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About
Natural Selections
On Natural Selections each week, join a short conversation on the natural world. Topics range from evolutionary biology to geology and wildlife, from climate science to animal and human behavior.
The program is hosted by NCPR news director Martha Foley joined by naturalist Dr. Curt Stager of Paul
Smith's College.
Support for Natural Selections is provided by the Glenn
and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, dedicated
to improving the quality of life for year-round residents
of the Adirondack Park, and by Paul Smith's, the College of the Adirondacks.
New Book: Deep Future
"The course we take in the coming decades will affect not just the next hundred years, but the next hundred thousand years of life on this planet." --Curt Stager
In bookstores now
Order at: Amazon | Borders
Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Powell's Books
And please remember your local independent booksellers. Find one near you.
Nature features
Curt Stager on On Point
Listen to Dr. Curt Stager as the guest on On Point, 3/24/11, talking about his new book, Deep Future: the Next 100,000 Years of Life on Earth.
Curt's Save the Carbon Blog
Spring, 2012: Just A Fluke, or A Taste of the Future?
Partial ice-out on Lower Saint Regis Lake , March 22, 2012.Record-high March temperatures have driven the ice... more
The weather of 2011: a waste or a wake-up call?
We've been having a difficult time with weather this year in the North Country. But let's not... more
The Power of Moving Water
Spread your arms out sideways and your hands will be roughly one meter apart. Use that span to sculpt an... more
Upper Jay, six days after Irene.
Six days after Irene drove the Ausable River and its tributaries over their banks, Kary and I visited the heavily... more
Irene devastates the Ausable Valley
Former hurricane ("tropical storm") Irene did relatively little damage last Sunday near my home in Paul Smiths, here in... more
Natural History
A keen eye and extensive knowledge of feathers allows forensic ornithologist Carla Dove (yes, that's her name) figure out from feather and bone fragments which type of bird crashed into a plane or was eaten by a snake. But the expertise has an...
Birds flock. Insects swarm. Fish swim in schools. These are all examples of collective behavior, a concept that has fascinated scientists for decades. For a recent piece in <em>Wired Magazine</em>, science writer Ed Yong explains what...
About 55 million years ago, a teacup-sized critter in China was helping to pave the way for apes and humans. This insect eater had fingernails and stereo vision, a newly published analysis of a fossil suggests. And it weighed just 1 ounce.
Sex is nice, but can animals make babies without it? One summer, two little boys, their tutor and the tutor's two friends did an experiment to explore this question. What they discovered, back in 1740, shocked the world.
A report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says insects offer a huge potential for improving the world's food security. Peter Menzel, co-author of <em>Man Eating Bugs</em>, describes some insect-based cuisine and the western...
Natural Selections with hosts Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager airs Thursday mornings during The Eight O'Clock Hour.
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Bumblebee pollinating blueberries. Photo: Athena Rayne Anderson, CC some rights reserved
Natural Selections: Native pollinators
Paul Smiths, NY, Jan 24, 2013 — With the collapse of the population of the European honeybee, introduced to North America in colonial times, many growers are looking for aids in pollinating their crops. But the honeybee may not be the most effective bee. Bumblebees and other native pollinators do a better job on crops like blueberries and cranberries. Martha Foley and Curt Stager discuss. Go to full article
Star-nosed Mole. Photo: US National Park Service.
Natural Selections: More about moles
Paul Smiths, NY, Jan 17, 2013 — Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk more about three different types of moles that inhabit the region, and their habits. The Eastern American Mole and the Hairy-tailed Mole prefer dryer soils and consume up to half their weight a day in worms and grubs. Their star-nosed cousin prefers a wetter environment Go to full article
Eastern American Mole. Photo: Kenneth Catania, Vanderbilt University, CC some rights reserved
Natural Selections: Moles
Paul Smiths, NY, Jan 10, 2013 — Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager reveal some interesting facts about the semi-aquatic insectivores that tear up your lawn every year--moles. Go to full article
Mature ginkgo with detail of leaves. Photos: Cayambe (tree) and James Field (leaves). CC some rights reserved
Natural Selections: Ginkgo trees
Paul Smiths, NY, Jan 03, 2013 — Martha Foley and Dr Curt Stager talk about the ginkgo tree--an ancient species native to China. They do not spread naturally anymore, but during the time of the dinosaurs there were many types of ginkgo tree all over the world. Go to full article
Cacao leaves have better disease resistance with the help of endophyte fungi. Photo: Phong Tran, CC some rights reserved
Natural Selections: Fungal Lurkers
Paul Smiths, NY, Dec 27, 2012 — Martha Foley and Dr Curt Stager discuss fungal lurkers--fungi that live inside plants. Fungal lurkers are a new discovery and scientists believe that this type of fungus helps the plant it lives on but may harm animals and people. Go to full article
Votive candles.Photo: Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P., CC some rights reserved
Natural Selections: Flames
Paul Smiths, NY, Dec 13, 2012 — What is a flame? Why is it shaped like that? How does it keep going? Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager answer some burning questions about rapid oxidation. Go to full article
Cosmic-ray air showers are caused when high energy particles from outside the atmosphere collide with molecules in the air. Illustration: Simon Swordy, NASA
Natural Selections: Cosmic Rays
Paul Smiths, NY, Dec 06, 2012 — Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss cosmic rays. While many people may think cosmic rays only affect astronauts or satellites--objects in space--computers and other electronic equipment on Earth can be affected too. Go to full article
Bactrian Camel. Photo: Michael Pereckas, CC some rights reserved
Natural Selections: Camels
Paul Smiths, NY, Nov 29, 2012 — Do camels really store water in their humps? Well, not really. And they aren't native to the deserts of the Middle East and Asia, either. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss the different ways camel physiology adapts them to survive in desert conditions, and where this family of mammals originated. Go to full article
Burl on a sequoia tree. Photo: Troy Hicks, CC some rights reserved
Natural Selections: Burl wood
Paul Smiths, NY, Nov 22, 2012 — Burl wood, the knobs of complex grain that some trees form, is prized by woodworkers for its beauty and utility. What causes wood grain to deviate from the straight and narrow in this way is something of a mystery. Martha Foley and Curt Stager try to untangle the knot. Go to full article
Common squid. Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC some rights reserved
Natural Selections: Three things about squids
Paul Smiths, NY, Nov 15, 2012 — Squids are ten-tentacled cephalopod cousins to the octopus. They are remarkable in many ways, but three features stand out for Dr. Curt Stager, who fills in the details with Martha Foley: the way they propel themselves through the water, and the air, their amazing use of changing color, and their unique methods of self defense. Go to full article
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