Wildly Curious

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore the fascinating world of living fossils, animals that have remained largely unchanged for millions of years. From the ancient tuatara to the resilient horseshoe crab, Katy and Laura dive into the evolutionary history of these species, uncovering why they’ve thri...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole take a humorous deep dive into some of the most bizarre units of measurement you've never heard of. From the origins of "donkey power" to the peculiar notion of being "knee-high to a grasshopper," they explore how we measure things in nature and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the fascinating science behind how love affects both your brain and body. From the release of dopamine and oxytocin to changes in heart rate and blood pressure, they break down how romantic love physically alters you. Whether it’s the butterflies in your stoma...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore some of the most fascinating and extreme adaptations animals have developed to feed themselves. From woodpeckers with shock-absorbing heads to platypuses with electric-sensing bills, this episode is full of surprising facts about how animals have evolved to surv...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole challenge each other to a hilarious game of animal sound charades. Can you guess which animals they're trying to imitate? From the bugling of elk to the squeaks of bats, this mini-sode is filled with wild sounds and lots of laughs. Tune in to see who wins this voca...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-host Laura Fawks Lapole dives into the myth of the fireproof salamander. Once believed to be born from fire and capable of extinguishing flames, salamanders were long surrounded by fantastical stories. But where did these legends come from? Laura explores the real-world origins of these myths, from salamander...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), host Kim Baker unravels the mystery of one of the world’s most famous mythical creatures: the unicorn. Did early explorers mistake rhinos for these majestic creatures, or was it all just fantasy? From ancient China to medieval Europe, Kim traces the fascinating history of the unicorn, exploring how this symbol o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), host Kim Baker explores the terrifying legend of the Kraken, the sea monster said to pull entire ships beneath the waves. Was the Kraken just a sailor’s tall tale, or could it have been inspired by real creatures from the ocean depths? Kim dives into the history of the Kraken myth, from its Scandinavian roots to...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), host Kim Baker explores the fascinating history of the griffin, the mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. Was this legendary beast inspired by real-world fossils, or is it purely a product of ancient imagination? Kim delves into theories that range from ancient fossils of beaked din...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), host Kim Baker takes a deep dive into the origins of the Hydra, the multi-headed beast from Greek mythology. Was the terrifying Hydra just a figment of ancient imaginations, or could it have been inspired by real-world creatures? From sea monsters and two-headed snakes to the tiny freshwater hydra, Kim explores...

Send us Fan Mail In this season finale of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-host Laura Fawks Lapole reflects on why nature is such an integral part of her life, from the calming power of the outdoors to the sense of wonder it instills. Joined by the voices of kids from around the country, this episode explores the many reasons why people, young and old, love nature. Whether it’...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore the fascinating ways that mathematics shapes the natural world. From the perfect spirals of nautilus shells to the fractal patterns found in trees and rivers, they dive into how simple mathematical principles underpin the complex beauty of nature. Whether you&ap...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-host Laura Fawks Lapole takes a trip down memory lane, sharing the story of her friendship with Katy Reiss and how it led to the creation of the podcast. From their first meeting at Malone University to working together at the Little Rock Zoo, Laura recounts the hilarious moments, inside jokes, and shared exp...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the world of fermentation and how this ancient process has shaped some of our favorite foods and drinks. From the science behind how yeast and bacteria transform simple ingredients to the history of fermentation in different cultures, they explore everything f...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole are joined by Dr. Sarah McAnulty, a squid biologist and the founder of Skype a Scientist. Sarah shares her journey into the world of squid biology, her passion for science communication, and the quirky ways she's making science accessible to everyone. From squid fa...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole reimagine some of our favorite fairy tales through the lens of science. From Jack and the Beanstalk to Little Red Riding Hood, they take a closer look at what would really happen if these stories followed the laws of nature. Would a beanstalk really hold a person? Could...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore the fascinating and often terrifying world of viruses. Although technically non-living, viruses play a significant role in shaping life on Earth. Katy and Laura break down how viruses operate, the science behind their structure, and how they impact both humans a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole delve into weather folklore, breaking down popular myths like “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight” and the lore surrounding woolly bears. They explore whether these sayings hold any scientific truth or if they’re simply tales passed down through generations. From predic...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-host Laura Fawks Lapole is joined by special guests Caitlin and John Michael Bird to discuss the importance of sustainable agriculture. From composting and soil regeneration to rotational grazing and the use of heritage livestock, Caitlin and John Michael share their experiences working on farms that prioriti...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the science behind the stunning colors of fall. Learn how the combination of sunlight, temperature, and chemical processes transform leaves into a brilliant array of reds, oranges, and yellows. From the role of chlorophyll to the environmental factors that aff...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore the fascinating world of mosses and ferns. While often considered primitive, these seedless plants are anything but boring. From the mosses' incredible water-retention abilities to the ferns' prehistoric origins, learn how these plants have evolved ove...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), co-hosts Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the hilarious and fascinating world of animal adaptations, imagining what life would be like if humans had evolved to develop them. From shooting blood out of our eyes like the Texas horned lizard to creating pearls from dirt like oysters, they explore the wil...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), Kim Baker shares her personal journey of overcoming a fear of spiders, turning what was once a source of dread into a fascination with these many-legged creatures. From backyard orb weavers to the impressive dark fishing spider, learn about the surprising behaviors and roles that spiders play in our ecosystems....

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), Kim Baker takes us through the fascinating world of trees, with a focus on the versatile and beloved maple. From childhood memories of climbing trees to the wonders of maple syrup, Kim explores how these towering giants impact our daily lives. Learn about the history, uses, and cultural significance of maples, a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Wildly Curious (formerly For the Love of Nature ), Kim Baker shares her love-hate relationship with wildflowers and how the resilient coneflower won her over. From the prairies of Arkansas to her backyard rain garden, discover the fascinating history and medicinal uses of echinacea, a plant beloved by pollinators and people alike. Tune in to learn more about how...