Meet a tireless physician who has spent nearly four decades caring for the unhoused population of Boston. We'll also learn about some of his enterprising and generous patients, who've formed a community that watches out for one another on the streets, as they find redemption and hope amid tragedy.

Guests: Jim O'Connell, MD, President of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Tracy Kidder, author of "Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People" and winner of the Pulitzer Prize

Photo credit: Bill Brett

Originally aired May 10, 2023

Hummingbirds are often admired for their dazzling speed and iridescent beauty, but their nesting habits remain one of nature's best-kept secrets. Citizen scientist Eric Pittman takes us into this hidden world, sharing his firsthand observations of hummingbird mothers as they build intricate nests and nurture their young—right in his very own backyard. Join us as we explore the hidden wonders of nature that await when we take the time to look.

Guest: Eric Pittman, Hummingbirds Up Close; subject of "The Bird in My Backyard" documentary

Photo credit: Eric Pittman

Educator and activist Septima Clark used her passion for teaching to increase literacy rates in the Deep South, preparing Black citizens to pass the voter registration tests that were designed to disenfranchise them.

Guest: Elaine Weiss, author of "Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools that Built the Civil Rights Movement"

Septima Clark reader: Janice L. Jones

Photo Caption: Septima Poinsette Clark, 1973; Photo Credit: Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.

News footage courtesy of EasyStreet, Pond5, www.pond5.com

The best way to see the world is on foot, it might be argued. Mary Colwell has had amazing encounters with wildlife on her walking treks around the globe. She's even used her walks to raise awareness and increase protection of the fascinating but imperiled curlew.

Mary Colwell, Director of Curlew Action; TV and radio producer, conservationist; author, "Curlew Moon"

Daniel Curry had had recurring dreams about wolves, long before he chose to devote his career to helping them. After working with captive wolves for several years, he became a "range rider," a human intermediary between predators and the cattle they might want to eat. In this episode of Constant Wonder, we'll discover Curry's extraordinary empathy for both domestic and wild creatures, and we'll hear how he works to keep them all safe.

Photo credit: Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review

Guest: Daniel Curry, range rider and wolf advocate in Eastern Washington

Originally aired on May 17, 2023

When Paula Whyman started trying to rehabilitate 200 acres she'd just bought, she knew very little about conservation. Among many other challenges, she faced off with mile-a-minute vine and rattlesnakes, but, with self-effacing humor and passion for this corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains, she persisted (and still persists!) in restoring the land to a healthy equilibrium.

Guest: Paula Whyman, author of "Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop"

Use the power of retreat and meditation to ease the stress of our frenetic lifestyle. From decades of friendship with the Dalai Lama, Pico Iyer has learned the value of sacred silence.

Guest: Pico Iyer, author of "Aflame: Learning from Silence"

If snorkeling seems like something you can only do on a tropical vacation, think again. In this podcast episode, we meet a river snorkeling guide who encourages us to stick our heads in the water, right in our local streams and rivers. Keith Williams thinks you'll be amazed at the aquatic life you'll see there. Tune in to Constant Wonder and get hooked with some amazing fish tales.

Guest: Keith Williams, author of "Snorkeling Rivers and Streams: An Aquatic Guide to Underwater Discovery and Adventure" and guide at Freshwater Journeys

Originally aired on January 25, 2023

After waking from a coma with devastating brain damage, Samina Ali relearns to walk and speak alongside her newborn son.

Guest: Samina Ali, author of "Pieces You'll Never Get Back: A Memoir of Unlikely Survival"

When Chloe Dalton starts caring for a newborn hare, the line between "indoors" and "outdoors" blurs—inviting her to explore the natural world that she previously took for granted.

Guest: Chloe Dalton, author of "Raising Hare: A Memoir"

© The British Library; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en; BYU Broadcasting does not claim ownership in the wildlife sounds provided by The British Library obtained at https://bit.ly/4ipDIU8; no changes made