There are few physical challenges more uncomfortable than holding your breath underwater as long as you can. But if your duty is to pull downed military personnel from waters all over the world, you need to prove your ability to perform in the most hostile and unforgiving conditions. That’s why the Air Force has long made breath holds part of its training programs for parajumpers, or parachute rescue specialists. This week, we’re featuring an episode from our friends at the Outside Podcast (not ...
May 18, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast While the taps are running dry and reservoirs are disappearing in Arizona, a corporate farm from Saudi Arabia is pumping massive amounts of groundwater to grow alfalfa for cows back in the Middle East. Now, after years of inaction, Arizonans are pointing the finger at what they see as a foreign invader slurping up the last gulps of a diminishing water supply. But the truth is more complicated. In this episode, we dig deep into the history of Arizona’s water crisis and uncover a tale of dates, ca...
May 11, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The team peers into the Outside/Inbox to answer listener questions on the theme of “green,” a prompt which sends us exploring the hanging gardens of Babylon, xeriscaping, and the evolution of the human eye. 1: What’s the benefit of being evergreen? 2: How water-friendly is my lawn? 3: How many city buildings have green roofs? 4: Why did we evolve to see so many different shades of green? Featuring Georgia Silvera Seamans, Rubab Saher, Kate England, Abraham Wu, and Adriana Briscoe. Special thanks...
May 04, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the late 1950s, engineer Herb Ueda Sr. traveled to a remote Arctic military base. His mission? To drill through nearly a mile of ice, and extract the world’s first complete ice core. To finish the job, he and his team would endure sub-zero weather, toxic chemicals, and life inside a military base… which was slowly being crushed by the glacier from which it was carved. Producer Daniel Ackerman takes us inside Camp Century, and explains how a foundational moment in climate science is inextricab...
Apr 27, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Right now, we’re investing billions of dollars into charging infrastructure in order to speed up the transition to electric cars and decarbonize transportation. But there are all sorts of problems that EVs won’t solve: bumper-to-bumper traffic, extractive metal mining, and car collisions that kill tens of thousands of drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians every year in the US. That’s why transit activists say we need to rethink the way we get around. Because learning to drive less isn’t...
Apr 20, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Transitioning to electric vehicles is essential to meeting our climate goals. But there are so many barriers to overcome – from expanding EV charging infrastructure, to updating the power grid, to mining the metals that make batteries go. In the first of a two-part series on decarbonizing transportation, we try to answer the critical question: is it all happening fast enough to avoid the worst climate impacts? Featuring: Craig Bentley, Nora Naughton, Sara Baldwin, Thea Riofrancos If you’ve got a...
Apr 13, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Underdogs Ep3: You sell your soul What caused the Peranos to abandon their dogs and screw so many people over? Nate enlists the help of a New Zealand journalist to find out. More about Outside/In presents The Underdogs: A few months ago, Outside/In host Nate Hegyi got a tip from the highest levels of the dog sledding community. It was about the first team from New Zealand to complete the Iditarod, a 1,000-mile race across some of Alaska’s harshest terrain. Over the past decade, Curt and Fleu...
Mar 30, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Underdogs Ep2: It has to be earned Nate flies to Minnesota to follow a new lead about the New Zealand racing team. Advisory: This episode contains brief descriptions of injured animals and animal abuse that may be disturbing to some listeners. More about Outside/In presents The Underdogs: A few months ago, Outside/In host Nate Hegyi got a tip from the highest levels of the dog sledding community. It was about the first team from New Zealand to complete the Iditarod, a 1,000-mile race across ...
Mar 23, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Underdogs Ep1: Honey and vinegar Outside/In host Nate Hegyi gets a surprising tip that leads him into the frozen and tight-knit world of competitive sled dog racing in Alaska. More about Outside/In presents The Underdogs: A few months ago, Outside/In host Nate Hegyi got a tip from the highest levels of the dog sledding community. It was about the first team from New Zealand to complete the Iditarod, a 1,000-mile race across some of Alaska’s harshest terrain. Over the past decade, Curt and Fl...
Mar 16, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast A few months ago, Outside/In host Nate Hegyi got a tip from the highest levels of the dog sledding community. It was about the first team from New Zealand to complete the Iditarod, a 1,000-mile race across some of Alaska’s harshest terrain; a pair of mushers that have transformed their success on the trail into a flourishing tourism business in their home country’s south island. But behind the scenes, in the usually-guarded world of competitive dog sledding, they've burned bridges, destroyed fri...
Mar 09, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Once upon a time, potpourri was a popular way to freshen up a space. Now, for some, it feels a bit like the lava lamp of fragrance: an outdated fad from a bygone decade. So, why was potpourri so popular in the 1980’s, and what happened to it? Did the trend dry up… or just evolve? We explore the transformation of potpourri, from the fermented mush of the Victorian era to the perfumed and colorful bag of pine cones of the eighties, and talk to a few of the people still making potpourri today. This...
Mar 02, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you own land in the United States, do you also own the airspace above it? In other words, who owns the sky? The answer begins with a medieval Roman principle of property rights, which made it all the way to American courts: “Whoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to Heaven and down to Hell." We asked our friends Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy, cohosts of Civics 101 , to join us to explore the uniquely American philosophy of property, to the moon and back. Featuring Colin Jerolmack, Michael...
Feb 23, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Nora Saks learned that a "toxic, self-cloning worm that poops out of its mouth was invading Maine", she started sounding the alarm about the impending eco-doom. Until, that is, state experts clued her into the "real threat"; a different creepy crawly wriggling towards The Pine Tree State's gardens and precious forests, and fast. In an attempt to find out more about this real threat, Ben Brock Johnson and Nora tunnel down a wormhole, encountering a long history of xenophobic rhetoric about s...
Feb 16, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Despite being the only rodent with a holiday to its name, groundhogs are often considered pests. However, these natural-born diggers have unearthed rare artifacts, play a pivotal role in shaping ecosystems, and are tied to important breakthroughs in hepatitis B treatments. Plus they’re pretty cute. So in this episode, a special Groundhog Day edition of our Holy Scat series, we’re digging up as many amazing factoids about these creatures as we possibly can. Featuring: David Scofield, Amanda Gille...
Jan 31, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast What’s the slowest heartbeat on the planet? What’s it like to live with zero sunlight? If you’ve ever picked up a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records, you know that people are drawn to extremes, be they geographical, philosophical, or biological. So this week, we’re cracking open the Outside/Inbox to answer your questions about the outer limits of life on Earth. We’ll learn about how landslides are way more common than you might think, why frogs are practically undead, and how researchers...
Jan 26, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast In each essay in their debut collection, How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures , science writer Sabrina Imbler shares the story of an undersea organism and a story of their own journey as someone who, as they put it, came out twice in adulthood. In one essay, they reflect on how a shape-shifting cephalopod helped them navigate their own questions about gender. In another, they celebrate queer dance clubs through the lens of the Yeti crab, a creature who “dances to live” in the c...
Jan 19, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some folks promote local food. Others swear by veganism. But what is the most environmentally-friendly diet? And does it really matter what we eat? Or are there bigger fish to fry when it comes to climate activism? Outside/In is trying out a new segment called This, That, Or The Other Thing . It’s all about the little decisions we make to try and build a more sustainable world—whether they have any effect, and what we can do instead if they don’t. For our inaugural edition, we’re focusing on foo...
Jan 12, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the first day of January, people all over the world dive into the water as a way to start the new year fresh. It’s often referred to as a “polar plunge”. But cold water dipping is different. It’s not a breathless in-and-out plunge, but a slow submersion: lingering in the cold water for 5 or 10 minutes. No wetsuit. This fall, Outside/In producer Justine Paradis got to know a community of dippers along the coast of Maine. Many of them described something happening once they’re in their water.. ...
Dec 29, 2022•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s an unfortunate paradox for environmental podcasts; data shows a lot of people skip segments about the climate. But also… it’s the CLIMATE! We can’t NOT talk about it, right? So how do we break through the malaise and make climate news feel less overwhelming? More surprising? Less depressing? In this episode, we round-up a handful of stories that we hope break the mold and make climate a more approachable topic for everyday discussion. We’ll look at a third-rail of environmental activism,...
Dec 22, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast At the beginning of the pandemic, we published an episode about “how to be a backyard birder.” Everybody was understandably freaking out, and we wanted to put something sweet, calming, and hopeful into the world. In that episode, we heard from ornithologist Dr. J. Drew Lanham, who shared some great tips for beginners, like what to watch and listen for, and how to make binoculars from toilet paper tubes. But what we didn’t get into was Dr. Lanham’s own remarkable story, including the moment when ...
Dec 15, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Outside/In’s annual winter show, in which the team gathers around the proverbial fire to share our best ideas towards becoming better friends with winter. The dream is to not just survive, but thrive – dare we say, to “surthrive” – and embrace the season, both the cold and the cozy. This year, we’re joined by the wonderful Mara Hoplamazian , climate and environment reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. You can read our list here . We’d also love to hear your recommendations! We might even...
Dec 01, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s high time to shine a light on an under-appreciated nocturnal visitor to America’s backyards and garbage cans: the opossum. The opossum is the only marsupial in North America, and they’ve been snuffling around since before the dinosaurs died. It faints at the slightest threat, yet can be struck by a venomous snake and, unfazed, turn right around and eat it. Also, they have two vaginas, and an extra pseudo-vagina. What more do you need? The opossum’s superpower is its reproductive system, and...
Nov 24, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The premise of History’s reality TV show Alone is about as straightforward as it gets. Ten people are dropped into the remote wilderness with nothing but a handful of tools, a supply of GoPro cameras, and instructions to document their entire experience. As contestants put their wilderness skills to the test, they face some of reality television’s most intense physical and emotional stakes; struggling with isolation, cold, wild animals, and even starvation. The last person standing wins the gran...
Nov 17, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s time to open our mailbag and answer your questions about fall – and not just the season. We’ve interpreted the theme to include everything from dreams about falling to fallout shelters and, um, tornadoes. Plus, we reveal the long-anticipated winner of our poll on best alternatives for replacing the term “leaf-peeping.” Question 1: Why do so many have recurring dreams about falling? Question 2: How do tornadoes figure in myths around the world? Question 3: How deep does a fallout shelter nee...
Nov 03, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jack Rodolico knows exactly what scares him. Sharks. But here’s what he doesn’t get: if he’s so freaked out, why can’t he stop incessantly watching online videos of bloody shark attacks? Why would he deliberately seek out the very thing that spooks him? To figure it out, Jack enlists the help of other scaredy-cats: our listeners, who shared their fears about nature with us. Together, Jack and the gang consider the spectrum of fear, from phobia to terror, and what it might mean when we don’t look...
Oct 27, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast When it comes to protecting the biodiversity of Planet Earth, there is no greater failure than extinction. Thankfully, only a few dozen species have been officially declared extinct by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the half century since the passage of the Endangered Species Act. But, hold on. Aren’t we in the middle of the sixth mass extinction? Shouldn’t the list of extinct species be… way longer? Well, yeah. Maybe. Producer Taylor Quimby sets out to understand why it’s so difficult to o...
Oct 13, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you've been having trouble getting in with a veterinarian, you're not imagining it. Across the country, pet care is increasingly hard to come by, and more vets are leaving the job. Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, has lost roughly half of its veterinarians since the pandemic began. Pet owners often have to wait several weeks for an appointment, surgery is scarce, and 24/7 emergency care doesn’t exist. Now, a local animal shelter is stepping up to try and fill the gap for desperate pet owners, w...
Oct 06, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Planting a tree often becomes almost a shorthand for doing a good deed. But such an act is not always neutral. In some places, certain trees can become windows into history, tools of erasure, or symbols of resistance. This episode originally aired in October of 2020. Featuring: Liat Berdugo, Irus Braverman, Jonathan Kuttab, Noga Kadman, Iyad Hadad, Raja Shehadeh, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Miri Maoz-Ovadia, and Nidal Waleed Rabie and his granddaughter Samera. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with ...
Sep 22, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s that time again when we open our mailbag to answer your (oh-so-delightful) questions. This time, we deliberate over what seagulls are doing so far from the sea, the reason that staring at fire is so compelling, why dogs kick up dirt after they poo, and other timeless inquiries. Submit your own question (the weirder the better) on Instagram , via email at outsidein@nhpr.org , or by calling our Outside/Inbox hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER. Question 1: Would ice age humans still think of ice as ‘cold...
Sep 15, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ever have an unexpected animal encounter that leaves you filled with adrenaline? Or awed by the natural world? Or filled with fear? On this episode, we hand over the reins to the folks at Every Little Thing , a Spotify-exclusive podcast hosted by Flora Lichtman. They asked their listeners for stories about extreme animal run-ins, and boy did folks deliver…. From a tangled antlers conundrum, to a life-altering encounter with jellyfish, these are animal stories that will make you laugh, sweat, and...
Sep 08, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
