Outside/In

In this episode, the final frontier of the outdoors: space! From rocket particles, to ominous theories about what might happen if we ever make contact with aliens, we’re launching into uncharted territory to answer your questions about outer space. And speaking of uncharted territory, we’re kicking this episode off with a very important introduction: our new host Nate Hegyi is picking up the mic for the first time. Question 1: How do I become a backyard astronomer? Here are seven Tips for getting started. Question 2: How sustainable is space travel? Question 3: What is the ‘Dark Forest’ theory?Question 4: Would the hare-brained scheme from 'Don't Look Up' actually work?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: Susan Rolke, Jennifer Willis, Martin Ross, Jonathan Yaney, and Amy Mainzer ELECTRIC VEHICLE SURVEYHey folks – we’re working on some stories about electric vehicles, and we’re looking to hear from you. Are you interested in going electric? Wish there was better charging infrastructure where you are? Or would you prefer sticking with the car/truck you’re used to? Tell us what you think about EVs, and help inform our reporting by filling out this survey. It’ll only take a couple minutes, and it really helps us produce the show. Thanks so much! 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. LINKSFind an astronomy club near youWant some digital stargazing help? Try an app like Star Walk 2 or Stellarium.Check out the sounds of space. Learn more about the company Spinlaunch, which is trying to use centrifugal force to launch rockets into space, and watch their Orbital Accelerator concept video.Does more efficient sometimes mean more emissions? Read up on Jevon’s Paradox. Are we alone? Like, really alone? Learn about the Drake Equation to find out. Go down a wikipedia wormhole on The Three Body Problem, by Liu Cixin.Don’t Look Up seems like it’s about a comet, but it’s actually about climate change. Simulate a world ending comet collision with the Earth Impact Effects Program. CREDITSReported and produced by Felix Poon, Taylor Quimby, Jessica Hunt, and Justine ParadisHost: Nate HegyiEdited by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing by Justine Paradis and Cori PrincellExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieMixed by Felix Poon, Taylor Quimby, Jessica Hunt, and Justine ParadisTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Howard Harper-Barnes, Jerry Lacey, Jules Gaia, and Blue Dot Sessions. WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Antler tissue is the fastest growing animal tissue on the planet. It grows faster than a human embryo, faster even than a cluster of cancer cells. On a hot summer day, some antlers can grow as much as one inch per day! And buried inside them is a cocktail of nutrients that both animals and humans are itching to get their paws on.In summary: Antlers are freaking amazing. So in this episode of Outside/In, we’ve invented a new segment just to highlight them. We’re calling it Holy Scat! and it’s our way of exploring all the things about the natural world that make us totally geek out. For our inaugural adventure, we learn about how antlers grow so fast, meet a collector who covers hundreds of miles searching for them, AND find out why scientists hope antlers could unlock new treatments for osteoporosis. Plus, we’ll tell you a whole herd of awesome deer factoids, and answer the eternal question: are Santa’s reindeer males or females? Featuring Henry Ahern, Will Staats, Brendan Lee, and Tomas Landete-Castillejos. Special thanks to Chris Martin and Dave Anderson of Something Wild, who inspired this episode!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 and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook LINKSCheck out the episode of the NHPR podcast Something Wild that inspired this story!Stanford scientists identified genes behind rapid antler growth. Read more here. Watch a video describing the research on glioblastoma cells.Good footage of an antler shoving match. Graphic Video Warning! If you want to see what an emergency velvet antler amputation looks like, here you go. Reporting on MMA Fighter George Sullivan’s one year suspension for the use of Velvet Antler supplementsIs the Coronavirus in Your Backyard? A New York Times report on coronavirus in animal populations (and especially, in deer)An article from Smithsonian detailing what may be the first case of coronavirus to spread from a deer to a humanCREDITSProduced and researched by Jessica Hunt and Taylor QuimbyExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieEdited by Taylor Quimby and Rebecca LavoieMixed by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing: Felix Poon and Nate HegyiSpecial Thanks to Cindy Downing and David HewittTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Arthur Benson and Claude Signet WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Forget about beer, or even water; it was hard apple cider that was THE drink of choice in colonial America. Even kids drank it! And since it’s made from apples – the “all-American” fruit – what could be more American than cider?But apples aren’t native to America. They’re originally from Kazakhstan.In this episode we look at the immigration story of Malus domestica, the domesticated apple, from its roots in the wild forests of Central Asia, to its current status as an American icon. And we look at how apples and cider were used in some of America’s biggest migrations – from Indigenous tribes who first brought apples west across the continent, to the new immigrants who are using hard cider to bridge cultures and find belonging.  Featuring Soham Bhatt and Susan Sleeper-Smith.Special thanks to everyone Felix spoke to at the Cider Days Festival, including Ben Watson, Charlie Olchowski, and Bob Sabolefski. LINKSHow to Make Hard CiderGeorge and Ursula Granger: The Erasure of Enslaved Black Cidermakers, by Darlene Hayes.An Apple Commons: reflections by cidermaker Melissa Maddens on what it means to forage from wild apple orchards – relics of this country’s history of dispossessing Indigenous people of their lands. 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 and Twitter.Join our private podcast discussion group on Facebook. CREDITSProduced and mixed by Felix PoonEdited by: Taylor QuimbyExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieAdditional editing: Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt,  and Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Jharee, Kevin MacLeod  and Blue Dot Sessions. WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Move over, beef: there’s a new burger in town. Plant-based meats are sizzling hot right now; in 2020 alone, the alternative meat industry saw a record $3.1 billion in investment, with 112 new plant-based brands launching in supermarkets. These juicy, savory, chewy fake burgers are a far cry from the dry, weird-tasting veggie patties of the past. In this episode, Gastropod co-hosts Nicole Twilley and Cynthia Graber visit the Impossible Foods labs to swig some of the animal-free molecule that makes their meatless meat bleed, try fungal food start-up Meati's prototype "chicken" cutlet, and speak to the scientists and historians who compare these new fake meats to their predecessors—and to real meat! Can a plant-based sausage roll be considered kosher or halal? Are plant-based meats actually better for you and for the environment? And how might a mysterious protein-powerhouse fungus named Rosita help feed the world?This episode was reported and produced by our friends at Gastropod.Featuring Aymann Ismail, Celeste Holz-Schietinger, Malte Rödl, Tyler Huggins, and Raychel Santo.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 and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook LINKSRead Aymann Ismail’s piece on the debates surrounding plant-based pig substitutes in Muslim communities here. Celeste Holz-Schietinger, the VP of Product Innovation at Impossible Foods, featured in Fast Company as one of the most creative people in business in 2020. Malte Rödl is a researcher in environmental communications at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. His PhD thesis is titled “Categorising Meat Alternatives: how dominant meat culture is reproduced and challenged through the making and eating of meat alternatives.”Tyler Huggin’s company, Meati, which he started after “auditioning” thousands of fungus species and finally a protein powerhouse he and his team nicknamed “Rosita.”Raychel Santo studies how plant-based meats measure up against animal meats in terms of both nutritional and environmental impacts. Read the full paper she and her colleagues wrote here.CREDITSGastropod co-hosts: Nicola Twilley and Cynthia Graber Produced by Sonja Cho SwansonOutside/In team: Justine Paradis, Taylor Quimby, Felix Poon, and Jessica HuntExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Ludwigs Steirische Gaudi and Jackson F. Smith  WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

When Jocelyn Smith was growing up, she told her friends and family she didn’t want to go to college. Instead, her goal was to hike all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail, a rugged journey spanning from northern Georgia to central Maine. Last year, she finally realized that dream in a seven-month long, life-changing adventure.But as soon as she started her descent from the last mountain summit, she started to wonder… what now? What did all of this mean? For the thousands of people who “thru-hike” the world’s longest trails, this is actually a well-known phenomenon. They call it “the post-trail blues.'' If getting out into nature is supposed to be restorative, why do so many long-distance hikers report feeling depressed after they finish? In this episode, we explore how an epic hike turns into a new identity, and ask why some of the biggest achievements of our lives can leave us feeling strangely empty. Featuring Jocelyn Smith, Shalin Desai, Joseph Robinson, and Anne Baker.If 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. 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 and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook  LINKSJocelyn Smith’s blog for The TrekShalin Desai’s piece about diversity on the trail, originally published in A.T. Journeys, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy magazine. More information about the life and music of Earl Shaffer, the first known person to have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from end-to-end. Anne Baker’s article for The Trek, titled Post-Trail Depression: It’s Not What You ThinkOur previous episode on Baxter State Park, featuring ultramarathoner Scott Jurek: “Champagne on The Rocks” CREDITSProduced and mixed by Taylor QuimbyExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieEdited by Rebecca LavoieAdditional editing: Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, Felix Poon, and Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Blue Dot Sessions, River Foxcroft, Dew of Light, Golden Age Radio, Matt Large, and Earl Shaffer. WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

When writer Elizabeth Rush visited neighborhoods already transformed by rising seas, she noticed that many people did not use terms like “climate change.” They still talked about it – it’s just that they talked about it in terms of their own experiences: the dolphins, swimming in tidal creeks further inland than ever before… how the last big flood wasn’t gradual, but fast and sudden.In this episode, we’re looking for new ways to discuss climate change with Elizabeth Rush, author of Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore. While some books about climate change are heavy on politics and UN reports, Rising is not that. Instead, Elizabeth focuses on the people, species, and communities on the leading edge of sea level rise, from New York to California, Louisiana and even to the mountains of Oregon.  “A good friend of mine… was like, ‘This is the first climate book I've also read that has zero quotes from politicians.’ That wasn't purposeful, but I looked back and was sort of proud of that,” Elizabeth said. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook  LINKSElizabeth Rush's websiteRising: Dispatches from the New American Shore CREDITSHosted by Justine Paradis and Felix PoonReported, produced, and mixed by Justine ParadisEdited by Rebecca LavoieAdditional editing: Taylor Quimby, Felix Poon, and Jessica HuntExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Chris Zabriskie and Blue Dot Sessions WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Decades before the first international permaculture conference or certified organic tomato, a farmer on an island in southern Japan turned his back on industrial agriculture and devoted his life to finding a different way of farming.Masanobu Fukuoka was working as a plant pathologist when he experienced a revelation – and promptly quit his job and returned home to his family farm. Eventually, he wrote The One-Straw Revolution, a manifesto on his method, shizen noho, and the philosophy of “do-nothing farming.” Published in 1978, the book has been described by writer Michael Pollan as “one of the founding documents of the alternative food movement.” But its reach goes far beyond farming: The One Straw Revolution has been translated into 25 languages and is admired by artists, writers, and philosophers. Fukuoka passed away in 2008, but his grandson, Hiroki Fukuoka, is still living and farming there today. In the second part of the story of Fukuoka and “do-nothing” farming, writer Hannah Kirshner journeys to the place where he lived and farmed, to see shizen noho, as it is today. Featuring Hiroki Fukuoka, with appearances by Akiko Fukuoka, Taro Nakamura, and Atsushi Tada.SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook LINKS + FURTHER READING Masanobu Fukuoka Natural FarmHannah Kirshner, author of Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain TownFukuoka in discussion with Bill Mollison and Wes Jackson for Mother Earth News, which took place at the Second International Permaculture Conference in Washington state.Many of those practicing natural farming in Japan learned about it from Yoshikazu Kawaguchi, who adapted Fukuoka’s practice and started a natural farming school called Akame Shizennou Jyuku.The 1978 review of The One Straw Revolution in Akwesasne Notes, a newspaper published by the Mohawk NationFor more on the story behind the book’s publication and Fukuoka’s travels in the United States: The One Straw Revolutionary: The Philosophy and Work of Masanobu Fukuoka by Larry KornCREDITSSpecial thanks to Tim Crews and the Land Institute, ethnobotanist Justin Robinson, Jeffrey Gray of Fenlake Farm, Paul Quirk of Ishiharaya farm, Bill Vitek, and Atsushi Tada and Taro Nakamura, who work with the Masanobu Fukuoka Natural Farm. Reported and written by Justine Paradis and Hannah KirshnerProduced and mixed by Justine ParadisExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieEdited by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing: Rebecca Lavoie and Felix PoonTranslation help from Michael ThorntonTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Patrick Patrikios and Blue Dot Sessions WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Decades before the first international permaculture conference or certified organic tomato, a farmer on an island in southern Japan turned his back on industrial agriculture and devoted his life to finding a different way of farming.Masanobu Fukuoka was working as a plant pathologist when he experienced a revelation – and promptly quit his job and returned home to his family farm. Eventually, he wrote The One-Straw Revolution, a manifesto on his method, shizen noho, and the philosophy of “do-nothing farming.” Published in 1978, the book has been described by writer Michael Pollan as “one of the founding documents of the alternative food movement.” But its reach goes far beyond farming: The One Straw Revolution has been translated into 25 languages and is admired by artists, writers, and philosophers. What is it about this slim green book that has touched so many people? Part I tells the “origin story” of Masanobu Fukuoka, and how his ideas spread far beyond his home on the Japanese island of Shikoku. In Part II, we journey to that corner of southern Japan, and the mountain where Masanobu Fukuoka once lived and farmed, to see shizen noho in action today.Featuring Takeshi Watanabe, Robin Calderon, and Hiroki Fukuoka.SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook LINKS + FURTHER READING Masanobu Fukuoka Natural FarmFukuoka’s discussion with Bill Mollison and Wes Jackson for Mother Earth News, which took place in 1986 at the Second  International Permaculture Conference in Washington state.Many of those practicing natural farming in Japan learned about it from Yoshikazu Kawaguchi, who adapted Fukuoka’s practice and started a natural farming school called Akame Shizennou Jyuku.The 1978 review of The One Straw Revolution in Akwesasne Notes, a newspaper published by the Mohawk NationFor more on the story behind the book’s publication and Fukuoka’s travels in the United States: The One Straw Revolutionary: The Philosophy and Work of Masanobu Fukuoka by Larry KornCREDITSSpecial thanks to Tim Crews and the Land Institute, ethnobotanist Justin Robinson, Jeffrey Gray of Fenlake Farm, Paul Quirk of Ishiharaya farm, Bill Vitek, and Atsushi Tada and Taro Nakamura, who work with the Masanobu Fukuoka Natural Farm. Reported and written by Justine Paradis and Hannah KirshnerProduced and mixed by Justine ParadisExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieEdited by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing: Rebecca Lavoie and Felix PoonTranslation help from Michael ThorntonTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Patrick Patrikios WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

On May 21, 2021, an influential environmental activist died of Covid-19 and you probably didn’t hear about it. Sunderlal Bahuguna’s passing didn’t make the major news outlets in the US, but it was a big deal in India, where he was the renowned leader of the Chipko movement against deforestation in the 1970s. Chipko is a Hindi word for “hugging”, but according to Bahuguna, he was just the messenger of the movement. “It was the ladies who hugged the trees,” he said.This story is about the life and legacy of Sunderlal Bahuguna, and the tree huggers that saved India’s forests.Featuring: Haritima Bahuguna SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook LINKSOn The Fence: Chipko Movement Re-visitedThe Axing of the HimalayasAppiko (To Embrace) CREDITSReported and produced by Felix PoonHost: Justine ParadisEdited by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing by Justine Paradis, and Erika JanikExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieMixed by Felix PoonTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Saumya Bahuguna, Samuel Corwin, and Blue Dot Sessions WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

We all know that a key part of addressing climate change involves getting off fossil fuels. But renewable energies, such as solar energy, are not without costs. One key cost? It uses a lot of land. The team at How to Save a Planet takes a look at one creative solution to this problem – mixing solar panels with agriculture. And they are not at all sheepish about the role of one very adorable four legged animal.Featuring How to Save a Planet. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook CREDITSHow to Save a Planet is a Spotify original podcast and Gimlet production.Host: Alex BlumbergEpisode producer: Kendra Pierre-LouisShow producers: Anna Ladd, Rachel Waldholz and Hannah Chinn Intern: Nicole WelchSupervising producers: Lauren Silverman and Kaitlyn BoguckiEditor: Caitlin Kenney.Sound design and mixing by Peter LeonardOriginal music by Peter Leonard, Catherine Anderson and Emma MungerFact-checking: James GainesSpecial thanks to Alex DePillis at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, and Tonje Waxman and Brooks Mixon at Sun Raised Farms. Outside/In team: Justine Paradis, Taylor Quimby, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt.Executive producer: Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster Cylinder WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.