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NCPR Programs: Natural SelectionsEach week join Martha Foley and Professor Curt Stager from Paul Smith's College as they discuss various topics from the world of nature. You can hear Natural Selections on Thursdays at 8:35 am, and on Sundays at 8:55 am.
Natural Selections: Lion Manes
07/22/10
Why would a heavy fur cape, like a lion's mane, be appropriate on a tropical savanna? As with male fashion in humans—it appears the that the lionesses of the Serengeti like it—the thicker and darker, the better. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk hair.
Natural Selections: Gecko feet
07/15/10
Gecko with photo micrograph of foot
Geckos have a remarkable ability to run up vertical surfaces, and even across ceilings. But their feet do not form suction cups, nor are they sticky with any kind of secreted glue. Dr. Curt Stager tells Martha Foley the secret of the lizard's gravity-defying feet, which has as much to with atomic physics as biology.
Rattlesnakes and its other poisonous cousins in the US seem to be getting more toxic. Dr. Curt tells Martha Foley about one theory: that habitat loss and hunting pressure are reducing the average size and age of the reptiles, who have stronger venom when younger.
Natural Selections: Laughter
07/01/10
What is laughter? Is it exclusive to human? Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss "the best medicine.
Natural Selections: Exploding lake
06/24/10
De-gassing jet helps keep Lake Nyos safe
When local legend in Africa spoke of an exploding lake, western researchers scoffed. They were wrong—Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk about the exploding lake, Lake Nyos.
Natural Selections: Animal hearts
06/17/10
From worms to whales, most creatures have hearts. In the worm it's a simple tube, in the whale it can pump 60 gallons of blood per minute. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley discuss the variety of hearts in the animal kingdom.
Natural Selections: Bird vocabulary
06/10/10
Birds we think of as quiet will sometimes raise a ruckus. And Curt Stager noted that European birds seem to have a wider and more improvisational range of songs than their American cousins. Martha Foley and Curt Stager discuss the vocabulary of birds.
With the collapse of the population of the European honeybee, introduced to North America in colonial times, many growers are looking for aids in pollinating their crops. But the honeybee may not be the most effective bee. Bumblebees and other native pollinators do a better job on crops like blueberries and cranberries. Martha Foley and Curt Stager discuss.
Natural Selections: Fungus
05/27/10
Tall trees may be the kings of the forest, but there is another kingdom of forest life that passes unnoticed. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk about the arboreal network of fungus.
The Pacific "Ring of Fire"
The theory of continental drift—the idea that the continents are islands of rock adrift on the earth's molten core—first gained acceptance in the 1960s. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk about the consequences of their extreme slow motion collisions—earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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(7/18/02)
Natural History
