The Poetry of Science

This episode explores new research, which has found that bird diversity is threatened by urbanisation. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘There Are Birds Here’ by Jamaal May here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingworth@gmail.com    T...

This episode explores new research, which has found that the flight performance of bees is affected by temperature. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Bees were Better’ by Naomi Shihab Nye here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingworth...

This episode explores new research, which has used machine learning to understand why extreme precipitation in the Midwestern United States is becoming more frequent. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .    Read the scientific study that inspired it here .      Read ‘Postscript from Mississippi’ by Rebecca Morgan Frank here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and...

This episode explores new research, which has found that the rise and fall of sea levels influence the likelihood of volcanic eruptions. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .   Read the scientific study that inspired it here .     Read ‘Santorini’ by George Seferis here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email...

This episode explores new research, which has found that trees in Colorado subalpine forests are dying at increasing rates from warmer and drier summer conditions. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here .    Read ‘Spruces’ by Wilbert Snow here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments fo...

This episode explores new research, which has found that snakes can be used to potentially reveal radiation levels in the soil around Fukushima. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘Snake’ by Katie Peterson here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email...

This episode explores new research, which has developed a novel forensic tool for detecting the illegal trading of critically endangered cockatoos. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘The Cockatoo’ by Cid Corman here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:...

This episode explores new research, which has found that poachers have killed a third of Wisconsin wolves since they were removed from the Endangered Species List in late 2020.   --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘A Wolf’ by Jorge Luis Borges here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questi...

This episode explores new research, which has found that wildfire changes songbird plumage and testosterone. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Baby Wren’s Voices’ by Thomas R. Smith here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingworth@gmail...

This episode explores new research, which has found that painted lady butterflies achieve the longest known insect migration from the Sahara Desert to Europe. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here .     Read ‘Painted Lady’ by Margaret Danner here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comment...

This episode explores new research, which has used millimetre-sized computers to reveal how one species of Pacific Island land snail has used the sun to escape extinction. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here .     Read ‘Snail’ by Langston Hughes here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or c...

This episode explores new research, which has successfully revived tiny 24,000-year-old microorganisms buried under Siberian permafrost. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .   Read the scientific study that inspired it here .    Read ‘The Librarian Decides on Cryonics’ by Judith Skillman here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comment...

This episode explores new research, which has found that Californian wildfire smoke reached Europe in 2020, causing a strong cloudiness of the sun. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .   Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘The Smoke of Distant Fires’ by Eduardo Chirinos here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or com...

This episode explores new research, which has nitrogen has turned sargassum (i.e. brown seaweed) into the world's largest harmful algal bloom. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Seaweeds’ by Sandra Mcpherson here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Emai...

This episode explores new research, which has found that Greenland is becoming darker and warmer. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘You Could Never Take A Car to Greenland’ by Maggie Smith here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingwort...

This episode explores new research, which has found that lichen may take up to a century to fully recover from wildfire. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Springtime in the Rockies, Lichen’ by Lew Welch here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: ...

This episode explores new research, which re-considers what is happening to plastic waste in marine and sedimentary environments. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Deep Sea’ by Axton Clark here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingwort...

This episode explores new research, which has found that sponges leave trails on the sea floor in the Arctic deep sea. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘The Sponge’ by Joshua Mehigan here .   --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingworth@gm...

This episode explores new research, which has found that a 4,000-year-old carved stone slab is Europe’s oldest known map. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Map’ by Biswamit Dwibedy here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingworth@gmail....

This episode explores new research, which has found that road salts and other human sources are threatening the world's freshwater supplies. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Salt to Make a Sea’ by Renée Ashley here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast:...

This episode explores new research, which has found that sea level rise is killing trees along the Atlantic Coast, creating ‘ghost forests’ that are visible from space. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Another Grieving Forest’ by Alfred Kreymborg here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any qu...

This episode explores new research, which has found that sperm whales shared behaviours to outmanoeuvre 19th-century human hunters. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Invitation’ by Aimee Nezhukumatathil here .   --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:...

This episode explores new research, which has found that sperm whales shared behaviours to outmanoeuvre 19th-century human hunters. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Whaler’ by W. S. Merwin here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingwor...

This episode explores new research, which has discovered plants buried deep beneath the ground, indicating that Greenland was once ice-free. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Over Greenland’ by Peter Campion here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Ema...

This episode explores new research, which has discovered sea slugs that can decapitate themselves and regrow their entire bodies. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Autotomy’ by Wisława Szymborska here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.ill...