Outside/In

Despite being the only rodent with a holiday to its name, groundhogs are often considered pests.

However, these natural-born diggers have unearthed rare artifacts, play a pivotal role in shaping ecosystems, and are tied to important breakthroughs in hepatitis B treatments. Plus they’re pretty cute. 

So in this episode, a special Groundhog Day edition of our Holy Scat series, we’re digging up as many amazing factoids about these creatures as we possibly can. 

Featuring: David Scofield, Amanda Gillen, Eric D’Aleo, Joe Bruchac, and Sandra Sexton

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LINKS

Youtube video of a whistling groundhog

NBC News video of Groundhog Day 2022 prediction

Read more about the Meadowcroft Rockshelter – the oldest known site of human habitation in North America, discovered by a groundhog.

Read this 1996 article about hepatitis B research using the woodchuck animal model at Cornell University.

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported and produced by Felix Poon

Edited by Taylor Quimby

Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive Producer

Music for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. 

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s the slowest heartbeat on the planet? What’s it like to live with zero sunlight? 

If you’ve ever picked up a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records, you know that people are drawn to extremes, be they geographical, philosophical, or biological. 

So this week, we’re cracking open the Outside/Inbox to answer your questions about the outer limits of life on Earth. We’ll learn about how landslides are way more common than you might think, why frogs are practically undead, and how researchers stay motivated through an Antarctic winter. 

Submit your own question (the weirder the better) on Instagram, via email at [email protected], or by calling our Outside/Inbox hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER. 

Question 1: How low can an animal’s heartbeat go? 

Question 2: What happens to your body if you get ZERO sunlight?

Question 3: Is climate change making landslides happen more often? 

Question 4: What is a “wet-bulb” temperature? 

Featuring: Carmen Possnig, Kira Mauseth, Corina Cerovski-Darriau, Daniel Vecellio, and Avikal Somvanshi.

Donate to support the show, and get your hands on a limited edition Outside/In opossum camp mug! Here's the link: https://bit.ly/3PvIzWy

SUPPORT

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported, produced, and mixed by Taylor Quimby, Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, and Felix Poon

Editing by Taylor Quimby with help from Justine Paradis

Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive Producer

Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In each essay in their debut collection, How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures, science writer Sabrina Imbler shares the story of an undersea organism and a story of their own journey as someone who, as they put it, came out twice in adulthood. 

In one essay, they reflect on how a shape-shifting cephalopod helped them navigate their own questions about gender. In another, they celebrate queer dance clubs through the lens of the Yeti crab, a creature who “dances to live” in the crushing conditions around deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

“I really wanted to sort of take these creatures very seriously… to think about both of us as organisms,” said Sabrina. 

“The creature’s existence in the world, and also the ways in which I am just, at the end of the day, another organism moving through the world, trying to eat and mate and survive.”

Outside/In host Nate Hegyi and producer Justine Paradis sat down with Sabrina Imbler to talk about their blend of science and personal writing, and about what we might be able to learn by looking closely at the lives—perhaps very different, very strange-to-us lives—of creatures in the sea.

Donate to support the show, and to get your hands on a limited edition Outside/In opossum camp mug! Here's the link: https://bit.ly/3PvIzWy

MORE OUTSIDE/IN

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LINKS

Find How Far the Light Reaches at your local bookstore

Sabrina Imbler’s articles on Defector Media

Read “We Swarm” on The Rumpus

“It’s always ourselves we find in the sea” is a line from this poem by E.E. Cummings.

CREDITS

Hosted by Nate Hegyi

Reported, produced, and mixed by Justine Paradis 

Edited by Taylor Quimby with help from Felix Poon

Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Music in this episode by Loving Caliber, Autohacker, Valante, Silver Maple, Moon Crater, and So Vea.

Theme music: Breakmaster Cylinder

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some folks promote local food. Others swear by veganism. But what is the most environmentally-friendly diet? And does it really matter what we eat? Or are there bigger fish to fry when it comes to climate activism?

Outside/In is trying out a new segment called This, That, Or The Other Thing. It’s all about the little decisions we make to try and build a more sustainable world—whether they have any effect, and what we can do instead if they don’t. 

For our inaugural edition, we’re focusing on food. From Brazilian beef and tofu tacos to food waste and composting, host Nate Hegyi talks with experts to understand how our choices impact the planet… and how we can make a difference in our communities. 

Featuring Umair Irfan, Tamar Haspel, and Ben Halpern.

SUPPORT

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

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LINKS

Give a listen to Tamar Haspel’s podcast, Climavores.

Vox reporter Umair Irfan wrote about how individual action actually does matter in the fight against climate change. 

Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara put together a big study on the cumulative environmental pressures of different foods. 

Want to tackle food waste? The Environmental Protection Agency has a great, down-to-earth guide on what you can do. 

CREDITS

Hosted, reported, produced, and mixed by Nate Hegyi

Edited by Taylor Quimby with help from Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, and Felix Poon.

Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive Producer

Music by Blue Dot Sessions, Sven Lindvall, El Flaco Collective, Future Joust, Spring Gang, Eight Bits, and Awlee.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the first day of January, people all over the world dive into the water as a way to start the new year fresh. It’s often referred to as a “polar plunge”. 

But cold water dipping is different.

It’s not a breathless in-and-out plunge, but a slow submersion: lingering in the cold water for 5 or 10 minutes. No wetsuit. 

This fall, Outside/In producer Justine Paradis got to know a community of dippers along the coast of Maine. Many of them described something happening once they’re in their water.. Something which they say changes their relationship to the cold, the ocean, and themselves. 

In this episode, we’re ringing in the new year by sharing a little more from those conversations.

Featuring Kelsy Hartley, Caitlin Hopkins, Puranjot Kaur, Betsy Dawkins, and Judy Greene-Janse. 

Thanks to everyone who sent in suggestions for winter surthrival. We featured ideas from James in Bend, Oregon; Kyra in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and Annie in Portland, Maine. 

Thanks also to Gin Majka, Guenola Lefeuvre, and Annie Ropeik.

A word on the risks of cold water immersion

People engage in cold water dipping and swimming around the world. Many claim health benefits, like a boosted immune system and reduced inflammation. But it’s not a risk-free activity. 

"I'm not sitting here as the fun police stopping people doing what they want to do. It's just we would encourage them to do it safely,” said Mike Tipton, a professor of Human and Applied Physiology at the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth. He shared a couple risks to consider before jumping in.

A few basic safety tips: 

SUPPORT

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LINKS

Caitlin Hopkins and Kelsy Hartley are also known as Ebb and Flow, the founders of Two Maine Mermaids. 

Puranjot Kaur is a member of Cold Tits, Warm Hearts on Mount Desert Island. There’s also another group in midcoast Maine called Wicked Nippy Dippahs.

In addition to dipping, many of the women featured are open water swimmers. Puranjot Kaur wrote this account of her second attempt to swim around Mount Desert Island, fueled by congee and community.

Check out these gorgeous photos by Greta Rybus of a community dip in an ice-hole in York, Maine, and these photos of some of the dippers in our episode.

A good interview with a “wild swimming” scientist on both the risks and benefits of immersion

CREDITS

Reported, produced, and mixed by Justine Paradis 

Edited by Taylor Quimby

The Outside/In team also includes our host Nate Hegyi, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt

Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Quesa, and Autohacker

Theme music: Breakmaster Cylinder

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s an unfortunate paradox for environmental podcasts; data shows a lot of people skip segments about the climate. But also… it’s the CLIMATE! We can’t NOT talk about it, right? 

So how do we break through the malaise and make climate news feel less overwhelming? More surprising? Less depressing? In this episode, we round-up a handful of stories that we hope break the mold and make climate a more approachable topic for everyday discussion. 

We’ll look at a third-rail of environmental activism, hear about an unlikely, middle-of-the-night climate deal at COP27, and learn about one place where producing less renewable energy might just be the best thing for the environment.

Featuring Cara Buckley, Naveena Sadasivam, and Gillian Flaccus

SUPPORT

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

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LINKS

Earth Now Has 8 Billion Humans. This Man Wishes There Were None. By Cara Buckley for The New York Times.
(For more on population, you can read Are 8 billion people too many — or too few? and Should you not have kids because of climate change? It’s complicated. And you should also listen to our two-parter on this very subject: So Over Population [Part 1] and So Over Population [Part 2])

Inside the COP27 fight to get wealthy nations to pay climate reparations, by Naveena Sadasivam for Grist

‘Momentous:’ US advances largest dam demolition in history, by Gillian Flaccus for the Associated Press

News Roundup:

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported, produced, and mixed by Felix Poon

Edited by Taylor Quimby, with help from Nate Hegyi, Justine Paradis, and Jessica Hunt. 

Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive Producer

Music for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Jharee, and Blackout Memories. 

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the beginning of the pandemic, we published an episode about “how to be a backyard birder.”  Everybody was understandably freaking out, and we wanted to put something sweet, calming, and hopeful into the world.

In that episode, we heard from ornithologist Dr. J. Drew Lanham, who shared some great tips for beginners, like what to watch and listen for, and how to make binoculars from toilet paper tubes. 

But what we didn’t get into was Dr. Lanham’s own remarkable story, including the moment when the humble chicken pulled him away from a life in the military and onto the path to ornithological stardom. 

This episode comes from our friends at Going Wild, with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, a podcast from PBS that’s more about the people that study wild animals than it is about the animals themselves.  

Their latest season also includes the story of a shark researcher struggling with the whiteness of academia, a herpetologist who pushed to change the language of the field, and Dr. Rae-Wynn’s own journey as a field researcher slash newly single mom.

Featuring Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and Dr. J. Drew Lanham.

SUPPORT

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.

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LINKS

Read “9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher”, Dr. J. Drew Lanham’s breakthrough piece for Orion Magazine. 

Listen to a South Carolina Public Radio interview with Dr. J. Drew Lanham after he won a MacArthur Fellowship. 

CREDITS 

Outside/In is hosted by Nate Hegyi and produced by Taylor Quimby, Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt. 

Going Wild is hosted by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. Production by Caroline Hadilaksono, Danielle Broza, Nathan Tobey, and Great Feeling Studios. Editing by Rachel Aronoff and Jakob Lewis. Sound design by Cariad Harmon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Outside/In’s annual winter show, in which the team gathers around the proverbial fire to share our best ideas towards becoming better friends with winter. The dream is to not just survive, but thrive – dare we say, to “surthrive” – and embrace the season, both the cold and the cozy.

This year, we’re joined by the wonderful Mara Hoplamazian, climate and environment reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. 

You can read our list here. We’d also love to hear your recommendations! We might even play them on the podcast or share your tips in our (free) newsletter. 

Send your suggestions, ideally as a voice recording, to [email protected] or call our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER.

Featuring a few of the cold-water dippers of Maine, including Betsy Lou Dawkins, Cholla Foot, Juliet Cox, Anne Buckwalter, and the crowd at a Two Maine Mermaids full moon dip.

A word on cold water immersion

People engage in cold water dipping or swimming around the world. Many claim health benefits, like a boosted immune system and reduced inflammation. But it’s obviously not a risk-free activity. 

Physiologist Michael Tipton told us a couple things to be aware of: 1) cold water shock, which prompts an involuntary gasp – bad news if you’re underwater 2) cold water exposure can send competing signals to your heart, potentially causing cardiac arrhythmia.  But he also said,  "I'm not sitting here as the fun police stopping people doing what they want to do. It's just we would encourage them to do it safely."

Here’s another overview of benefits and risks of cold-water swimming. 

Support the show

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

Subscribe to our (free) newsletter.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

Credits

Host: Nate Hegyi

Produced and mixed by Justine Paradis

Edited by Taylor Quimby

Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie 

Music for this episode by Autohacker, Nul Tiel Records, John Runefelt, Blue Dot Sessions, Smartface, Xavy Rasan, Iso Indie, and Vaain.

Special thanks to Michael Tipton, Kelsy Hartley, Caitlin Hopkins, and Judith Greene-Janse.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s high time to shine a light on an under-appreciated nocturnal visitor to America’s backyards and garbage cans: the opossum.

The opossum is the only marsupial in North America, and they’ve been snuffling around since before the dinosaurs died. It faints at the slightest threat, yet can be struck by a venomous snake and, unfazed, turn right around and eat it. 

Also, they have two vaginas, and an extra pseudo-vagina. What more do you need? The opossum’s superpower is its reproductive system, and the thing that’s really going to make you say “holy scat!” is what’s going on in that pouch. 

So…what’s it going to take to get some respect for the opossum?

Featuring: Jessica Anderson, Joseph Bruchac, Danielle Draback, and Frannie Greenberg 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The premise of History’s reality TV show Alone is about as straightforward as it gets. Ten people are dropped into the remote wilderness with nothing but a handful of tools, a supply of GoPro cameras, and instructions to document their entire experience. 

As contestants put their wilderness skills to the test, they face some of reality television’s most intense physical and emotional stakes; struggling with isolation, cold, wild animals, and even starvation. The last person standing wins the grand prize: half a million dollars. 

But while the contestants must leave the comforts of home behind, the show still carries societal baggage. 

In this episode, two critics explore the subtext of History’s Alone, and the messages it might be sending about class, gender, entertainment, and human relationships with the natural world. 

Featuring Eric Martin and Tracy Clark-Flory.

SUPPORT

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. 

Subscribe to our free newsletter.

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LINKS

Check our Eric Martin’s article: ALONE — What is this reality tv show really about?

And Tracy Clark-Flory’s piece for Jezebel: A Woman Alone: On History’s Survival Show, There’s No Escaping Gender, Not Even In The Woods. 

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported and produced by Taylor Quimby and Nate Hegyi

Mixed by Taylor Quimby

Edited by Rebecca Lavoie and Nate Hegyi, with help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt. 

Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive Producer

Music for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, The New Fools, Guy Trevino and Friends, Ambientalism, 91 nova, and Sarah the Illstrumentalist. 

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices