Natural Selections

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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.

Ellen Rocco
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

Deep Future
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

Curt StagerListen 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.

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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
Insects May Be The Taste Of The Next Generation, Report Says
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...
 
What Did I Do Last Summer? Oh, I Discovered How To Make Babies Without Sex. And You?
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.
 
Michael Pollan: You Are What You Cook
Food writer Michael Pollan once advised "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Now, he tells us how to cook it. In his new book <em>Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation</em>, he takes a tour of the most time-tested...
 
He Helped Discover Evolution, And Then Became Extinct
Charles Darwin is known as the father of evolution. But another British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, played a major role in developing the theory of natural selection before fading into obscurity. A trip to what's now Sulawesi in Indonesia,...
 
Utah's Fossil Finds Describe an Ancient World
Once upon a time, giants roamed the planet — many of them in what is now Utah. A panel of paleontology experts describes some of the state's ancient treasures, from massive long-necked sauropods to the Utahraptor, a predator that would put...
 
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Natural Selections with hosts Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager airs Thursday mornings during The Eight O'Clock Hour.

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 Recent Natural Selections programs
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Natural Selections: Oil and Water

by Natural Selections
Sep 20, 2001 — What you might think is an oil slick on pond or bog water may actually be a film of bacteria. And some oil that flattens ripples and makes rainbow shimmers comes from natural sources. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley: oil and water.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Oxygen

by Natural Selections
Aug 23, 2001 — Dr. Curt Stager intoduces Martha Foley to the dark side of oxygen, that toxic waste product of plant metabolism responsible for aging and eventual death--our bodies as a chemical bonfire.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Mollusks

by Natural Selections
Aug 16, 2001 — Scallops swim free and have many eyes, clams live buried in sand, and mussels cement themselves to rocks. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk about the eminently edible members of the mollusk family.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Lobsters

by Natural Selections
Aug 09, 2001 — Lobster is the king of seafood in the U.S., and exists in abundance as human fishing wipes out their natural predators. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk crustaceans.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Robins

by Natural Selections
Aug 02, 2001 — The American Robin is a type of thrush, while what Europeans call a robin looks more like a bluebird. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley profile the iconic bird of spring.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Plant Toxicity

by Natural Selections
Jul 26, 2001 — The pungent tastes and smells of many plants are the result of toxic compounds they produce for defence. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss chemicals produced by plants.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Stranded Whales

by Natural Selections
Jul 19, 2001 — Some of the world's smartest creatures appear to become confused, beaching themselves in large numbers with tragic consequences. How can this happen? Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss stranded whales.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Global Warming

by Natural Selections
Jul 12, 2001 — Scientists are increasingly convinced that human activity is raising the global temperature, with possible dire consequences. Global warming, climate changes... Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley take on this hot topic in environmental science.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Salamanders

by Natural Selections
Jun 21, 2001 — Salamanders of different varieties are hugely abundant in the Adirondacks. Drive carefully the first warm rainy night of spring. They'll be migrating over many of the back roads. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk about the secret life of salamanders.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Black Bear

by Natural Selections
Jun 14, 2001 — Tha Adirondack black bear is numerous and far from timid. You may see one up close and personal if you are careless with camp food. Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley look at their lives and habits.  Go to full article

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