The Natural Curiosity Project

This Podcast is all about Curiosity and why it’s important. I was looking through one of the local paper a few months back, and saw a photo of an interesting looking guy who was practically lying on the ground at the shore of Lake Champlain with a microphone extended over the water, and a beast of a recorder next to him. He’s Wren Kitz, and as you probably already know, he’s a curious guy. I got i...

One evening in 1982, Sabine handed me a book that had come out two weeks before, saying, “Read this. It has you written all over it.” The book was called, “Blue Highways: A Journey into America,” by previously unknown (and quirkily named) author William Least Heat-Moon. If you haven’t read the book, stop whatever you’re doing right now and go buy a copy. I’ve read it 19 times, and I’ll read it a f...

There’s been a lot of chatter in the press lately about advances in interspecies communication and our soon-to-arrive ability to translate what our non-human neighbors are saying. That’s quite a breakthrough, considering how much trouble I often have understanding what other HUMANS are saying. But there’s another factor: even though AI, machine learning and large language models give us extraordin...

One of my favorite quotes comes from Anthropologist Loren Eiseley. He said, “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” In this episode I’m going to prove it. A lot of you probably know that the first stage of my professional career was as a SCUBA instructor and commercial diver. I spent thousands of hours under the surface of the Pacific Ocean, enthralled by what my hero Jacques...

Not long ago I got a request from a young student to do an episode on the Podcast about roly polies, which happened to be this student’s favorite animal in the universe—his words. So, I did. And that kicked off a flurry of other requests, which I dutifully fulfilled. This episode is the result of a request from a junior high student who wanted to know about the field of geology. So, I started to d...

Tim Brookes is many things: accomplished author with many prestigious publishing credits to his name; woodworker; college professor and program director; and the founder of the Endangered Alphabets Project. We've all heard about languages disappearing, especially those that have no written form. Well, alphabets are also disappearing--and Tim is on a mission to save them.

It's hard to believe that over the course of 70 months--from September 2018 to this episode in June 2024--I have published 250 episode in tis crazy journey of discovery. thanks for being along for the ride--there's lots more to come!

My guest in this episode is Tom Biegalski. Tom’s a photographer and videographer, but to say that is like saying that 'Ansel Adams took snapshots.' He specializes in photographing things that can’t be seen with the naked eye, using techniques that fall into Arthur C. Clarke’s well-known quote that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. His Web site, TTBPhoto.com, is...

Remember the show, Big Bang Theory? Of course you do. Best—television show—ever. Do you remember when Sheldon Cooper and his girlfriend Amy Farrah Fowler produced their Web TV show, "Fun with Flags? “I’m Dr. Sheldon Cooper, and this is Fun with Flags.” Well, in keeping with that, I have a similarly geeky fascination with geography. So, I’m Dr. Steven Shepard, and this is Fun with Geography. I am c...

The amazing and mystifying life cycle of ants--and why they do the things they do. This is an amazing story!

A brief audio essay on the importance of wonder in all of our lives.

Have you ever dreamed about going on an expedition? And I don’t mean a walk in the deep woods—I mean, going to places most of us couldn’t find on a map, and living under some pretty rugged conditions. Well, my guest on this program has done that. In fact, he’s been on more than one expedition, to some of the roughest places on the planet. Meet Tony Baylis. Tony is an Australia-based wildlife sound...

Sometimes there are no words. In this case, I editorialize about theme I believe deserves attention: the corrosive power of disinformation and lies, and those who wield them.

Amazing what happens when art and science collide.

Episode 242 - Interview With Musician And Field Recordist Madeline Reilly by Dr. Steven Shepard

As you know, the tag line of this program is that this is the place for stories that matter. Well, this story matters more than most. Not only is it about experiencing the wonders of the African bush, it's about a young woman, sightless from birth, who taught others how to see.

What's the largest thing on earth--the blue whale? Nope, not even close. Here's a hint: it weights 233 times what a blue whale weighs.

A message from an 8th grader asked me to look into antlions. So, I did, and with lots of memories of these little critters from my own childhood, here you go!

This is an important audio essay (at least, I think it is). It’s a bit longer than my usual diet, but it will be worth your time to listen and, as Winnie-the-Pooh would say, think a little think about it. Thanks, in advance.

Described as the most resilient creatures on earth, tardigrades are funny little critters that can withstand just about any threat we toss at them--and shake it off as if nothing happened. They can be frozen, boiled, left in the vacuum of space, exposed to radiation--and nothing seems to affect them. In this episode we talk about these little critters. Enjoy!

Dudley Edmondson is a gifted nature photographer with a passion for telling nature's story through his books and images. He's also a Black Man in America, and wrestles with all that that means as someone who often feels more comfortable in the wild than he does standing in his own front yard. Listen to his story--and think about what it means.

Another track that’s mostly for the kids, this one thanks to a student request about the lowly dung beetle—a much smarter little critter than we give it credit for. Enjoy!

Imagine walking into the library because you’re interested in finding a book that will help you better understand a particular topic. You walk up to the circulation desk, tell the librarian what you’re interested in learning more about, and they say, “I’ve got just the book for you. Wait here.” So, the librarian walks into the back and returns with the book. Only in this library, the books—are peo...

In response to a query from a young student, I decided to talk about roly polies. Hey, it’s Friday—celebrate with something fun!

I love it when I discover a language all its own—typically related to a craft, or activity. Have a listen—and learn all about the jargon of the three-masted sailing ships. After doing this research, I’m astonished at the complexity of these gigantic works of art. I LOVE this stuff, and I’m not a sailor!