Best PBS Nature Podcasts (2024)

1
Is Water Alive? 41:22

9M ago41:22

41:22

As a climate solutions advocate, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is often asked “What are some small things people can do to reduce climate change that don’t require sacrifices?” But the truth is electric cars and solar panels won’t be enough. Climate success will require us to change our relationship with the natural world. We must not view nature as …

1
The Untold Story of California's Mighty Predator 47:00

10M ago47:00

47:00

In a city that loves celebrities, one mountain lion became the mascot for conservation efforts that eventually led to the creation of California’s first wildlife corridor. But one wildlife corridor, even if it’s the largest in the world, isn’t enough. Some populations of mountain lions in Southern California are struggling to survive — threatened b…

1
Meet "The Manatee Man" 44:19

10M ago44:19

44:19

In 2016, Hurricane Earl devastated Belize, causing over $100 million worth of damage and displacing thousands of Belizeans across the country. But humans were not the only victims of the storm. Deep in the mangroves, an infant manatee was separated from her mother and washed onto the mainland. She was so tiny when Jamal Galves found her, with her u…

1
Fight And Flight: Christian Cooper's Story 40:09

10M ago40:09

40:09

Long before the infamous Central Park incident went viral (where a white woman called the cops on him during a birdwatching outing), Christian Cooper had been obsessed with birds. It was a love nurtured through his involvement in The Audubon Society, an environmental organization dedicated to bird conservation. But recently, Christian’s dedication …

1
Is This the Bug to End All Bees? 52:02

10M ago52:02

52:02

When Samuel Ramsey was a child, he was afraid of bugs. But a trip to the library with his mother changed everything and led him to become a bee entomologist. He grew up gay in a non-affirming religious community, he was the only Black entomologist in his Doctoral program, and today he’s both a Christian AND a scientist in a world that often asks hi…

1
The Invisible Organism That’s Saving the Planet 37:12

11M ago37:12

37:12

In a remote part of the Amazon rainforest in Peru, there’s a river with water so hot, it actually boils. In fact, it's so extreme and so remote that for a long time people thought the river was a myth. Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza risked life and limb journeying to this boiling river, called Shanay-Timpishka or La Bomba, to explore some of the smalles…

1
Season 3 is Here! 1:40

11M ago1:40

1:40

Welcome back to Going Wild, a podcast about the human drama behind saving animals. This season, on top of stories about animals, we’re going to take a journey through the entire ecological web — from the tiniest of life forms to apex predators. We’ll be guided by one central question: How can we, humans, look at our relationship to nature different…

1
255: The Two-Episode Test 46:20

1y ago46:20

46:20

This reunion is crossposted from Downstream episode 43. Tim Goodman drops by to discuss his decision to be a TV writer at the very end of the Peak TV era, the challenges of TV criticism, and his return to writing about TV on his own terms via his Substack. Tim Goodman and Jason SnellBy The Incomparable

1
Black Women in Cinema: From "The Class of 1989" 30:16

1y ago30:16

30:16

Hi everyone! We’re still a little ways away from the next season of Going Wild, but today we're sharing an episode of a great new podcast called The Class of 1989. In this episode, Len and Vincent talk about the representation of Black women in the films of 1989 — and how Black women directors would help transform the film world throughout the 1990…

1
Women Who Travel Podcast: Hiking Patagonia, Life in ‘Cold Hawaii,’ and More 29:39

1+ y ago29:39

29:39

It's been a challenging couple of years during the pandemic but we are starting to travel again. Host Lale Arikoglu determines that she needs to challenge herself and goes hiking in Chilean Patagonia in a misty, rainy, and isolated landscape. Closer to home she’s trying to stay upright on a surfboard at New York’s Rockaway beach even though she’s s…

1
What Is the Most Successful Species on Earth? From NHPR: Outside/In 31:28

1+ y ago31:28

31:28

This week we're sharing a riveting episode from NHPR's show, Outside/In. Take a listen and let us know what you think! A debate about evolutionary “success.” Who should wear the crown of GSOAT (greatest species of all time), and are humans even in the running? Humans have had an impressive run thus far; we’ve explored most of the planet (the parts …

1
Together For Conservation: WCS Wild Audio Season 2 Premiere 9:09

1+ y ago9:09

9:09

This week, we're sharing an episode from our friends at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Take a listen and let us know what you think! Their second season launches in conversation with Mariana Varese, the Peru-based director of WCS’s Amazon Landscapes Program. Mariana describes a new initiative, “Together for Conservation,” that seeks to conserve…

1
Highs, Lows and Lowland Gorillas 38:38

1+ y ago38:38

38:38

*Content warning: this episode briefly mentions the topic of suicide.* From the kitchen floor to the remote jungles of the Congo, Rae grapples with divorce and single-motherhood on an international trip to study lowland gorillas. For the last episode of season 2, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant talks about a career-changing opportunity to track down one of the …

1
A Chicken Saved My Life 27:10

1+ y ago27:10

27:10

Ornithologist (bird scientist), poet, and author Drew Lanham was recently awarded the Macarthur Genius Grant—$800,000 with no strings attached. But despite his deep love for birds he almost never studied the creatures at all. As a young man, he won a full-ride scholarship to any school he wanted, only this award did have strings attached. Drew woul…

1
The Lizard Lassoer 36:03

1+ y ago36:03

36:03

*Content warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence that might be disturbing to some listeners.* Herpetologists do a lot of unique things while studying lizards—cut their toes, pump their stomachs, and capture them by lassoing their necks. That one small word, “lasso,'' wasn't always the word used in the discipline. Herpetologist Earyn…

1
It's a Shark-Eat-Shark World 34:03

1+ y ago34:03

34:03

Jasmin Graham loves sharks. I mean, really loves sharks. And she always dreamed of becoming a university professor to encourage other people of color interested in shark science. But then, something happened to Jasmin in grad school that caused her to give up her dream. So what does she do when she realizes she has nothing left to lose? Listen to m…

1
Death in the Animal (Caretaker) Kingdom 36:55

2y ago36:55

36:55

*Content warning: this conversation contains mentions of animal injuries, death, and the topic of suicide.* Veterinarians deal with death so frequently that they have some of the highest suicide rates of any occupation. Dr. Hollis Stewart has worked with many animals – from domesticated pets in New York City and Fez, Morocco, to wild animals in the…

1
A Coyote Walks Into a Quiznos... 34:33

2y ago34:33

34:33

Why are coyotes showing up all over the place? Spoiler alert: evolution can work fast. If you live in the United States, chances are you’ve seen a coyote in the wilderness, or in more unexpected places like on a train, in your backyard, or even in a sandwich shop. But coyotes haven’t always been so bold. Back in the 1900s, coyotes were more like wo…

1
Hyena Is A Swear Word... in Kenya 41:37

2y ago41:37

41:37

Hyenas might be the most misunderstood animal – Are they dogs? Big cats? Evil, trouble-making sidekicks? (Thanks, Lion King!) Dr. Christine Wilkinson relates to this ambiguous perception as a bi-racial woman, especially one working in the fields of science and conservation. She couldn’t wait to go to Kenya to study hyenas, but once there, she was l…

1
Tracking Jaguars With A Toddler 34:25

2y ago34:25

34:25

What do you do when you get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study Jaguars in the Panama rainforest but you can’t find childcare? Bring your kid along! In the first episode of season 2 of Going Wild, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant tells of an expedition searching for an elusive creature in the rainforest with her toddler in tow, but not everything goes as p…

1
Season 2 Trailer: Going Wild 1:29

2y ago1:29

1:29

This season, you'll hear from wildlife scientists who are doing all kinds of amazing work like studying hyenas in Kenya or working with coyotes in California, and even tracking sharks in Florida. And just like me, they run into all kinds of drama in their work. The animals they study are great, but who they are as people and how that affects their …

1
What Happened To The Neandertals? 17:16

2y ago17:16

17:16

Studies have found Neandertal DNA in people living in - and descended from - populations in Europe, Asia, and, most recently, Africa. So, in a way, these ancient relatives of ours are somehow both here and gone. We know we shared the planet with them in the not-so-distant past… But what happened to them? Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time is produced by …

1
Who Were The Denisovans? 20:44

2y ago20:44

20:44

The Denisovans are a human relative discovered just over a decade ago. The DNA from the very small number of fossils found suggest they were around as long as the Neanderthals. Yet anthropologists have gathered way more evidence for Neanderthals. Where are the Denisovans hiding? Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time is produced by Complexly for PBS. © 2022 …

1
What Did The Past Sound Like? 17:13

2y ago17:13

17:13

How do we start to reconstruct the soundscapes of the past? Using modern environments, living representatives of ancient groups, and fossil anatomy, paleontologists have attempted to figure out what the past sounded like. And so far we’ve found the lead singers change, but the backup singers remain familiar. Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time is produced…

1
The Lost Human Fossils of World War II 18:11

2y ago18:11

18:11

Between 1927 and 1937, paleontologists excavated fossils from about 40 members of the species that today we call Homo erectus from a site in China known as Dragon Bone Hill. And then World War II broke out and the fossils were lost. In this episode, we trace their path as far as the historical record will take us and explore what might’ve happened …

1
Why Do We Care About What Happened Millions Of Years Ago? (Mailbag Episode with Hank Green) 40:03

2y ago40:03

40:03

Former host of Eons and our current boss Hank Green joins Kallie, Michelle, and Blake for a Q&A episode where we discuss everything from why all this matters to what specifically did sauropods taste like? Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time is produced by Complexly for PBS. © 2022 PBS. All rights reserved.By PBS

1
The Strange Graveyard At The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry 19:05

2y ago19:05

19:05

There's something strange about the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. The fossils found there date back to the Late Jurassic Period and one species accounts for roughly two-thirds of all the bones: Allosaurus fragilis. But what killed all these big predators? Was the site itself a deadly trap, like the La Brea Tar Pits? Or was it a poisoned spring? …

1
The Extinct Human Species Discovered Deep Within A Cave System 22:21

2y ago22:21

22:21

Deep in the Rising Star Cave system lies a mystery of paleoanthropology: a chamber filled with the bones of Homo naledi. How this species evolved, how it’s related to us and other human relatives, and how it got so deep in the caves are among the many open questions researchers are trying to answer, and what they’re starting to uncover might mean c…

1
What Was The First Dinosaur? 18:57

2+ y ago18:57

18:57

Exactly where and when dinosaurs first evolved are still open questions in paleontology; it’s hard to even say what the first dinosaur was. In this episode, we dig into the evidence for dinosaur origins in the Triassic Period (between 252 and 201 million years ago) and try to understand the world they lived in. Being able to point to the first dino…

1
254: The Spoon and the Tunnel 1:07:43

2+ y ago1:07:43

1:07:43

“Counterpart” revisited, CNN+ as seen through the lens of an escaping prisoner, Apple TV+’s surprise success, the mess that is the current streaming landscape, and Tim shares a book idea with substack readers. Plus, letters from listeners! Tim Goodman and Jason Snell Show Notes & Links Tim's Substack Justin Marks on "Counterpart" season 3 (which ne…

1
The Case of the Most Famous Fake Human Fossil 19:22

2+ y ago19:22

19:22

This episode is a mystery in the most classic literary sense of the word. It’s a whodunit detective story that spans more than a century - the saga of the Piltdown Man Hoax. From a gravel pit in Sussex, we follow the faked fossils through history, to what’s now the Natural History Museum in London, where scientists are using new technologies to try…

1
The Only Human In The La Brea Tar Pits 16:52

2+ y ago16:52

16:52

While the famous La Brea Tar Pits are well-known for charismatic Ice Age megafauna, like sabertooth cats and dire wolves, a lesser-known discovery from the Pits is the partial skeleton of a human woman. In this episode, we walk through what the Tar Pits can tell us about the ecosystem of Los Angeles over the last 50,000 years and why La Brea Woman …

1
Introducing Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time 0:47

2+ y ago0:47

0:47

Dig into the past and explore the greatest mysteries of natural history with the team behind the hit YouTube series PBS Eons. From the dawn of the dinosaurs to downtown Los Angeles, we’re covering what we know — and what we still don’t know — about the history of life on Earth. Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time is produced by Complexly for PBS. © 2022 P…

1
253: If Tim Falls in the Forest... 50:22

2+ y ago50:22

50:22

“Station Eleven,” “The Afterparty,” Stephen Colbert, TV marriages, “The A Word,” and the moment when Tim’s partner said, “Yeah, I’m never gonna watch that.” Plus: your letters! Tim Goodman and Jason SnellBy The Incomparable

1
252: The PBS Ping-Pong 1:10:26

2+ y ago1:10:26

1:10:26

Tim finds “Utopia”—twice. Jason gets confused by “NCIS: Hawaii.” We ponder series hiding away on services like STARZ and EPIX. It’s Peacock’s time to shine (not just the Olympics, but “Vigil”!). PBS, please take my money. Tim bounces off of “Raised By Wolves.” And at the end of the episode The Box Set takes on episode one of “Station Eleven” and ep…

1
251: Tim's Back! On Substack! 1:03:36

2+ y ago1:03:36

1:03:36

It’s been 612 pandemic-fueled days. But we’ve taken the tarp off the TV Talk Machine, replaced a few parts, and are ready to kick it into gear. Tim spent the last two years writing TV scripts! He’s going to keep doing that, and write a book, and also has launched a newsletter on Substack so he can write about television again. And… did we mention t…

1
Black. Female. Scientist. 35:14

2+ y ago35:14

35:14

Breaking glass ceilings, breaking down barriers, breaking molds: it’s exhilarating. And exhausting. This episode is about what it’s really, truly like to be a Black, female scientist in America. Since this is the last episode of the season. I want to say, thanks to you. Hosting the show and sharing my stories has been an incredible experience and q…

1
Encore: Not Your Average Field Trip: Meet Rae 28:31

2+ y ago28:31

28:31

If you’re new to “Going Wild”, welcome. You’ve found us at the perfect time. Right now, we’re rebroadcasting the very first episode of the season. It’s all about how I went from an asthmatic teenager, who had never even been on a hike, to the person I am today: a scientist who studies wild animals and practically lives outdoors. I want to give you …

1
Misunderstandings with The Maasai: Part Two 30:47

2+ y ago30:47

30:47

When I was living in Kenya, I learned a lot about animals and conservation, and I also learned about people and culture, sometimes through my own horribly embarrassing mistakes. I told you about one of those moments last week. This week I'm bringing you another story. If you want to go back and listen to part one, it's here: https://www.pbs.org/wne…

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