Constant Wonder

A story of passion, persistence, and a barely plausible sea creature. Experts insisted that seahorses couldn't live in cold water off the coasts of Devonshire, England or Long Beach, California. Then two scuba divers proved them wrong.

Guests:

Neil Garrick-Maidment, Founder of The Seahorse Trust

Roger Hansen, scuba instructor and retired high school teacher

Want to learn more? Check out The Seahorse Trust and see the waves they are making! https://www.theseahorsetrust.org/

This astronaut never took the stunning view from the Space Station for granted, even after 100 days in space. Life lessons for earthlings: behave like a crewmate, not a passenger, on this planet. That's the message Nicole Stott has been sharing ever since her return. And she gives particular insight into the healing effects of art and space on sick and traumatized children.

Guest: Nicole Stott, retired NASA astronaut; author of "Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet―And Our Mission to Protect It"; Founding Director of the Space for Art Foundation

Find Nicole Stott online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astro_nicole/?hl=en

Want to get involved? Visit the Space for Art Foundation and find out how you can help! https://www.spaceforartfoundation.org/

When Scottish peregrine falcon chicks were stolen, George Smith used DNA to reveal the smugglers' crimes and return the birds to grateful peregrine parents. Also in this episode, we meet a California peregrine matriarch named Annie, whose engaged parenting approach has met with unusual success.

Guests:

Lynn Schofield and Sean Peterson, visiting biology professors at St. Olaf's College and ornithologists with Cal Falcons

George Smith, Peregrine Coordinator for the Scottish Raptor Study Group

Want to learn more about raptor conservation? Visit the Scottish Raptor Study Group and get involved! https://www.scottishraptorstudygroup.org/scottish-raptor-monitoring-scheme/

Bright hope for cystic fibrosis and progeria patients. Francis Collins gives a wide-ranging interview: the sequencing of the human genome; life-changing treatments for genetic diseases; how he astonished himself when he began to question his atheism; wrestling with the way his team at the NIH handled the Covid pandemic. All part of his journey on the "Road to Wisdom."

Guest: Francis Collins, former Director of the National Institutes of Health; founder of BioLogos; author of "The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust"

Find a copy of Francis Collins' book: https://www.francisscollins.com/

Plants are sentient. It's not just animals that think. Able to choose, they detect problems, find nutrients, and defend themselves.

Guest: Zoë Schlanger, science writer for The Atlantic and author of "The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth"

Find Zoë Schlanger online: https://www.zoeschlanger.com/the-light-eaters

X/Twitter: https://x.com/zoeschlanger

Bringing the wonders of the natural world to the curious kids in your life, Constant Wonder KIDS is the podcast that turns everyday moments into extraordinary adventures! This new show from Constant Wonder shares fascinating facts and true stories about amazing people doing incredible things in nature.

Join us as we explore the playful side of octopuses who enjoy toys like Lego bricks. Dive into the ocean with whale sharks and meet one who has an unexpectedly friendly personality. Or cheer for tiny athletes at the International Hedgehog Olympic Games.

Each episode of Constant Wonder KIDS is a bite-sized story taken from its parent podcast, Constant Wonder. Perfect for road trips, bedtime listening, or when your brain’s got an itch that needs to be scratched.

When she realized that her father had become a voice for the scattered Hmong people, Kao Kalia Yang—who'd refused to speak English for 20 years—found the courage to do the same.

Guest: Kao Kalia Yang, author of "Where Rivers Part," "The Song Poet," and "The Latehomecomer"

Find Kao Kalia Yang online: https://www.kaokaliayang.com/kao-kalia-yang/

Lyme disease keeps her from driving, but the beloved author of The Joy Luck Club relishes the wonder of nature right at home. Amy Tan's insights will help you see your back yard, whatever its size, in a whole new light. Tune in as she describes the animal life in her yard—hummingbirds, owls, finches, squirrels, and even rats—as if they were players on the stage of a great opera.

Guest: Amy Tan, author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles

Find Amy Tan online: https://amytan.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amytanwriter/?hl=en

We're busy working on stories to remind you how phenomenal our world is! Coming up next season: Amy Tan, author of six New York Times best-selling novels, takes us into her back yard to meet the wild birds whose vibrant individual lives populate the pages of her new non-fiction book. Hmong American writer Kao Kalia Yang shares her discovery that her humble factory-worker father had a voice of music and poetry that spoke for his people. Francis Collins, the scientist who led the Human Genome Project, describes miraculous discoveries in genetic research, including advances in the treatment of cystic fibrosis and progeria. All that and more is coming up in Season 9 of Constant Wonder, kicking off August 28.

Yasmeen Lari was a famous Pakistani architect celebrated for her work in steel, cement, and glass. In her 60s, she turned her back on all that, and, after a massive earthquake hit her country, she began to work with locals building humble homes of adobe, mud, and bamboo. Painter Henri Matisse, when debilitated by stomach cancer in his 70s, hung up his brushes and took up scissors to continue making art. And, the Disney illustrator Tyrus Wong waited until he was 90 years old to receive full credit for the revolutionary work he'd done on "Bambi." Never say it's too late to succeed!

Guest: Mo Rocca, correspondent for "CBS News Sunday Morning," author of "Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs," and host of the "Mobituaries" podcast