Up From Dust
Episodes
The bat scientist and the pecan farmer
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A Texas pecan farmer spent years rethinking whether he needed so many chemicals to grow food. He cut back on things like weedkillers, but when it came...
Stargazers, unite for science!
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Astronomers need your help! And you don’t have to be an expert, because it’s as easy as stepping outside your home and taking a good look at a con...
Our changing Midwest
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As we embark on our third year of Up From Dust, we discuss why we started an environmental podcast in the Midwest — and what we’ve learned along t...
A river’s return from the brink of disaster
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In one long-polluted Ozark river, the little fish darting through the water and the rare mussels hiding on the pebbly bottom tell a story worth celebr...
One man's quest for a rare shellfish
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trevor Starks is on a mission. He wants to help the humble but powerful creatures that clean the waters of the Neosho River: freshwater mussels. For d...
Prairie islands are popping up in a sea of corn and soybeans
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Midwest has a reputation for vast fields of corn and soybeans that stretch to the horizon. But on some farms, strips of wildflowers and little blu...
Why a prairie scientist spent years photographing a single square meter of land
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered how much life a tiny patch of land can hold? Nebraska scientist Chris Helzer photographed one square meter of prairie from ever...
A sticky solution for microplastics
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Microplastics are everywhere. They’re in the air we breathe, the clothes we wear, even the food we eat. Scientists are still trying to understand wh...
Kayakers vs. river pollution
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, the world’s longest prairie river was treated as a convenient dumping ground by cities and industries. Government regulation dramatical...
Say no to skyglow: Smarter lighting can help save the stars
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have inadvertently filled our world with poorly designed outdoor lighting. The price? We’re losing our starry skies, hurting our health, killing ...
Less lawn, more wildlife! Here’s how to ditch turf for native plants
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So you’ve been thinking about getting rid of your lawn, or at least having less. You’ll attract birds and bees and you won’t have to mow as much...
Those soil health products may be a waste of money
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Symbiotic fungi are all the rage right now. Farmers want them in their fields, gardeners want them in veggie patches and flowerbeds. The excitement ha...
Can we save millions of migrating birds?
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1978, a young scientist “brazenly trespassed” around a Chicago building in search of dead birds. He unwittingly began a 40-year journey that co...
The case of the disappearing lake
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
During times of drought, when the rains fail, man-made lakes come to the rescue of our cities and towns. Except the reservoirs we’ve come to depend ...
What's better for the environment: Tea or coffee?
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered about the eco-story behind your daily brew? Join us as we spill the beans on the environmental impact of tea and coffee, from c...
Dry times on the High Plains
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ancient waters that lie deep beneath the dry High Plains helped to turn western Kansas into an agricultural powerhouse. But the Ogallala Aquifer’s w...
Healing the ground we broke
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After Europeans colonized America, their descendants plowed their way across the continent, seeking prosperity through farming. But breaking up the so...
For the love of dung beetles
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy to advocate for saving pandas and elephants, but bugs are a harder sell. Look closer, though, and you’ll find tiny superheroes propping ...
The Green Glacier
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A vast ocean of grass and wildflowers once covered one-third of North America. But that diverse prairie biome is collapsing, partly due to greenhouse ...
When good plants turn bad
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Humans opened a Pandora’s box by moving plants, animals and fungi around the planet where they didn’t live before. Some of those species become so...
Introducing: Up From Dust
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Trees are swallowing prairies. Bees are starving for food. Farmland is washing away in the rain. Humans broke the environment — but we can heal it, ...