Martha Wood is something of a myth on the North Shore of Massachusetts, a real-life mermaid who seems to thrive in water cold enough to kill. Today on the show, the 59-year-old Wood tells the story of how a botched colonoscopy led her into the winter ocean, beginning a journey that culminated a few weeks ago when she swam across the fabled English Channel.

Martha Wood is something of a myth on the North Shore of Massachusetts, a real-life mermaid who seems to thrive in water cold enough to kill. Today on the show, the 59-year-old Wood tells the story of how a botched colonoscopy led her into the winter ocean, beginning a journey that culminated a few weeks ago when she swam across the fabled English Channel.

Martha Wood is something of a myth on the North Shore of Massachusetts, a real-life mermaid who seems to thrive in water cold enough to kill. Today on the show, the 59-year-old Wood tells the story of how a botched colonoscopy led her into the winter ocean, beginning a journey that culminated a few weeks ago when she swam across the fabled English Channel.&nbsp;

Cold-water legend Martha Wood on swimming the English Channel

An adventure in wild ideas and wild behaviors, all to answer the question: Can acting like a Homo sapiens make you feel more human? We identify the fundamental evolved abilities programmed into our DNA, the things we were born to do, and then attempt to express them. Or something like that. It's usually a bit of a mess, but the truth is that our restoration project is working. Come join us. Hosted by a mostly mediocre writer named Billy Baker, and a definitely mediocre scientist named Dr. Jody Simoes, who allegedly has a Ph.D in something to do with fisheries and wildlife.

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Cold-water legend Martha Wood on swimming the English Channel

Cold-water legend Martha Wood on swimming the English Channel