Pulse of the Planet Podcast with Jim Metzner | Science | Nature | Environment | Technology

Oral histories often reveal untold stories of people you may never find in a history book or a newspaper headline, but whose lives and work were truly significant. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The stories of everyday people form an important and often overlooked part of our history. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, Lyme has often gone undiagnosed. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine a holiday like Halloween, with a bit of Mardi Gras thrown in, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what Plough Monday was like - in 18th century rural England. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once a year, riotous behavior gave farm workers an escape from social constraints in 18th century England. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the strongest triggers of memory is odor. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If it smells bad, it probably is bad for you. That was the prevailing wisdom once and for many years, it influenced the ways we tried to prevent the spread of disease. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Christmas caroling - Puerto Rican Style! In the days leading up to the Feast of Epiphany, the sounds of Parrandas are heard throughout the island. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of our listeners returns to his homeland of Puerto Rico each year for the celebration of the Epiphany. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've developed lots of ways to cover our ears, but not so many ways to cover our noses. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The nomadic Sami herdsmen of Scandinavia have preserved their oral history in a unique form of story-song called a "yoik." Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An indigenous style of singing created by nomadic reindeer herdsman is kept alive in contemporary Scandinavia. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an ecosystem polluted by toxins like mercury, do mother turtles pass these substances on to their young? Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Human beings are apparently hardwired to remember things that surprise us. how does this translate to cultures where people typically aren't encouraged to deviate from the normal way of doing things? Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there a better way to improve service without monitoring calls and filling out surveys? Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of our most enduring Christmas traditions may date back to the days before that holiday even existed. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Working together to build 20 foot pyres of wood and wire, a family near New Orleans celebrates Christmas eve. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Las Posadas, celebrated in Mexico and in many Hispanic communities, commemorates Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Believe it or not, there was a time when the singing of Christmas carols could land you in jail. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early 1800's, letting off steam at the annual Jonkonnu celebrations may have been a social safety valve. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A widely celebrated event during the 1800's inspired historians and local residents of eastern North Carolina to reconstruct its spectacle. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Revelers of the Jonkonnu masquerade sing and dance through neighborhoods, visiting homes where their pageantry might be favored with a gift of money. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In North Carolina, the festival of Jonkonnu is celebrated with influences from West Africa, England, and the Caribbean. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's one sure way to make a memorable impression. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to design effective packaging, you'd better know how it will stand up to being transported in planes, trains and trucks. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices