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NCPR Programs: Natural SelectionsEach week join Martha Foley and Professor Curt Stager from Paul Smith's College as they discuss various topics from the world of nature. You can hear Natural Selections on Thursdays at 8:35 am, and on Sundays at 8:55 am.
Some flowers open quickly, and some are even spring-loaded—like the venus fly trap—but the floral deployment speed record belongs to the lowly dogwood relative, the bunchberry, which when triggered opens its tiny four-petal bloom in less than a millisecond. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss flower power.
An astonishing variety of warblers return with the northern spring from tropical climes. Some cross the Gulf of Mexico without a rest stop. Martha Foley asks Dr. Curt Stager, why? What do we have here that can't be found in Mexico or Martinique?
Solar weather does more than create light shows at polar latitudes. When the sun acts up, the effects can range from communications interference on earth to lethal doses of radiation for unprotected astronauts. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk about heavenly weather.
Giant beaver skull compared with modern specimen.
During the last Ice Age North America was home to many varieties of "super-sized" mammals, megafauna. Giant beaver, 'possums, bear, sloths and other creatures joined the more familair wooly mammoth in the land bridge migration. Dr Curt Stager and Martha Foley look at the question, "Why so big?"
Pumpkinseed (top) and Bluegill
A common sight is fresh water shallows, sunfish provide an excellent opportunity to observe fish behavior. Dr. Curt Stager talks with Martha Foley about the two main varieties, the pumpkinseed and the bluegill. It may be hard to tell one from another, unless of course, you're a sunfish.
Water is not what comes to mind when thinking of volcanoes, but steam can be up to 90 percent of the output, "virgin water" from deep in the earth's cust. Geologists speculate that volcanoes may be the source of all the surface water on earth. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager talk about what happens when lava and water meet.
Crab Spider. Wikipedia Commons
Crab spiders are small, camouflaged arachnids that drink nectar from flowers. Martha Foley and Dr. Curt Stager discuss these "freeloaders."
Martha Foley and Dr Curt Stager talk about Ginkgo Trees- 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 trees all over the world.
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.
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.
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(7/18/02)
Natural History
