Constant Wonder

Northern bald ibises vanished from the wild in Europe 400 years ago. Austrian scientists attempted to re-introduce the birds to the wild, but the birds got spectacularly lost when they were released for migration, flying east in their search for south. In this episode of Constant Wonder, learn how Johannes Fritz was inspired by a Hollywood movie, leading him to teach the bald ibises to migrate safely—by guiding them for hundreds of miles in a microlight plane.

Guest: Johannes Fritz, biologist, conservationist, and founder of the Waldrappteam

Want to learn more? Check out Waldarappteam's website to find out more! https://www.waldrappteam.at/en/

Photo copyright of Waldrappteam Conservation and Research

Born to a Taiwanese mother and Welsh father, Jessica J. Lee grew up in suburban Ontario feeling "not quite Canadian." She attempted to set down roots in England as a young adult, but her sense of belonging was challenged by the xenophobia that followed Brexit. In this episode of Constant Wonder, we'll examine how nature helps an immigrant or transplant feel at home.

Guests:

Jessica J. Lee, author of "Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging" and "A Garden Called Home"

Stephanie Krzywonos, author of "Glacial Erratic," published in the Willowherb Review

Find Jessica online: https://www.jessicajleewrites.com/

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

Find Stephanie online: https://stephaniekrzywonos.com/

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

A bee’s brain is tiny, but its one million neurons make shockingly complex connections. Individual bee and bumblebee intelligence is phenomenal, from spatial memory to communication. And would you believe that bees are likely also capable of play? Two leading researchers paint a compelling picture of just how much we’ve underestimated the individual sentience of bees. The stereotype of the bee as a robot fully dependent on the hive is far from accurate. We explore fascinating bee research involving harmonic radar, machine learning, and AI—in an effort to see the world through the eyes of a bee.

Guests:

Lars Chittka, professor of Sensory and Behavioral Ecology at Queen Mary University of London and author of "The Mind of a Bee"

Tim Landgraf, professor of Machine Learning and Robotics at the Free University Berlin

Alan Townsend describes his early professional and personal life as marked by a naïve faith in the power of science to provide answers and solve problems. Townsend was already softening his early scientific dogmatism when his wife and his daughter were diagnosed with unrelated brain cancers. One survived, while the other did not, and this father and husband then had to choose how to how to put back the pieces, both of his life and of his view of a universe that once seemed to him so clear and logical.

Guest: Alan Townsend, author of "This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist's Path from Grief to Wonder"

Find Alan Townsend online: https://www.alantownsend.info/

After farmer Mas Masumoto was contacted as next-of-kin for a woman he knew almost nothing about, he set about to uncover why his disabled aunt was hidden away after WWII, and his efforts began to heal wounds that were seven decades old. His story tracks the triumphs and heartaches of four generations of Japanese Americans.

Guest:

David Mas Masumoto, author of "Secret Harvest: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm"

Want to know more? Visit the Masumoto family's blog for new books, family recipes, and their story: https://www.masumoto.com/

Original artwork by Patricia Wakida

Amidst the annus horribilis that was 2020, New York-based writer John Oakes sought to exorcise some of his own inner noise and "automaticity" by doing a week-long liquid-only fast. He liked it so well that he and his wife, Carin Kuoni, began fasting twice a year. And he liked that so well that he wrote a book about it. In this episode of Constant Wonder he and Carin explain the how and why of these biannual fasts.

Guests:

John Oakes, author of "The Fast: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Promise of Doing Without"

Carin Kuoni, Senior Director/Chief Curator, Vera List Center for Art and Politics

Find John Oakes online: https://john-oakes.com/

Instagram:

Find Carin Kouni online:

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

When Christian Wiman and Danielle Chapman met and married, life seemed charmed and the horizon calm. But within a year, Christian was diagnosed with a rare, incurable blood cancer, and their life veered in directions unforeseen. Now, over twenty years later, Christian and Danielle and their two teenage daughters are thriving; Christian is cancer free after the latest round of therapy. He has been the beneficiary of multiple timely medical breakthroughs. Along the way, they have experienced intense joy amidst great pain and developed a quiet, shared Christian faith.

Guests:

Christian Wiman, professor at Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music; editor; poet; author of "Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair"

Danielle Chapman, poet, essayist, and lecturer in English at Yale University. her work can be found here: https://daniellechapmanauthor.com/

He's known as the "Bear Man of India" for his work rescuing sloth bears from inhumane conditions "dancing" on the streets. His obsession with helping animals began early in his life, when he'd spend full-moon nights high in a jungle tree watching a procession of wild animals visit a nearby watering hole. In the intervening 30 years, he's braved the "timber mafia" and even gunshots in a tireless crusade to protect wildlife.

Guest: Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS

This week we bring you a very special feed drop. Our host, Marcus Smith, appears as a guest on the podcast "The[ART]ology: Finding God in the Movies." In this episode, Marcus describes how the Constant Wonder podcast came to be. And he shares his favorite movies, from "Babette's Feast" to "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On."

"The[ART]ology" podcast puts the art back into theology by finding God in the movies. Host Vincent Nel delves into the mysteries that movies reveal about ourselves and God. Featuring guests, deep dives, and thoughtful discussions, each episode centers around a theme and explores movies from an artistic and theological perspective.

Find more of the [ART]ology podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-ology/id1557323788

After Tod O'Donnell suffers a traumatic brain injury, his filmmaker son, Tim, documents his recovery and his advocacy for others. The family embraces "Tod 2.0," a more fearless, more open version of his former self. Listen to Tod's accounts of life today, what he calls "a new frontier."

Guests:

Tod O'Donnell, subject of the documentaries "The House We Lived In" and "No Quit"

Tim O'Donnell, documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Pixela Films

Original music, "The Field," by James Call

Curious about Tod's other documentaries? Check out his company, Pixela films! https://pixelafilms.com/about-us/