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NCPR Programs: Natural SelectionsEach week join Martha Foley and Professor Curt Stager from Paul Smith's College as they discuss various topics from the world of nature. You can hear Natural Selections on Thursdays at 8:35 am, and on Sundays at 8:55 am.
Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss Betsey Dexter Dyer's new book, "A Field Guide to Bacteria," and the distinctive traits of individual bacteria that are visible to the naked eye.
The muskellunge, or muskie, is a popular fighting fish found in Northern waters. Martha Foley and Curt Stager continue their discussion about this primitive fresh water predator.
The muskellunge, or muskie, is a popular fighting fish found in Northern waters. Martha Foley and Curt Stager talk about this primitive fresh water predator.
A class asked Martha Foley and Curt Stager about the snakes of the region. There are about 10 indigenous species, only one poisonous. The most elusive is the worm snake, which looks like—and feeds on—its namesake.
Northeastern forests are one of the few places where the white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatch share the same habitat. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk about these frequent visitors to winter birdfeeders.
What can we learn from a single feather about a bird or about the purpose of that feather? Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk about these unique and remarkable natural structures.
This hollow reed, prized for everything from fishing poles to furniture, may grow to tree height, but as Dr Curt Stager and Martha Foley explain, is actually a grass.
Why would a heavy fur cape, like a lion's mane, be appropriate on a tropical savanna? As with male fashion in humans—it appears the that the lionesses of the Serengeti like it—the thicker and darker, the better. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk hair.
Earthworms, friend to lawn and garden, are actually an invasive species in northern forests which developed in the worm-free evironment of retreating glaciers 10,000 years ago. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss their return, and the consequences for boreal soil, trees and wildflowers.
Evolution as a theory has more going for it than sheer speculation. Darwin's ideas about how new species arise are supported, for example, by the recent development of a distinct species of marsh grass. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager look at the scientific evidence supporting evolution.
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(7/18/02)
Natural History
