Constant Wonder
Episodes
Our Animal Superpowers
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Meet the crustacean that packs the biggest punch in the animal kingdom and the river-dweller that could be called a "swimming tongue." We investigate ...
Street Vet
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
He walked the streets in secret, a veterinarian in his off-hours, looking to help the pets of the homeless. Now his work in the subject of the tv show...
Mockingbirds
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Darwin hated peacocks because he couldn't explain their excess beauty. He likely would have hated mockingbirds for the excessive complexity of their s...
Sprouting a Seed That Survived the Roman Siege
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This seed could symbolize the resilience of an entire people. Atop a lonely desert fortress near the Dead Sea, a Judean date seed lay inert for over 2...
To Rescue an Animal, You've Got to Think Like One
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Giraffes don't like to swim, so how do you get them off an island that's flooding? How do keepers feed a violent, orphaned baby elephant that's been t...
Living Boldly with Blindness
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Daniel Kish was a toddler, he got around. One night he climbed out of his window and made his way over multiple chain link fences, but the neighb...
The Real Batman
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Kish is blind and he navigates the world kind of like a bat—making clicking sounds with his mouth and, from the echoes he gets back, building...
Our Team
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Larry Doby, Sr., became the second Black player in the MLB, and his home run during the '48 World Series turned the series around for the Indians. Beh...
Flavor: More Than a Matter of Taste
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We examine why flavor is our "most neglected sense" and we meet a restaurant owner who, in the spirit of the fictional "Babette's Feast," is spreading...
The Inside Story of How an Orphaned Baby Orca Got Home
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When a two-year-old baby orca lost her mother, rescuers in Washington State and Canada rallied to get her home to her grandmother and extended family....
Egyptomania and the Rosetta Stone
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With a hint of magic and the lure of buried wisdom, Ancient Egypt has, like a mysterious and powerful magnet, for millennia pulled on the collective i...
Sea Connections Everywhere, with Craig Foster, Sy Montgomery, Helen Scales, and Luke Harris
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mollusks cultivate underwater gardens, cuttlefish become invisible, and tiny fish run spas for predators. Meanwhile, some ingenious humans work to pro...
When the Sky Dances
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When a comet crashes into Jupiter, the first to see it are amateurs at the Vatican Observatory in Rome, who can't restrain themselves from shouting an...
Cancer Survivorship
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A cancer survivor dispels the myths and stigmas of cancer survivorship. Nancy Frates, co-creator of the ALS ice bucket challenge, explains how the mov...
1904 Olympic Marathon Mayhem
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why the mishaps of the 1904 Olympic Marathon almost led to the event being banned in all future Olympic Games. Also, how world's fairs have changed th...
Nature Conspiracies
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Trees conspire with each other to thwart seed predators. David Allen Sibley tries to answer essential birder questions: “What do birds do?” and “...
Henry Ford’s Forgotten Utopia
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Henry Ford and Thomas Edison dreamed of more than Model-Ts and lightbulbs.
Aloha Rodeo in the Wild West
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How Hawaiian cowboys stunned Wyoming.
Lifesaving Fear
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The benefits and hazards of fear. And, how to die in space.
Freed Slaves Sue for Damages
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How a formerly enslaved man in Kentucky worked with a former Confederate hero to win damages from a lynch mob, and how a formerly enslaved woman sued ...
The Weird, Wonderful World of Scorpions
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Scorpions hear through their feet, navigate by the stars, and cannibalize each other. And, milking deadly snakes to make lifesaving anti-venom.
Pho and Other Specialty Foods
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The secrets to making excellent pho at home; cooking with Italian grannies; and an introduction to the world's only sourdough library.
Before We Swiped Right
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A delightful history of using personal ads to find love. And, when did diamonds become a girl's best friend?
The History of Color
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pigments in every color that you can imagine.
The Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The abyss of the deep sea is anything but lifeless!
Conning Their Way to Freedom
03 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For two POWs in WWI, a con was the only way to secure their freedom. And, Gregor MacGregor fooled hundreds into believing in a nonexistent promised la...
Whitman, Alabama & America in Maps
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Whitman's poetry sheds light on human connections and national identity. Maps help us view history differently.
How Mexican Food Conquered America
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From "chili queens" to the founder of Taco Bell to the invention of Doritos, how America embraced Mexican food.
Despots of Ancient Egypt
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Monuments and mummies alike provide insights to the distribution of power in ancient Egypt.
Kris Kringle Nabs Cash
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Santa Claus Association was supposed to help kids, but its founder was no saint. And, the myths behind the man Johnny Appleseed.
Snow, Snow, Snow!
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change, ice instruments, and lab-designed snowflakes.
Making the Modern Christmas
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Christmas wouldn't be the same without Dickens. And, the railroads changed Christmas forever.
Tasteblind
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Danielle Reed explores the wide genetic differences in taste buds, and a related topic, why COVID-19 causes some people to lose their sense of taste a...
Teddy Roosevelt and the Founding of the FBI
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Federal law enforcement was weak at the beginning of the 20th century.
Tales from the Heart
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Advances in cardiac surgery were pioneered by fearless heart surgeons, and some unsung heroes who assisted them.
Jim Thorpe: All-American
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Thorpe was known as the greatest athlete in the world.
The Ancient Craft of Japanese Boatbuilding
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Preserving traditional and ancient arts.
The Soul of an Octopus
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The wonders of these smart, social creatures.
TRAILER: Constant Wonder Podcast
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Marcus Smith for conversations that invite you to discover, explore, and reengage with the wonders of the world around you. Find new episode...