Ever since "Dracula," bats have been seen as terrifying threats that carry disease. They're actually essential to our agriculture and industry. In this episode of Constant Wonder, you'll meet an expert who can set the record straight. No wonder he's known as "The Batman of Mexico"; he's been obsessed with the flying mammals since he was young!
Guest: Rodrigo Medellin, Professor of Ecology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
Originally aired July 19, 2023
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52:50
A Humble Farmer Goes On An Unbelievable World Tour
One day in 1901, a young farmer from Croatia set out on a walk. Decades later, he was still walking, had traversed six continents, and had stood face-to-face with the most famous people of the age. His mammoth autograph book, lost to history for nearly a century, has resurfaced to tell the tale of Joseph Mikulec and his eccentric quest.
Guests:
Rebecca Rego Barry, author of "Rare Books Uncovered: True Stories of Fantastic Finds in Unlikely Places" and editor of Fine Books & Collections magazine. She wrote about Mikulec's odyssey for "Smithsonian Magazine."
Nathan Raab, rare book collector, Philadelphia, PA
Originally aired September 14, 2022
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52:50
A Devoted Doctor's Quest to Heal the Homeless
Meet a tireless physician who has spent nearly four decades caring for the unhoused population of Boston. We'll also learn about some of his enterprising and generous patients, who've formed a community that watches out for one another on the streets, as they find redemption and hope amid tragedy.
Guests: Jim O'Connell, MD, President of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Tracy Kidder, author of "Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People" and winner of the Pulitzer Prize
Photo credit: Bill Brett
Originally aired May 10, 2023
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52:50
Motherhood In Miniature: Hidden Insight from a Hummingbird Nursery
Hummingbirds are often admired for their dazzling speed and iridescent beauty, but their nesting habits remain one of nature's best-kept secrets. Citizen scientist Eric Pittman takes us into this hidden world, sharing his firsthand observations of hummingbird mothers as they build intricate nests and nurture their young—right in his very own backyard. Join us as we explore the hidden wonders of nature that await when we take the time to look.
Guest: Eric Pittman, Hummingbirds Up Close; subject of "The Bird in My Backyard" documentary
Photo credit: Eric Pittman
Select hummingbird audio courtesy of Paul Marvin and Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
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36:11
A Civil Rights Leader Establishes Secret Schools
Educator and activist Septima Clark used her passion for teaching to increase literacy rates in the Deep South, preparing Black citizens to pass the voter registration tests that were designed to disenfranchise them.
Guest: Elaine Weiss, author of "Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools that Built the Civil Rights Movement"
Septima Clark reader: Janice L. Jones
Photo Caption: Septima Poinsette Clark, 1973; Photo Credit: Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.
News footage courtesy of EasyStreet, Pond5, www.pond5.com
Stay in tune with our phenomenal world. Join us for explorations of science, art, history, and more. We're on a quest to find awe and wonder in all nature—human or wild, vast or small. Encounters that move us beyond words. Hosted by Marcus Smith, Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio.
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