdough starters, the insects beneath your bed or the mites mating on your head. He has written six books, most recently Never Home Alone, the story of the species that live in our houses and their surprising histories and consequences. His newest book, Delicious (Princeton University Press, spring 2021), written with Monica Sanchez, considers the role of flavor in human evolution and history. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lovenature/message

It's not only your body that's home to various microbiomes -- your home also harbors countless species, big and small. Rob Dunn, "daily life" biologist and the author of five books, including his most recent, award-winning title "Never Home Alone," joins Andrea to talk about how everything from water filters to sourdough bread inform what's taking up residence within your four walls. From spiders and mold to dogs and MRSA, we're never really home alone...even when we're quarantining solo.

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter SubscribeStar: https://www.subscribestar.com/the-dissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT Anchor (podcast): https://anchor.fm/thedissenter Dr. Robert Dunn is William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. He is known for efforts to involve the public as citizen scientists in arthropod surveys and bacterial flora studies. His projects include studies of belly button biodiversity, mites that live on human faces, ants in backyards, and fungi and bacteria in houses. He's the author of five books, his most recent one being Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live. In this episode, we focus on Never Home Alone. We discuss how living in homes changed our dynamics with other species, particularly species of insects, bacteria and fungi, and how some of them adapted to the home environment. We talk about how some of them are neutral, others beneficial, and still others detrimental to our health, and also about the importance of being exposed to biodiversity. We also get into the effects that the most common pets (cats and dogs) might have on us. We discuss food processing, how our houses promote the development of harmful species, and, finally, how in the future we might be able to garden the microorganisms we need. -- Follow Dr. Dunn's work: Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2sFWQtb Rob Dunn Lab: http://bit.ly/2LkcIZ6 ResearchGate profile: http://bit.ly/2ViJfCD Books: http://bit.ly/2rTJLwd Never Home Alone: https://amzn.to/2VgeVIE Twitter handle: @RRobDunn -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORDE, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, YEVHEN BODRENKO, ADAM BJERRE, AIRES ALMEIDA, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, BO WINEGARD, VEGA GIDEY, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, DAVID DIAS, ANJAN KATTA, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, AND ZOOP! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, ROSEY, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, ILEWELLYN OSBORNE, IAN GILLIGAN, AND SERGIU CONDREANU! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MICHAL RUSIECKI!

Home Alone may be a hit holiday movie, but in our homes, the kids definitely want (or need) company, with one notable exception. A survey of social workers says 12 is the magic age [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191025075904.htm]. We say one size never fits all. Mentioned: Parenting horror movies we made up [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/grab-bag-zombie-skillz-and-parenting-chills], and a terrifying real one starring Sally Field [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116260/].

From week four of our Advent sermon series, Home. Matthew 1:18-25

More teddy talk on today's show before we finally put Ted to bed! Brenda Woods spoke about her transition from journalism to stand-up comedy while we discovered just how important the Never Home Alone project is. What's the Eim Hoff Method. Listen back to find out! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How does our indoor, modern lifestyle affect our microbiome? How does this novel microbiome affect our health? On this episode, Marty and Art talk with Rob Dunn, an applied ecologist at North Carolina State University. Rob studies the organisms that we come into contact with every day, from the microbes in our bodies to the insects in our homes. Tune into this episode to hear Marty and Art talk to Rob about the crazy diversity of microbes on our skin and its importance in our health and our food. Many of the ideas we discuss are from Rob’s most recent book, Never Home Alone. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bigbiology/message

You may think your home is sparkling clean. But even a clean house harbors a host of small creatures that have a fascinating web of interactions with each other and with the humans who live there. What do you know about the ecology of your home? How does the dust that accumulates in the corners […]

Hating hate, Paul Muhammadfort would've gotten life, Brits to tug Sceptered Isle away from Continent, 'Beat It' disappears from playlists and indoor ecologist Rob Dunn tells us how to make beer from wasp yeast--

Even when the floors are sparkling clean and the house seems silent, our domestic domain is wild beyond imagination. In Never Home Alone, biologist Rob Dunn introduces us to the nearly 200,000 species living with us in our own homes, from the Egyptian meal moths in our cupboards and camel crickets in our basements to the lactobacillus lounging on our kitchen counters. You are not alone. Yet, as we obsess over sterilizing our homes and separating our spaces from nature, we are unwittingly cultivating an entirely new playground for evolution. These changes are reshaping the organisms that live with us–prompting some to become more dangerous, while undermining those species that benefit our bodies or help us keep more threatening organisms at bay. No one who reads this engrossing, revelatory book will look at their homes in the same way again. Rob Dunn is a professor in the department of applied ecology at North Carolina State University and in the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen. He is also the author of five books. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. The post Why Biodiversity is Good – Ep 50 with Rob Dunn appeared first on Read Learn Live Podcast.

Andrew Delbanco discusses “The War Before the War,” and Rob Dunn talks about “Never Home Alone.”

Ho Ho Ho! Hopefully, you're all caught up on your Christmas shopping by now... unlike myself XD. In this episode we talk about my all time favourite Christmas movie, and the beauty in being occupied. Got a minute? Or thirty? Come Hang out! Links: Open The Door (Angeloh)- https://soundcloud.com/rapzilla/angeloh-open-the-door1 Instagram: www.instagram.com/clareneklarke/ Email me at: ClareneKlarke@gmail.com Merry Christmas!!! - Clarene

The modern American home is a wilderness: there are thousands of species of insects, bacteria, fungi, and plants that lurk in our floorboards, on our counters, and inside our kitchen cabinets—not to mention the microbes that flavor our food itself. The trouble with wilderness, however, is that humans always want to tame it. Cleaning, bleaching, sterilizing, and killing the organisms in our homes has had unintended—and dangerous—consequences for our health and the environment. Biologist Rob Dunn, a professor in the department of applied ecology at North Carolina State University, joins us to impart some manners about how to welcome these formerly unknown guests into our homes.Go beyond the episode:Rob Dunn’s Never Home AloneDig deeper into the experiments mentioned in the show, like the sourdough project or the world’s largest survey of showerheadsCat people: track your cat to reveal its secret life—and what it brings into your home—in this citizen science projectMore opportunities to participate in scientific research about everything from belly button ecology to counting the crickets in your basement through Your Wild LifeTune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.Subscribe: iTunes • Feedburner • Stitcher • Google Play • AcastHave suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org. And rate us on iTunes! Our theme music was composed by Nathan Prillaman.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're going on an indoor expedition to discover the species in our own home! You’ll never look at the bugs in your house the same way again. Ecologist and author Rob Dunn is our guide to exploring what he calls, “the unknown we wake up in every morning.” We’ll find out how many species live in the average home (it’s more than you think!) and tell you how you can conduct your own scientific survey inside your house. It’s an activity that could help scientists discover indoor wildlife all around the world. To learn how you can sign up for Rob’s citizen science project, Never Home Alone, check out our blog at www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/blog. Our friend Science Mom has created a downloadable coloring book and indoor bug guide, special for this episode! It’s available to our Patreon members at all levels. To get it, just pledge any amount to support the show at https://www.patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

Never Home Alone (starts at 4:26) In this week's How on Earth, Beth interviews Professor Rob Dunn. In his recent book, Never Home Alone, he gives a sneak peak into the natural history of the wilderness in our homes, from the microbes in our showers to the crickets in our basements. You can find out more about his book here, find out more about his lab and research at http://robdunnlab.com, and to contribute to their project visit the iNaturalist site.   Hosts: Beth Bennett, Gretchen Wettstein Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Additional Contributions: Alejandro Soto, Gretchen Wettstein Executive Producer: Susan Moran Listen to the show:

On this week's episode of The Open Mind, we welcome Rob Dunn, author of “Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel, Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live.” Rob Dunn is a professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University and in the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen. He is the author of five previous books including “Never Out of Season” and “Every Living Thing,” Dunn lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. “In the process of sanitizing our own homes,” Dunn reveals in “Never Home Alone,” “we've created a playground of revolution for bacteria and parasites in our not very tranquil homes.” Rob's discovery of 200,000 new species living incognito in our bedrooms, kitchens, living areas, bathrooms, basements, attics, astounds. Some can kill. Some are benign and some may actually help us enhance our health, but most of them, if not all of them, until Rob's investigation, were unknown to us. Together, we discuss these organisms, how we combat them and how we need them.

Interested in studying exotic life forms…maybe even identifying new species? Well, forget about buying a plane ticket. Just take a look in your basement, bathroom, or boudoir. Because researchers in North Carolina aim to document the critters that live among us in the Great INDOORS.Ten years ago, biologists led by Rob Dunn at North Carolina State began to explore the biodiversity of insects in 50 homes in the Raleigh area. Though they expected to uncover a couple dozen bugs, they turned up more than a thousand distinct species. And when they expanded their studies to other cities, they found lots more…some entirely new to science.Now they're enlisting an intrepid brigade of citizen scientists to carry the work further. That means you. Simply explore your immediate environment. Poke around under the sink, behind the curtains, the back of the pantry. And snap a pic of what you find. Then upload your images to the social networking app iNaturalist. The observations you post will be shared with a global community of experts who can identify the creepy crawlies you've encountered.To participate in Dunn's effort, just tag your image to his project, which is titled: Never Home Alone: The Wild Life of Homes. And if you happen to be in Raleigh on November 15, pop by the celebration the publication of the book Never Home Alone…in which Dunn reveals what he and his colleagues have discovered so far. There, Dunn will present the 20 people who identify the most indoor animal species a trophy adorned with a bedbug. Not a real bedbug. I assume.  —Karen Hopkin[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]  

Interested in studying exotic life forms…maybe even identifying new species? Well, forget about buying a plane ticket. Just take a look in your basement, bathroom, or boudoir. Because researchers in North Carolina aim to document the critters that live among us in the Great INDOORS.Ten years ago, biologists led by Rob Dunn at North Carolina State began to explore the biodiversity of insects in 50 homes in the Raleigh area. Though they expected to uncover a couple dozen bugs, they turned up more than a thousand distinct species. And when they expanded their studies to other cities, they found lots more…some entirely new to science.Now they're enlisting an intrepid brigade of citizen scientists to carry the work further. That means you. Simply explore your immediate environment. Poke around under the sink, behind the curtains, the back of the pantry. And snap a pic of what you find. Then upload your images to the social networking app iNaturalist. The observations you post will be shared with a global community of experts who can identify the creepy crawlies you've encountered.To participate in Dunn's effort, just tag your image to his project, which is titled: Never Home Alone: The Wild Life of Homes. And if you happen to be in Raleigh on November 15, pop by the celebration the publication of the book Never Home Alone…in which Dunn reveals what he and his colleagues have discovered so far. There, Dunn will present the 20 people who identify the most indoor animal species a trophy adorned with a bedbug. Not a real bedbug. I assume.  —Karen Hopkin[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]