Natural Selections

Some bacteria like it hot, geyser hot, and some like it cold, refrigerator cold. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley look at bacteria that thrive in extreme environments.

Curt Stager and Martha Foley do some imaginary spelunking and talk about the peculiar variations of animal life in caves.

Fox populations have been rising over the last century. Although they are solitary hunters, unlike most dog-family animals, they seem to be comfortable living in close proximity to humans. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley discuss foxes: their homes, their diets, and other fox facts.

Chipmunk, cluckmunk? Chipmunks and many animals use a variety of sounds to express different things. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager sample the vocabulary used by this common denizen of North Country woods and villages.

Bees do not fly like birds, or like airplanes, or like conventional drones. But their unique flight characteristics can be a distinct advantage in special circumstances. Martha Foley and Curt Stager talk about the study of bee flight in order to create tiny drones that can be used for, among other things, disaster rescues.

The Japanese trap dragonflies with weighted silk threads because they treasure their association with the virtues of happiness, courage, and strength. Dragonflies also figure into Celtic and Nordic mythology.Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley continue their discussion of dragonflies and their habits.

Dragonflies, the largest flying insect predators, can be startling, but are not known for biting humans. As Dr. Curt Stager tells Martha Foley, however, one is reported to have killed a hummingbird.

Small but aggressive, red squirrels are most at home in conifer forests where they prefer a diet of cones supplemented with whatever else is around. But, they are perfectly willing to share our homes as well as long we don't mind them filling our eaves with winter fodder, chewing on our wires, and raiding our bird feeders. Martha Foley and Curt Stager talk about interesting ways red squirrels prepare food for the winter, including building spruce cone pyramids and drying mushrooms by hanging them from tree branches.

One of the most dramatic denizens of mature forests, the pileated woodpecker is flashy, loud, and large. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley discuss this once-rare insectivore that is making a comeback as forests regrow.

Lake trout require a lot of cold, oxygenated water to survive. Lakes in the Adirondacks of upstate New York are at the southern edge of their natural range. Although about 100 Adirondack lakes and ponds are still home to lake trout, even a small increase in temperature could sharply cut that number. Martha Foley and Curt Stager discuss the long-term prospects of a signature Adirondack aquatic species.