Outside/In

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 immersionPeople 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.Cold shock response, which occurs as you enter cold water and lasts a couple minutes. This prompts an involuntary gasp and hyperventilation – bad news if you’re underwater or in choppy water.Cardiac triggers. Cold water shock sends a signal to your heart telling it to beat faster, but face immersion tells your heart to slow down. These competing signals to your heart can potentially cause cardiac arrhythmia, especially when plunging and breath holding. On top of that, the cold water constricts your blood vessels, pushes up blood pressure, and makes your heart work harder.Swim failure, the result of direct cooling of the superficial nerves and muscles (especially in the limbs). This can occur before other effects of hypothermia. “This is where we see people swimming out to sea offshore, turning around and finding they can't get back because they become physically incapacitated… one of the obvious bits of safety advice is don't swim out of your depth and swim parallel to the shore, not away from it,” Mike said.A few basic safety tips: Don’t go alone.As one cold water swimmer put it, “Keep your feet on the ground.”Get yourself checked for any pre-existing conditions that might be triggered by a sudden change in blood pressure. SUPPORTOutside/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 LINKSCaitlin 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  CREDITSReported, produced, and mixed by Justine Paradis Edited by Taylor QuimbyThe Outside/In team also includes our host Nate Hegyi, Felix Poon, and Jessica HuntExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieMusic in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Quesa, and AutohackerTheme music: Breakmaster CylinderOutside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

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 SUPPORTOutside/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 LINKSEarth 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 PressNews Roundup:U.S. reaches a fusion power milestone. Will it be enough to save the planet? (NPR)The surprising player in the rail strike fight: Fossil fuel companies (Grist)Why knowing your neighbors could save you in the next climate disaster (The Guardian) CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported, produced, and mixed by Felix PoonEdited by Taylor Quimby, with help from Nate Hegyi, Justine Paradis, and Jessica Hunt. Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerMusic 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 WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

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. SUPPORTOutside/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 LINKSRead “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. WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

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 outsidein@nhpr.org 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 immersionPeople 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 showOutside/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. CreditsHost: Nate HegyiProduced and mixed by Justine ParadisEdited by Taylor QuimbyExecutive 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.  WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

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  WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

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. SUPPORTOutside/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 LINKSCheck 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.  CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by Taylor Quimby and Nate HegyiMixed by Taylor QuimbyEdited by Rebecca Lavoie and Nate Hegyi, with help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt. Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerMusic 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 WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

It’s time to open our mailbag and answer your questions about fall – and not just the season. We’ve interpreted the theme to include everything from dreams about falling to fallout shelters and, um, tornadoes. Plus, we reveal the long-anticipated winner of our poll on best alternatives for replacing the term “leaf-peeping.”Question 1: Why do so many have recurring dreams about falling?Question 2: How do tornadoes figure in myths around the world? Question 3: How deep does a fallout shelter need to be? Question 4: Are berries ripening earlier because of climate change?Do you have a question about the natural world? Submit it to the Outside/Inbox! Send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or call our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). Don’t forget to leave a number so we can call you back.Featuring: Abhinav Singh, Nani Pybus, David Monteyne, Shaheen Dewji, Richard Primack, Nicole Herman-Mercer, Katie Spellman. SUPPORTOutside/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. LINKSOn dreamsGerman chemist August Kekulé claimed to have pictured the ring structure of benzene, after dreaming of a snake eating its own tailA study on the threat simulation theory of dreamingOn Fallout SheltersFallout Shelter: Designing for Civil Defense in the Cold War by David MonteyneA calculator to estimate your personal annual radiation doseFallout Five Zero, a photographic chronicle of the Boston area’s now defunct sheltersOn BerriesWalden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods by Richard PrimackA study on Indigenous knowledge on climate-related changes to berry production in Alaska CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported, produced and mixed by Felix Poon, Justine Paradis, Taylor Quimby, and Jessica HuntEdited by Taylor Quimby and Justine Paradis.Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie Music for this episode by Jharee, Thea Tyler, and Blue Dot Sessions.Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Jack Rodolico knows exactly what scares him. Sharks. But here’s what he doesn’t get: if he’s so freaked out, why can’t he stop incessantly watching online videos of bloody shark attacks? Why would he deliberately seek out the very thing that spooks him?To figure it out, Jack enlists the help of other scaredy-cats: our listeners, who shared their fears about nature with us. Together, Jack and the gang consider the spectrum of fear, from phobia to terror, and what it might mean when we don’t look away.Featuring Lauren Passell, Arash Javanbakht, Nile Carrethers, and Sushmitha Madaboosi. SUPPORTOutside/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. LINKSLauren Passell’s Podcast the Newsletter.Related: why people love horror movies.The ubiquity of smartphones means plenty of hair-raising amateur videos of shark attacks to get you started on your doomscrolling (warning: a couple of these are bloody).If this image of an octopus freaks you out, you might share Lauren’s “fear of holes,” or trypophobia.Learn more about augmented reality technology and other projects at Arash Javanbakht’s clinic. CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by Jack RodolicoMixed by Taylor QuimbyEdited by Taylor Quimby, with help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, Nate Hegy, and Jessica Hunt.Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie Music for this episode by Silver Maple, Matt Large, Luella Gren, John Abbot and Blue Dot Sessions.Thanks to everyone who sent in voicemails and memos, even the ones we didn’t play: Erin Partridge, Lauren Passell, Nile Carrethers, Michelle MacKay, Alec from Nashville, and Hillary from Washington. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

When it comes to protecting the biodiversity of Planet Earth, there is no greater failure than extinction. Thankfully, only a few dozen species have been officially declared extinct by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the half century since the passage of the Endangered Species Act. But, hold on. Aren’t we in the middle of the sixth mass extinction? Shouldn’t the list of extinct species be… way longer? Well, yeah. Maybe.Producer Taylor Quimby sets out to understand why it’s so difficult to officially declare an animal extinct. Along the way, he compares rare animals to missing socks, finds a way to invoke Lizzo during an investigation of an endangered species of crabgrass, and learns about the disturbing concept of “dark extinctions.” Featuring Sharon Marino, Arne Mooers, Sean O’Brien, Bill Nichols, and Wes Knapp. SUPPORTOutside/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 LINKSCheck out this 2005 feature from the CBS Sunday Morning archives: In search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker… …and this one from 60 minutes, also from 2005, pulled from the archive and rebroadcast after the proposed delisting.Nate’s favorite ivory-billed story came from NPR, and featured songwriter Sufjan Stevens.Watch the US Fish and Wildlife Service virtual public meeting about the proposed delisting of the ivory-billed woodpecker on January 26, 2022.Read this 2016 paper that outlines, among other things, the consequences of being wait-listed under the ESA: “Taxa, petitioning agency, and lawsuits affect time spent awaiting listing under the US Endangered Species Act.”From Simon Fraser University, “Lost or extinct? Study finds the existence of 562 animal species remains uncertain.”More on the unknown status of Cambodia’s national mammal, the kouprey.Wes Knapps’ paper on “Dark Extinctions” among vascular plants in the continental United States and Canada.Read about the extinction of smooth slender crabgrass, the first documented extinction in New Hampshire. CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by: Taylor QuimbyMixer: Taylor QuimbyEditing by Rebecca Lavoie and Nate Hegyi, with help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt.Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerSpecial thanks to Noah Greenwald, Jonathan Reichard, Tom Martin, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.Music for this episode by Silver Maple and Blue Dot Sessions.Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

If you've been having trouble getting in with a veterinarian, you're not imagining it. Across the country, pet care is increasingly hard to come by, and more vets are leaving the job.Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, has lost roughly half of its veterinarians since the pandemic began. Pet owners often have to wait several weeks for an appointment, surgery is scarce, and 24/7 emergency care doesn’t exist. Now, a local animal shelter is stepping up to try and fill the gap for desperate pet owners, who often have nowhere else to turn. In an industry rife with burnout, turnover, and high suicide rates, veterinarians and vet technicians are being forced to choose between taking care of animals and taking care of themselves.Featuring: Tracy Ward, Jocelyn Andrea, Krista Miller, Sam Smith, Sam BlankenshipIf you or someone you know is struggling with depression, reach out to the folks at the Crisis Text Line, a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.LINKSA professor at Auburn University looked into the role pentobarbital plays in suicides among veterinarians and vet techs. The American Veterinary Medical Association broke down the reasons why it’s tough to find veterinary care these days. The USDA has a cool map of places that are experiencing a shortage in veterinary care.  SUPPORTOutside/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 CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by Nate HegyiEditing by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, Rebecca Lavoie and Jessica Hunt. Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerMusic for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.