In a recent article published in the Scientific American, scientists compared the weight of everything that man has made, with the weight of all life on earth. This exercise was repeated many times over from 1900 onwards and a trend emerged.The opening lines of the article summarises this trend - "The sheer scale of buildings, infrastructure and other anthropogenic objects underscores our impact on the planet". Scientists have also found something rather unnerving about the impact of plastic ...
Mar 12, 2024•17 min
Jacky Hunt Broersma is a cancer survivor. This led to one of her legs being amputated. With a prosthetic leg, she first began to jog a little every day and gradually built up her stamina. Before she knew, she had run her first ever marathon. Over the next few years, she set a world record. Run 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days. This is a short excerpt from a previous recording in Season 1.If you are aged 7-15 and would like to come and speak on this show, please register here. Do you...
Mar 08, 2024•7 min
A piece of football (or soccer) artifact is soon to go up for auction. It is a piece that will go down as marking one of the pivotal points in soccer history. What are we talking point? Listen on to find out moreCo-hosts: Devansh (4th grader) from Kolkata and Arjun (5th grader) from MumbaiTo support our team and donate generously, please click hereDo you like to read stories? Read our newsletters hereGet Whatsapp alerts here Follow us on Instagram Email your comments at hello@wsnt.in.
Mar 04, 2024•20 min
A group of researchers in Norway observed the brain patterns of students who wrote vs students who typed. The content was the same in both cases. However, their brain patterns displayed many differences. Discover what these differences were by listening to the full episode.Co-hosts: 9-year old Rusheel and 10-year old Saatvik from Mumbai, IndiaDonate and support our team by clicking hereIf you are a child and would like to come on this show, please register here. We have a short se...
Feb 26, 2024•15 min
Sir C.V.Raman was traveling aboard a ship that was crossing the Atlantic. It was his first trip across the Mediterranean Sea and its colours sparkled in front of him. Standing there he pondered why the sea was blue. The experiments he did to find out the answer to this question led him to discover the 'Raman Effect', which later led to a Nobel Prize.This is a kids and family podcast episode, so you can safely assume that this episode is 'Science Simplified for Dummies'. It is also a 'Basic ex...
Feb 23, 2024•10 min
Recently, Indian authorities released a spy who had been kept in detention for over 8 months. This spy was suspected to act on behalf of the Chinese. Later, the spy was found to be innocent and was released. Who was this spy? Why was this spy released?That is what our 2 participants in this episode have to find out. It's an exciting and thrilling story, for adventure lovers!Co-hosts today: Rusheel (9 yrs old) and Saatvik (10 yrs old) from Mumbai, IndiaRecommended by our co-hostSaatvik loved t...
Feb 19, 2024•17 min
It was a weekend of records in the world of tennis.Rohan Bopanna was ranked No. 1 in Men's Doubles. This makes him the oldest to have been ranked No. 1. At the grand age of 43, when many others slow down and often retire from the game, Bopanna seems to only get fitter and stronger. The same weekend, a young Jannik Sinner from Italy won the Australian Open Men's singles title at the age of 22, making him the youngest to win this title. More than 50 years had passed since an Italian...
Feb 15, 2024•14 min
In this episode, which is the second part 2 of our podcast series on the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), we chat with the Project Head of GBBC from Cornel Lab of Ornithology (Becca Rodomsky Bish) and three children - Shravan, Taanvi and Adya.They chat about (a) what would happen if there were no birds (b) how do you count birds in a flock (c) what bird would they rather be - migratory or static?The GBBC in 2024 is to be held from 16-19 Feb. Apps to download to participate in the event1. Mer...
Feb 12, 2024•17 min
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) doesn't come our way everyday. But birds do. If you love observing birds, or are curious about them, or even just love to paint or draw pictures of birds - here's an event that you can be a part of. An event where the input of each one of us from around the world can help conserve bird species and populations.One of the three organisations that puts together the GBBC is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This episode was recorded in 2023, when the Project Lea...
Feb 08, 2024•15 min
In a town in Italy, all dog owners have to pay 65 euros to the city corporation. This is to get their dog's DNA tested. Why is this being mandated?Three children (4th grader Smyan, 4th grader Dhruv and 8th grader Aadya) ask the host Sangeetha questions, to decipher why dogs in this Italian city are being tested.Loved the show? To support us, please click hereWant to listen to more episodes on this channel? 3 recommended episodes(a) How video game characters started to feature more female char...
Feb 04, 2024•14 min
In one district in Ohio, the public school students have recorded high rates of absenteeism. So the district government has proposed a new policy. What is this policy?Three children (4th grader Smyan, 4th grader Dhruv and 8th grader Aadya) ask the host Sangeetha questions, to decipher what the new policy is.Loved the show? To support us, please click hereWant to listen to more episodes on this channel? 3 recommended episodes(a) How video game characters started to feature more female characte...
Feb 01, 2024•16 min
The man who designed India's tricolour flag - Pingali Venkaiyya is one of India's forgotten heroes. He joined the army under the British rule. He was a trained geologist. He also taught agriculture at a college. He was a polyglot who could learn and speak many languages with great ease and fluency. This episode has loads of trivia on Pingali Venkaiyya - one of India's greatest freedom fighters. He was a man who understood the importance of a flag as a symbol of a country's identity. He was so...
Jan 29, 2024•13 min
The tricolour Indian flag with the Ashok Chakra has a pride of place in India's Republic Day celebrations. But the Indian flag was not always like this. How different was it during India's freedom struggle? Listen to the full episode to find out more.Co-host: Taksh Solanki, 3rd grader from Aspee Nutan Academy, Mumbai (India)To join our book review of next month, please click hereIf you loved this episode and would like to donate to us, to help us produce more such shows, please click he...
Jan 24, 2024•14 min
Man may want to build a settlement on the moon. This is no longer the stuff of science fiction, but already a reality that space agencies are working towards. NASA's Mission Artemis is working towards building a community that can live on the moon. But it requires a lot of planning. One of the many steps includes a lander 'Peregrine' that was to land on the moon, and send important readings back to NASA. But that mission may not be successful. Peregrine is running out of fuel and will not be ...
Jan 22, 2024•17 min
Iceland is famed not just for its ice, but also its fire. It's a land that sees volcanic eruptions once every four-five years. People of the land are hardy and used to these interruptions to daily life. But a fault line that had maintained volcanic silence for over 800 years (the last time it saw this kind of activity was around 1200AD) has made its presence felt. The people of a nearby fishing town (Grindavik) tried building lava barriers to protect themselves. But did this work? Could they ...
Jan 19, 2024•13 min
In the Stone Age, women were fine hunters and men were adept at collecting fruits. The myth that men did all the hunting and women gathered food was recently shattered by new scientific evidence. Archaeology, human studies and simple biology - explains it all! There was nearly 100% gender equality in society during the hunter-gatherer times. Recommended listen for6-8 yrs: With parental assistance9+: Independently18+: Recommended Listen and Please share with friends & familyCo-host: 10-yr ...
Jan 15, 2024•16 min
For nearly 1400 years, China has had a tradition of gifting panda bears to countries it wants to establish friendly relations with. For example, in the 8th century AD, the Tang dynasty empress Wu Zeitan is credited with having gifted the Japanese emperor two panda bears from forests in China. This was a gesture of goodwill between the nations. While this tradition has continued across centuries, relations between the USA and China broke down soon after the second World War.How did things chan...
Jan 12, 2024•11 min
Every year, GCHQ - an intelligence organisation based out of the UK, releases a Christmas puzzle. This is for children aged 11-18 to mull over the hints and crack the secret codes. In this episode, a 12-yr old joins the host and tries solving some of the puzzles released in the past few years. Listen to the episode and try solving the puzzle alongside us.To access the GCHQ 2023 Christmas puzzle, click hereTo access the SOLUTIONS to the GCHQ Christmas 2023 puzzle, click here.Support us buying ...
Jan 08, 2024•15 min
Who would have thought that two-thirds of Planet earth remains a no-go for a lot of Black people? Zandile took up scuba diving and free diving and her folks asked her 'why do you want to do white people things?' This episode is a conversation with two primary schoolers - 3rd grader Nayra Maheshwari and 4th grader Smyan Shetty, from India. They explore ideas related to racism and segregation.To watch the video of Zandile free-diving, click here.Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters...
Dec 22, 2023•14 min
As part of our Year-end Wrap up of 2023 series, this episode celebrates the life of a 16-year old archer who defied all odds and won medals for India (and continues to do so!). Sheetal Devi was born with a medical condition that did not allow her limbs (in her case, arms) to fully develop. How she overcame these odds and became an armless archer to win two gold medals for India at the recently held Asian Para Games in China, is a story that is bound to melt hearts.How does someone shoot an ar...
Dec 21, 2023•16 min
The world population touched 8 billion. India replaced China as the most populous. Artificial Intelligence made breakthroughs that promised students much relief and writers much pain. The world was wrecked by conflicts - the continuation of the Ukraine war, the cold tensions between the US and China and the Israel Palestine conflict. What do these mean to today's children? What are their views on these events? Listen to the full episode to find out more.For full details of the History of the ...
Dec 18, 2023•19 min
In March 2022, a young black gymnast in Ireland was not given a medal she deserved thanks to her skin colour. Her parents called for an apology. Nothing happened for a full year. Soon, the video of this act of racism went viral. Her parents also tagged Simon Biles (the 4-time Olympic gold winning Gymnast from the USA) and asked her for help. Simon was moved by what she saw and called out Gymnastics Ireland (the organisation that had hosted this event) for their racist attitude. She also ...
Dec 15, 2023•9 min
The year of 2023 had its bright and shiny moments in space exploration, science discoveries and tech inventions. This episode focuses on two positive stories - the return of the humpback whales (thanks to a ban on commercial whaling) AND the invention of VR goggles as treatment for lazy eye syndrome. A hurrah moment for young infants who can now deal with the treatment with greater ease and lesser pain and anxiety. Child co-hosts: Agastya (sixth grader from Mumbai) and Kiaansh (fifth gr...
Dec 11, 2023•23 min
As the year 2023 draws to a close, we bring to our young listeners a quiz on one of their favourite book series - Thea Stilton and Geronimo Stilton. Also, in this episode three young bookworms join us and share their book recommendations.Child co-hosts: Prakriti (almost '10' year old) from Mumbai, Isabelle (10-yr old) from Mumbai and Eesha (14-year old) from Chennai.To read the newsletter on the three books, please click here. Recommended listen on how to write your own story - Epi 110 ...
Dec 08, 2023•31 min
This is the happy story of how 41 construction workers who were stuck behind the debris of a collapsed tunnel in Himachal Pradesh got freed after a 17-day long ordeal. The army and air-force, a few massive drilling machines, a team of mountain experts and several doctors came to the rescue. But it was the valorous efforts of a few skilled miners who used the rat-hole method that helped in the final leg.Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters hereGet Whatsapp alerts here Follow us on...
Dec 04, 2023•8 min
Saudi Arabia will be hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034. It has already started hosting F1 car racing tournaments on its roads. It is also hosting one of the world's largest professional golf tournaments - LIV Golf (this will be the largest outside of the US and Europe). Why has the country suddenly gone sports-crazy? Listen to the episode to find out why. Co-hosts in this episode: 8th graders - Raghav Sharma and Pragya Mishra from Bal Bharati Public School, Dwarka, Delhi, IndiaEpisodes recom...
Nov 30, 2023•15 min
Ever heard of a national leader saying that one of his goals is to plant 15 billion trees. If you have not, meet Kenya's President William Ruto. To meet his immediate goal of planting 100 million trees, he declared a national holiday. In a country of 50 million people, all it takes for a person is to plant 2-4 trees to get to the goal of 100 million trees. The government of Kenya also made available seeds for all these trees, free of cost, in its nurseries. People were free to plant any other...
Nov 27, 2023•14 min
This is the last and final part of our Wildlife podcast series. There are two happy stories we talk about here -(A) How rhinos in eastern India have been saved from poachers by the vigilant members of the forest community, and(B) How one man single-handedly planted an entire forest with his own hands. Jadav Payeng never went to any fashionable academic institution to learn about ecology. He just felt that creating a forest was the right thing to do. Nobody told him that he was stark raving ma...
Nov 24, 2023•11 min
In the most recent semi-finals between India and New Zealand, Virat Kohli scored his 50th century. He broke the record for the highest number of centuries scored by any cricketeer in ODI (Sachin Tendulkar held the record previously).This episode is a quiz style podcast, with 5 children participating in a quiz on this cricketing legend 'Virat Kohli' or 'King Kohli' as he is sometimes called.
Nov 20, 2023•27 min
The British discovered the dense forests of Andaman and the lack of elephants there to pull these logs. How elephants got to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar is a theme we explore in this episode.Fourth grader Chandrika from Bengaluru, India also explores how man-human conflicts are slowly being reduced as part of Project Elephant. To listen to the entire podcast series on India's wildlife, click here Do you like to read stories? Read our newsletters hereGet Whatsapp alerts here Follow...
Nov 17, 2023•17 min
