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
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.
 
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...
 
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: Balance of Nature

by Natural Selections
Feb 22, 2001 — Is there a balance in nature? How is it maintained? How is it disrupted? Dr. Curt Stager tackles this question with Martha Foley.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Dogs

by Natural Selections
Feb 15, 2001 — When did wolves become dogs? How did they come to be "man's best friend?" Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk about canine evolution and domestication.  Go to full article
HIV virus buds from host cell
HIV virus buds from host cell

Natural Selections: Are Viruses Alive?

by Natural Selections
Feb 01, 2001 — The simplicity of viruses leads to the question, "Are viruses alive?" Dr Curt Stager and Martha Foley discuss what it takes to be numbered among the living. Disease-causing bacteria pass muster, but viruses may fall a little short.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Science Projects

by Natural Selections
Jan 25, 2001 — Some suggestions for interesting, low-cost science projects! Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley offer ideas for budding scientists to try at home or at school.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Snow Flies

by Natural Selections
Jan 18, 2001 — Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk about snow flies. This tiny wingless fly likes the cold, making their own antifreeze to survive the weather. They are a pest only to rodents, carrying the roundworm parasites that infect them.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Snow Fleas

by Natural Selections
Jan 11, 2001 — Anyone who has had pets has heard of fleas. But snow fleas--that's a different story! As Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley explain, these tiny critters look like pepper on the snow on days just above freezing.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Cat Intelligence

by Natural Selections
Dec 28, 2000 — Cats are pretty smart--the whole setup proves that. But just how smart are they? Dr Curt Stager and Martha Foley stack up man's second-best friend against other mammals.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Alcohol

by Natural Selections
Dec 07, 2000 — Why is it that sometimes consuming alcohol can be pleasurable and at other times have devastating effect? Dr. Curt Stager and Martha Foley talk about how alcohol operates in the body and brain.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: White Meat, Dark Meat

by Natural Selections
Nov 30, 2000 — The Thanksgiving holiday brought some questions to mind for Martha Foley about turkeys. For instance, why is dark meat dark? She and Dr. Curt Stager discuss turkey anatomy.  Go to full article

Natural Selections: Blue Jays

by Natural Selections
Nov 23, 2000 — If you've ever had a bird feeder in your yard, perhaps you've had the chance to admire blue jays hungrily munching away. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk about the habits of this year-round resident of the North Country.  Go to full article

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