About this podcast
Often we forget that we human beings are animals. Wild Connection, is where Dr. Jennifer Verdolin investigates our similarities and differences with other animals, what we can learn, and how we can reconnect, not just with ourselves and each other, but with nature to improve our lives.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 97 episodes
- When the Horses Got Sick, the City Stopped: Lee Dugatkin on the Great Epizootic of 1872 · 52 min · Season 5 Episode 11What happens when a city runs on horses and the horses get sick? Lee Dugatkin joins Wild Connection to talk about his book Nary a Horse Left Standing. It’s the story of the 1872…
- Urban Wildlife and the Cities We Build with Chris Schell · 37 min · Season 6 Episode 9Two coyote pups, closely related, born in the same city but raised in different neighborhoods can grow up with completely different behavior and survival strategies. Urban…
- Can Seals Think? Marine Mammal Cognition with Dr. Kevin Woo · 1 h 12 min · Season 6 Episode 9Marine mammal cognition researcher Dr. Kevin Woo reveals what’s actually going on inside the minds of seals and sea lions navigating the noise and traffic of New York Harbor…
- An Arrogant Ape: Human Exceptionalism, Animal Minds, and Rethinking Our Place in Nature with Dr. Christine Webb · 52 min · Season 6 Episode 8Humans like to imagine we’re special and separate from “animals,” but primatologist and author Dr. Christine Webb joins me to show how that story distorts our science, our…
- Birds on the Edge: Flight, Stress, and Social Life with Dr. Joan Strassmann · 46 min · Season 6 Episode 7In this episode, evolutionary biologist Joan Strassmann joins me to talk about her book, The Social Lives of Birds, from cliff swallows evolving shorter wings to dodge cars, to…
- Grunts, Grooming, and Goodbye: Joan Silk on the Science of Friendship · 58 min · Season 6 Episode 7Evolutionary anthropologist and primate behavioral ecologist, Joan Silk, joins me to explore what baboon social lives reveal about “true” friendship. Drawing on decades of…
- Romantic Love and Friendship with Robin Dunbar · 1 h 18 min · Season 6 Episode 5We’re told that romantic love is the most important relationship in our lives. But is this true? In this episode of Wild Connection, I sit down with evolutionary anthropologist…
- On Living a Good Life with Massimo Pigliucci · 1 h 14 min · Season 6 Episode 4Philosopher and evolutionary biologist, Massimo Pigliucci, joins Wild Connection to explore Stoicism as a practical guide for living well in an uncertain world. Through the lens…
- Life Between the Stars with Dr. Ersilia Vaudo · 46 min · Season 6 Episode 3Astrophysicist Ersilia Vaudo joins Wild Connection to explore five revolutions that transformed how we understand the universe. In a moment when scientists have detected a…
- Shelter and Storm: Finding Belonging in a Changing Landscape with Tamara Dean · 49 min · Season 6 Episode 2Author Tamara Dean joins Wild Connection to explore resilience, belonging, and the beauty of living closely with the land. From floods to fireflies, this episode reveals how…
- War, Wildlife, and the UN: Accountability and Peacekeeping with Dr. András Hárs · 56 min · Season 5 Episode 1This week on Wild Connection, Dr. Jen sits down with international law scholar Dr. András Hárs to unpack the UN’s role in peacekeeping, accountability, and the hidden…
- Fungi, Pathogens, and the Coming Pandemic with Emily Monosson · 58 min · Season 5 Episode 15Fungi sustain life but they also threaten it. Host Jennifer Verdolin talks with environmental toxicologist Emily Monosson about her book Blight. They explore fungal pathogens…
- Listening to Rivers with Robert Macfarlane · 49 min · Season 5 Episode 14What does it mean to say a river is alive? In this episode, acclaimed author Robert Macfarlane joins Wild Connection to explore rivers as living beings, the rise of nature’s…
- Sy Montgomery on Wonder, Animals and What the Chicken Knows · 53 min · Season 5 Episode 8What can animals teach us about empathy, intelligence, and connection? In this episode of Wild Connection, bestselling author Sy Montgomery shares her journey and explores what…
- From Dian Fossey to Ecoflix: Ian Redmond’s Journey to Protect the Wild · 1 h 29 min · Season 5 Episode 7Join conservationist Ian Redmond as he reflects on his early days with Dian Fossey, unforgettable moments with gorillas, and his mission to protect wildlife through Ecoflix, the…
- The Chimpanzees of Kibale with Dr. Richard Wrangham · 1 h 1 min · Season 5 Episode 6What can great apes teach us about human nature? Dr. Richard Wrangham has spent decades studying chimpanzees, aggression, and the evolutionary forces that shaped us. Tune in to…
- Whispers of the Wild with Dr. Susan B Eirich · 1 h 3 min · Season 5 Episode 5This episode features Dr. Susan B Eirich— author of Whispers from the Wild: An Invitation Stories from the Rescued Wild Animals of Earthfire institute. Susan’s work in…
- Xenophobia with George Makari · 55 min · Season 5 Episode 4What makes something—or someone—belong? It’s a question we often ask about nature. We label species as native or invasive, welcome or unwelcome, beneficial or harmful. But…
- Wild Souls with Emma Marris · 54 min · Season 5 Episode 3Author and science write Emma Marris is here to inspire you in rethinking your connection with the environment as we talk about her book, Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in…
- Having Hope with Ami Vitale · 54 min · Season 5 Episode 2Today I am lucky enough to talk to award winning photojournalist and filmmaker Ami Vitale who’s works will move you and compel you to reconsider your relationship to nature.
