Best Science Moab Podcasts (2024)

1
Memory In Trees 21:53

22d ago21:53

21:53

As photosynthesis happens, trees take in carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the form of sugars or carbohydrates. These sugars can be stored for many years in trees as a sort of “memory” and used to support their growth and metabolism during times of stress, like a drought. We talk with Drew Peltier, ecophysiologist and professor at the Univ…

1
Finding Collaboration and Trust Uncovering the Past 22:59

2M ago22:59

22:59

From the perspective of an archaeologist, the physical body of an ancient person is a gift because a body is a time capsule of the past. They lived in that space and that time, and their bodies are manifestations of what was there. We talk with archaeologist Erin Baxter, teacher and Curator of Anthropology at Denver Museum of Nature and Science, ab…

1
Studying Growth Rates of the Humpback Chub 21:06

3M ago21:06

21:06

The Little Colorado River (LCR) is a culturally and spiritually significant drainage for many people in the southwest. The LCR also provides sediment load to the main stem of the Colorado River for the production of sandbars downstream AND it is an important spawning ground for and home to the largest population of Humpback Chub. We talk with Phoeb…

1
Restoration on the Range 21:20

3M ago21:20

21:20

Rangelands are vast, natural grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that support grazing and browsing mammals and they are primarily natural ecosystems with native vegetation.These rangelands can become degraded by fire or improper grazing. We talk with Kari Veblen, professor of Rangeland Ecology at Utah State University about her…

1
Working Together for River Conservation 20:45

4M ago20:45

20:45

It is well known at this point that humans are using more water out of the Colorado River, then the river can support…for humans as well as other life forms that live along and within the river. Agriculture is using approximately 80% of that water. We talk with Aaron Derwingson, Water Projects Director of the Colorado River Program for the Nature C…

1
The Space between the Mountains 20:28

4M ago20:28

20:28

Sagebrush once stretched across almost 500,000 square miles from the Dakotas to California. Each year, a million acres is lost to invasive species, catastrophic wildfire, development, improper grazing and climate change. Matt Cahill is the director of the Sagebrush Sea program for The Nature Conservancy. Matt advocates that scientific solutions and…

1
The Next Generation of Indigenous Scientists 21:00

5M ago21:00

21:00

For the past three years, the Nature Conservancy has hosted a small cohort of Indigenous college students at their Canyonlands Research Center in southeast Utah. The program, known as N.A.T.U.R.E. (Native American Tribes Upholding Restoration & Education), seeks to empower the next generation of science and conservation leaders on the Colorado Plat…

1
Beautiful and Resilient 20:17

5M ago20:17

20:17

Can the simple beauty of an organism be enough to want to restore and preserve it? If so, Aspen would be at the top of that list. So much more than a beautiful tree, a stand or group of aspen trees is considered a singular organism with the main life force underground in the extensive root system. We talk with Paul Rogers, professor and Director of…

1
Preserving the Past 18:36

6M ago18:36

18:36

Ever wonder how those amazing dinosaur bones make it from being embedded in rock to a museum where they are flawlessly displayed within a complete skeleton? Natalie Toth knows. Natalie is the Chief Preparator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and her job begins with a chainsaw in the field and ends with a fully prepared fossil display. We ta…

1
00 – Preface 6:30

6M ago6:30

6:30

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
01 – The Valley of the Colorado 21:36

6M ago21:36

21:36

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
02 – Mesas and Buttes 32:50

6M ago32:50

32:50

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
03 – Mountains and Plateaus 20:31

6M ago20:31

20:31

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
04 – Cliffs and Terraces 28:31

6M ago28:31

28:31

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
05 – From Green River City to the Flaming Gorge 17:38

6M ago17:38

17:38

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
06 – From Flaming Gorge to the Gate of Lodore 20:46

6M ago20:46

20:46

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
07 – The Canyon of Lodore 21:04

6M ago21:04

21:04

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
08 – From Echo Park to the Mouth of the Uinta 29:35

6M ago29:35

29:35

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
09 – From the Mouth of the Uinta River to the Junction of Grand and Green 25:50

6M ago25:50

25:50

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
10 – From the Junction of the Grand and Green to the Mouth of the Little Colorado 57:41

6M ago57:41

57:41

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
11 – From the Little Colorado to the Foot of the Grand Canyon 7:45

6M ago7:45

7:45

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
12 – The Rio Virgen and the Uinkaret Mountains 4:51

6M ago4:51

4:51

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
13 – Over the River 32:05

6M ago32:05

32:05

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
14 – To Zuni 16:39

6M ago16:39

16:39

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
15 – The Grand Canyon 23:34

6M ago23:34

23:34

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy John Wesley Powell

1
Unique Alpine Giants 20:28

8M ago20:28

20:28

Cirsium scopulorum, or mountain thistle, was long thought to be the only species of thistle occurring in the alpine tundra. Molecular, morphological, and geographical evidence now support the recognition of many species of thistles in the alpine tundra of the southern Rocky Mountains. We talk with Jennifer Ackerfield, the head curator of natural hi…

1
Human Noise and the Desert Bighorn 21:05

8M ago21:05

21:05

Increased visitation and recreation in the desert inevitably leads to more human-generated noise. We talk with Joel Berger, University Chair in Wildlife Conservation at Colorado State University, about how this noise may or may not be affecting the iconic desert bighorn sheep. More specifically, we discuss how the noise may lead to increased prenat…

1
Recovery After Fire 22:00

8M ago22:00

22:00

Given the increasing temperatures and aridity, the fate of pinyon-juniper woodlands on the Colorado Plateau is uncertain. We talk with Rebecca Finger-Higgens, Ecologist with the US Geological Survey, about the recovery of the pinyon-juniper woodlands in the La Sal Mountains following the Pack Creek Fire of 2021. Rebecca tackles the question of whet…

1
Sculpting a Plateau 22:25

9M ago22:25

22:25

Here in SE Utah, we are living in a geologically young, rapidly eroding landscape and we have the Colorado River to thank for sculpting such a beautiful and dynamic area. We talk with Joel Pederson, professor and Department Head of Geomorphology at Utah State University about his continuing research on incision rates of the Colorado River across th…

1
Talus Interactions 20:37

9M ago20:37

20:37

High alpine talus slopes are home to a myriad of creatures, namely mountain goats and American pikas, both specialists in alpine habitats. We talk with Mallory Sandoval Lambert, whose curiosity about the interactions between these two mammalian herbivores led her to study their behaviors in the LaSal Mountains. Understanding these interactions will…

1
The Rocks Below 21:00

10M ago21:00

21:00

Around the world, civilizations have literally been built on rock and the specific rock type of an area has definite influences on that society. Science Moab talks with wildlife and science documentary writer, Gautier Dubois, whose recent work, Top of the Rocks, will be featured at this year’s Moab Festival of Science. Each episode of this 5-part s…

1
Chasing the Eclipse 19:24

11M ago19:24

19:24

On October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. Parts of SE Utah will be in the direct path of the eclipse. We talk with Cris White, Eclipse Coordinator for the Earth to Sky Interagency Partnership, about the uniqueness of eclipses and the many scientific activities that will be happening in conjunction w…

1
Drainage Reversals on the Colorado Plateau 22:00

12M ago22:00

22:00

Sedimentologists are geologists that study rocks on the earth’s surface today in order to interpret ancient depositional environments. By studying deposits of river gravels, Andre Potochnik has been able to determine major changes in the drainages on the southern part of the Colorado Plateau. We talk with Andre about his work in Arizona on the Apac…

1
Restoring Biocrust 19:48

1y ago19:48

19:48

Drylands encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems and face significant degradation from a warming/drying climate and overuse. To combat this degradation, some restoration efforts have focused on the use of biological soil crusts (biocrusts): complex communities of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, bryophytes, and other organisms living in associat…

1
Roiling Rapids 20:26

1y ago20:26

20:26

Rivers have a magic way of healing, transforming and inspiring. From the calmest riffle to barnstorming haystacks, rivers always have rapids. This is how the river transfers energy. Monte Tillinghast grew up on rivers and has spent most of his adult years rowing the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. He knows a thing or two about rapids and has a gracio…

1
The Art and Science of Conservation 20:30

1y ago20:30

20:30

Aside from the inherent beauty of a pinon-juniper ecosystem, the health of such woodlands are tied to broader climate swings. This is the awareness that the project Sentinels hopes to bring to light. The brainchild of Todd Anderson, Bruce Crownover, and Gary Machlis, the Sentinels project uses art+science to showcase the pinon-juniper adaptation to…

1
Beaver and Healthy Riverscapes 19:57

1+ y ago19:57

19:57

While modern day river systems are highly engineered to efficiently move water, this is not necessarily a “healthy” condition. Joe Wheaton, a fluvial geomorphologist and Professor of Riverscapes at Utah State University, works to better understand the dynamics of fluvial environments and their subsequent management and restoration. We talk with Joe…

1
Reconstructing Climates of the Past 21:05

1+ y ago21:05

21:05

There has been a long history of climate transitions in the southwest and the people who have lived in this region for tens of thousands of years have dealt with this climate change through time, especially with adaptations of their food systems. We talk with Kyle Bocinsky whose specialty is paleoclimate reconstruction, and specifically, looking at…

1
Preserving Ancestral Puebloan Roads 17:29

1+ y ago17:29

17:29

A series of linear roads were built around 1000 years ago all over the four corners area, but focusing on the Chaco Canyon region. We talk with Rob Weiner – archaeologist, anthropologist, and student of religion – whose research at the University of Colorado in Boulder focuses on monumental roads that the ancestors of the Pueblo and Diné people bui…

1
Sagebrush Ecosystems of the West 20:50

1+ y ago20:50

20:50

The sagebrush ecosystem in Utah and the greater Western U.S. is actually its own biome, or biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which it is found. There is more sagebrush in the West than forest. We talk with Adam Mahood of the USDA Agricultural Research Center about his work with sagebrush ecosystems in t…

1
How Ogden native Bernard DeVoto and his wife Avis saved the West 44:23

1+ y ago44:23

44:23

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of a once very famous Utah native. Today, though, the name Bernard DeVoto may not be familiar to you. Indeed, few people inside of his native state really know the story of DeVoto and the significant role he and his wife Avis played in thwarting plans……

1
What do Lichen Like? 19:30

1+ y ago19:30

19:30

Brendan Moore was one of the first round of Grand County High School students to participate in Science Moab's School to Science program, which pairs GCHS students with scientists for mentorship opportunities in the field and the lab. In this high-level internship, Brendan received guidance on how to develop his own research question and experiment…

1
Mountain Snow to Desert Flow 20:20

1+ y ago20:20

20:20

Moab is known as a Colorado River town, but the key to its existence is the LaSal Mountains. With peaks over 12,000’, the LaSal Mountains contain the snowpack that recharges several aquifers that produce potable water for Moab. Hydrogeologist Tom Lachmar talks about the path water takes from the high peaks of the LaSals to the Colorado River. We al…

1
What is a co-op grocery store, anyway? 23:00

1+ y ago23:00

23:00

Over the past few years, you have undoubtedly seen signs that say “Salt Lake needs a food co-op” on lawns in front of houses or businesses or at the downtown farmers market. The Wasatch Cooperative Market, an enterprise that is now 13 years in the making, aims to bring a member-owned-and-operated food co-op to the……

1
Salt Lake City’s $85 million parks, trails and open space bond 23:26

1+ y ago23:26

23:26

By KCPW

1
Science on the Range 21:03

1+ y ago21:03

21:03

With a warmer and drier climate dominating the Colorado Plateau, traditional cattle ranching has its challenges. We talk with Utah State University PhD students Will Munger and Maria Stahl about their work at the Dugout Ranch in San Juan County, UT. The Criollo cattle, first brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus, are more adapted to arid…

1
Solace in the Desert 19:59

1+ y ago19:59

19:59

We talk with author, photographer, and conservationist Jonathan Bailey about his latest work, “When I Was Red Clay”. Jonathan writes about his struggles growing up and how the natural world, namely the deserts of southern Utah, provided solace. Amongst the many essays in the book, we talk about the colors of the desert, dragonflies, and preserving …

1
While Inland Port presses pause, logistics expert says there’s no market for rail hub 28:20

1+ y ago28:20

28:20

By KCPW

1
Geography of the Bears Ears 19:33

2y ago19:33

19:33

Consider making a map of land use issues across the Bears Ears National Monument. This is what Gustavo Ovando-Montejo, Assistant Professor at USU Blanding, is working on. Gustavo uses geography and social science to understand landscapes and how people interact with them.By Kristina Young

1
Learning about Lichen with BYU’s Dr. Steve Leavitt (via Science Moab) 23:01

2y ago23:01

23:01

Whether on rock or vegetation, lichen can be found all around us and play surprising and complex roles. Steve Leavitt, an evolutionary biologist at Brigham Young University, is the curator of the lichen collection at BYU’s Life Science Museum. We talk with Steve about what lichen are composed of and why we should care about……

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