Outside/In
- Épisodes
- 415
- Parution
- hebdomadaire
- Dernier épisode
- 21 Oct 2026
À propos du podcast
Outside/In: Where curiosity and the natural world collide. Look around, and you’ll find everything is connected to the natural world. At Outside/In, we explore that idea with boundless curiosity. We report from disaster zones, pickleball courts, and dog sled kennels, and talk about policy, pop culture, science, and everything in between. From the backcountry to your backyard, we tell stories that expand the boundaries of environmental journalism. Outside/In is a production of NHPR. Learn more at outsideinradio.org
Épisodes 415
Why these food safety experts will eat rare steak, but not buffet fruit salad
Can you eat a tuna sandwich if it sits in your backpack all day? Is ceviche risky? And, after Hot Cyclospora Summer, are we allowed to eat lettuce yet? We brought your food safety questions to Don Schaffner and …
Notes de l’épisode
Can you eat a tuna sandwich if it sits in your backpack all day? Is ceviche risky? And, after Hot Cyclospora Summer, are we allowed to eat lettuce yet?
We brought your food safety questions to Don Schaffner and Ben Chapman, scientists and hosts of the podcast Risky or Not?, and they delivered.
Plus, we ask them what they put on their plates — or better yet, what they avoid — and, in a time of big cuts and recalls, if the US food safety system is getting less safe.
Featuring Don Schaffner and Ben Chapman.
Produced by Justine Paradis and Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. Episode art adapted from photo by arbyreed on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
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Introducing Heavyweight
Have you ever had something from your past that you just couldn't let go of? A friendship that suddenly ended, a question you never asked, or simply a moment where you've always wondered what really happened? …
Notes de l’épisode
Have you ever had something from your past that you just couldn't let go of? A friendship that suddenly ended, a question you never asked, or simply a moment where you've always wondered what really happened? Heavyweight is a podcast that takes those unresolved moments and does something most of us only imagine doing: it goes back and tries to resolve them. I hope you adore it as much as I do!The secret origins of commercial coyote urine
Last spring, a curious listener called with an unusual question about coyote urine. Is it – as advertised by companies who sell it – an effective, all natural pest deterrent? And more importantly: “Who are the …
Notes de l’épisode
Last spring, a curious listener called with an unusual question about coyote urine. Is it – as advertised by companies who sell it – an effective, all natural pest deterrent? And more importantly: “Who are the coyotes that are providing this urine?”
Since then, producer Taylor Quimby has been trying to find out… and with literal gallons of the stuff available online, he discovered the answers aren’t pretty.
Today on Outside/In, we peek inside the unregulated Pandora’s box of urine farming. Does it work? Is it ethical? And is anybody willing to actually talk about it?
Featuring Jeannie Bartlett, Caroline Long, Ed Brookmyer, Laura Koivula.
This episode was first published in August 2025.
Produced by Taylor Quimby. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
CONNECT WITH US
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email [email protected]. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
This 1998 study assessed coyote urine as a deterrent for deer, and found (with some caveats) a 15-24% reduction in deer browsing after exposure to the urine.
However, coyote urine had no measurable effect on the deer browsing of yew saplings in this more recent study.
Websites for some coyote urine brands, like PredatorPee.com and Shake-away animal repellents, claim that they source urine from regulated farms that treat animals humanely, but did not provide more information when asked.
This article from Cleveland.com details the conditions at The Grand River Fur Exchange, a fur and urine farm where hundreds of animals were found in poor condition after the owner’s death.
Since we reported this story, Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill in response to what was discovered at the Grand River Fur Exchange. If passed, the bill would require much stricter oversight for commercial breeding facilities in the state.
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The deer sharpshooters of Maui
Maui has a problem: too many deer, not enough hunters. So on a dark, humid night, Nate joined a group of elite hunters as they endeavor to turn an ecological nightmare into a source of profitable, high-protein …
Notes de l’épisode
Maui has a problem: too many deer, not enough hunters. So on a dark, humid night, Nate joined a group of elite hunters as they endeavor to turn an ecological nightmare into a source of profitable, high-protein venison.
Over the course of a few hours, he watches the employees of Maui Nui Venison methodically shoot dozens of deer, collect their carcasses, and speed them to a mobile slaughterhouse for processing – all under the watchful eyes of the USDA.
Can you bring the efficiency of the slaughterhouse to the natural world? And is commercial hunting a solution for America’s over-abundance of deer?
Featuring Keahi Camara, Erin Yamauchi, Jake Muise, Yasmin Tayag and Jay Marcoullier
Produced by Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org
CONNECT WITH US
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email [email protected]. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
Read Yasmin Tayag’s argument that Americans must start eating more deer.
A University of Wisconsin professor outlined how commercial hunting would work in the U.S. in a 2011 paper.
Check out photos and videos of my trip with Maui Nui venison at our Patreon.
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Decoding nature's symphony
In 1985, electronic music pioneer Bernie Krause was asked to step in to help save a stranded humpback whale. Krause was known back then for being an evangelist of Moog synthesizers, not a whale whisperer. But …
Notes de l’épisode
In 1985, electronic music pioneer Bernie Krause was asked to step in to help save a stranded humpback whale. Krause was known back then for being an evangelist of Moog synthesizers, not a whale whisperer. But from that moment he would go on to become a foundational scientist in the new field of ecoacoustics, or soundscape ecology.
In this episode producer Patrick McNameeKing talks to three scientists from the growing field of ecoacoustics. From saving Humphrey the humpback whale, to eavesdropping on frogs, they share what ecoacoustics tells us about the biodiversity of our world, and why they still have hope.
Featuring Bernie Krause, Brian Pijanowski, and Ximena Bernal.
Produced by Patrick McNameeKing. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
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A dry river runs through it
Albuquerque and the Rio Grande go hand in hand. The river cuts right through town, which means if you leave your office at closing time, you could have your feet in the water before 6. But, not this past …
Notes de l’épisode
Albuquerque and the Rio Grande go hand in hand. The river cuts right through town, which means if you leave your office at closing time, you could have your feet in the water before 6.
But, not this past summer. This August, along the river’s middle section, more than a hundred miles ran dry. What scientists have warned about for decades – the gradual aridification of the desert Southwest – finally arrived in Albuquerque.
So, what was it like for the people who flocked to the river daily? Our producer Marina Henke went to Albuquerque to hear from them directly.
Featuring Laura Paskus, David Gutzler, Matt Springer, Kim Eichorst and Alida Davila.
Produced by Marina Henke. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org
CONNECT WITH US
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email [email protected]. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
Laura Paskus wrote a whole book about climate change in New Mexico. It’s called At the Precipice. You can also find her work on Substack.
You can find out more about the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP) here.
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Foiled! Napoleon's cutlery and the Aluminati
You might associate it with the foil that wraps leftover pizza and the shiny craft beer cans sold in breweries, but aluminum is literally everywhere. Scoop up a handful of soil or gravel anywhere on Earth and …
Notes de l’épisode
You might associate it with the foil that wraps leftover pizza and the shiny craft beer cans sold in breweries, but aluminum is literally everywhere. Scoop up a handful of soil or gravel anywhere on Earth and you’ll find atoms of bonded aluminum hidden inside.
But even before it was used in everything from airplanes to deodorant, the trade of aluminum minerals helped color the world, finance the Vatican, and led to the mass collection of human urine.
In this installment of “The Element of Surprise” — a series all about the hidden histories behind the periodic table’s most unassuming atoms, isotopes, and molecules — we’re talking about aluminum.
This episode was first published in 2024.
Featuring Saleem Ali.
Produced by Taylor Quimby. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org
CONNECT WITH US
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email [email protected]. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
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Did #savethebees get it wrong?
Noah Wilson-Rich has made it his mission to save the bees — from colony collapse disorder, loss of habitat, and disease. He’s doing this not just as a scientist, but also as an entrepreneur. But is that a good …
Notes de l’épisode
Noah Wilson-Rich has made it his mission to save the bees — from colony collapse disorder, loss of habitat, and disease. He’s doing this not just as a scientist, but also as an entrepreneur.
But is that a good thing?
And what happens when you think you know the answer to a solution, only to realize that you got it wrong? “The ‘save the bees’ movement is canceled,” he says. But what should we do in its place?
Featuring Noah Wilson-Rich, and Lauren Ponisio.
Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
Cover image credit: Corner Shop Communications for The Biodiversity Lab.
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Cosmic earthquake pizza
When an Outside/In listener asked the team to weigh in on a debate between him and his wife, perhaps we should have hesitated. But it was too good to resist. “We have eighteen-year old twin boys, and sometimes …
Notes de l’épisode
When an Outside/In listener asked the team to weigh in on a debate between him and his wife, perhaps we should have hesitated. But it was too good to resist.
“We have eighteen-year old twin boys, and sometimes they leave pizza out on the counter. She's convinced it's bad for your health — and I don't think so! Is pizza left overnight on the counter bad for you?” Anthony asked.
For some members of the team, the answer was vindicating. For others, it was unmooring.
Beyond settling this marital debate, in this Outside/Inbox roundup, the team offers our insights on animal perception of earthquakes, the apple supply chain, and finally answers a personal question that a surprising number of you have posed.
Featuring Don Schaffner, Martin Wikelski, and Thiago Campbell. Thanks to Anthony, Carolyn, Mande, and Charles for their questions.
We want your questions on food safety! You might hear them on the show. Send them to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 1-844-GO-OTTER.
For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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Scientists spoke up against a de-extinction company. Then the smears began.
When evolutionary biologist Vincent Lynch heard the news that a $10 billion biotech company had brought the once extinct dire wolf back to life, he called foul. He took to the media to argue that these …
Notes de l’épisode
When evolutionary biologist Vincent Lynch heard the news that a $10 billion biotech company had brought the once extinct dire wolf back to life, he called foul. He took to the media to argue that these overhyped headlines threatened public trust in science.
And that's when things started to get weird.
In a story that feels like it came right out of Jurassic Park, we look into the murky world of "dark PR" and discover what happens when the principle of scientific discourse challenges the power of corporate science.
Featuring Howard Wolinsky, Vincent Lynch and Nic Rawlence
Produced by Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
You can read Howard’s entire investigation over at EMBO Reports.
Check out this example of one of the critical stories about Vincent.
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City Summer, Country Summer
Growing up, Kiese Laymon thought of himself as a city kid. But he spent his childhood with a foot in two worlds: his mom’s house in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi and his grandma’s house in a rural …
Notes de l’épisode
Growing up, Kiese Laymon thought of himself as a city kid. But he spent his childhood with a foot in two worlds: his mom’s house in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi and his grandma’s house in a rural country town.
It wasn’t until Kiese left Mississippi that he came to understand that this question of city versus country actually meant a lot more. It carries a lot of baggage: the tensions between north and south, tectonic historical forces, and the contradictions of life in Mississippi.
In this episode, originally published in 2025, our producer Justine Paradis sits down with writer Kiese Laymon for a conversation on this question of country versus city, what that has to do with the history of Black life in this country, and the story of Kiese’s first children’s picture book, his latest in a lifelong exploration of a complicated love of Mississippi.
Featuring Kiese Laymon.
Produced by Justine Paradis. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
Kiese Laymon’s first children’s book, City Summer, Country Summer.
If you’d like to read more by Kiese, we recommend “Da Art of Storytellin’ (A Prequel)”, his essay about Outkast, his grandmother, and stank. (Oxford American)
Kiese adapted City Summer, Country Summer from this 2020 prose-poem essay. (New York Times)
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If climate change were a choose-your-own-adventure story
Dean Russell had just wrapped several reporting projects on climate change, mental health, and COVID. “My world was just so serious,” he said. That’s when his boss approached Dean with an idea. What if they …
Notes de l’épisode
Dean Russell had just wrapped several reporting projects on climate change, mental health, and COVID. “My world was just so serious,” he said. That’s when his boss approached Dean with an idea. What if they made a fiction podcast about climate change?
At first Dean wasn’t sold, but a few years later he’s become a full believer, and is the co-creator of WBUR’s The Midnight Rebellion, a choose-your-own-adventure podcast set in a futuristic climate-ravaged Boston.
This week we’re sharing the first episode of the series. But we also hear from Dean directly about what it was like to tackle such a different kind of storytelling and why he thinks embracing a format borrowed from a hit book-genre of the nineties is so apt for exploring climate action.
Featuring Dean Russell, and the cast of The Midnight Rebellion.
To hear the rest of the series, subscribe to The Midnight Rebellion wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview portion produced by Taylor Quimby. The Midnight Rebellion is produced by Dean Russell. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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The Willy Wonka factory of product testing
Producer Felix Poon goes on a field trip to the headquarters of Consumer Reports, where they test snow blowers on wet sawdust, drop bicycle helmets on anvils, and cover space heaters in towels to see how long …
Notes de l’épisode
Producer Felix Poon goes on a field trip to the headquarters of Consumer Reports, where they test snow blowers on wet sawdust, drop bicycle helmets on anvils, and cover space heaters in towels to see how long it takes them to catch fire.
How do they come up with this stuff? And, in a world of rampant consumerism, can Consumer Reports really be a force for good?
Featuring Barrie Rosen, Paul Hope, Chris Regan, Scott Collum, Matt Schimmenti, Indu Sunkara, Paolo Fu, Sana Mujahid, Joan Muratore, and Phil Radford.
Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
In Consumer Reports’ very first issue were investigations into the difference between Grade A versus Grade B milk (there was none) and the practice of “slack-fill,” when cereal companies put more air than cereal in their cereal boxes.
Learn more about some of the topics referenced throughout the episode:
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Fiasco al fresco
At the height of summer, when so many of us are grabbing picnic blankets, hitting the beach, and embracing an al fresco lifestyle, a tale of two outdoor events gone spectacularly wrong. Featuring Anika Krause …
Notes de l’épisode
At the height of summer, when so many of us are grabbing picnic blankets, hitting the beach, and embracing an al fresco lifestyle, a tale of two outdoor events gone spectacularly wrong.
Featuring Anika Krause, Samuel Edward-Cook, Eloise Barker, Simon Vargas, and Stephen Deng.
Produced by Marina Henke. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
You can watch the 2014 production of Titus Andronicus on the Globe’s website. As discussed, it’s incredibly bloody.
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Night Owls
For over ten years, biologist Mark Higley has been stalking the forests of the Hoopa Valley Reservation with a shotgun. His mission? To save the endangered northern spotted owl. How? By shooting the more …
Notes de l’épisode
For over ten years, biologist Mark Higley has been stalking the forests of the Hoopa Valley Reservation with a shotgun. His mission? To save the endangered northern spotted owl. How? By shooting the more aggressive barred owl, which has spread from eastern forests into the Pacific Northwest.
In 2024, the federal government made a plan to scale these efforts by killing hundreds of thousands of barred owls across multiple states. Today, despite lawsuits and opposition, that plan is just beginning to ramp up.
But can it really save the northern spotted owl? And is the barred owl really “invasive”… or just expanding its range? In this episode, Nate Hegyi dons a headlamp and heads into the forest with Mark Higley to catch a glimpse of these two rivals, and find out what it takes to kill these charismatic raptors, night after night, in the name of conservation.
This episode was first published in 2024.
Featuring Mark Higley, Tom Wheeler, and Wayne Pacelle.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
The federal government’s barred owl management plan is very long but they have a helpful list of frequently asked questions.
Check out some beautiful photos of Mark Higley’s work in this Audubon magazine story from a few years ago.
Curious about the timber wars? Oregon Public Broadcasting has an excellent podcast miniseries you should listen to.
Animal rights groups have sued to stop the plan from moving forward; in the meantime, People Magazine has reported that culling of barred owls is ramping up in the Yakama Indian Reservation.
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The sunscreen episode
As consumers, we’re looking for a lot in our sunscreen. Not only do we want it to protect us from sunburns and skin cancer, we also want it to be invisible, lightweight, waterproof, nontoxic, shelf-stable, and …
Notes de l’épisode
As consumers, we’re looking for a lot in our sunscreen. Not only do we want it to protect us from sunburns and skin cancer, we also want it to be invisible, lightweight, waterproof, nontoxic, shelf-stable, and cheap.
Can we have it all in one product? Sometimes, the answer might be no.
It’s high time for the Outside/In team to take a closer look at this surprisingly high-tech lotion that we apply every day (in theory). We review the definition of SPF, the choice between mineral and chemical filters, and if sunscreen is safe for our bodies and the environment.
Featuring Anna Wang, David Whiteman, Ade Adamson, and Alexa Friedman.
Produced by Justine Paradis. For full transcript and credits, visit outsideinradio.org.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
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How far would you go for a crow?
To the American birder, spotting the Tamaulipas Crow is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime event. The crow's range is mostly in Mexico and extends ever so slightly into Texas, specifically in and around a dump …
Notes de l’épisode
To the American birder, spotting the Tamaulipas Crow is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime event. The crow's range is mostly in Mexico and extends ever so slightly into Texas, specifically in and around a dump called the Brownsville Landfill. Spotting the Tamaulipas — north of the border — means being able to check it off your American Bird Association Checklist.
So just how far will die-hard birders go to see this bird?
In this episode producer (and first-time birder) Michaela Elias sets out to the southern border with a group of experienced birder friends to find out. Together with her "wingmen" Michaela braves the Texas heat, crawls through brush and over slippery rocks, and risks getting attacked by dogs — to find out whether collecting bird sightings as if they're Pokémon is a meaningful way to engage with the natural world.
Featuring Jake Glassman, Joe Hack, and Joel Glassman.
Produced by Michaela Elias. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
LINKS
Check out the eBird app, a crowdsourced database of bird observations that lets you log all the birds you’ve seen and where you’ve seen them.
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The problem with pickleball
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. It may also be the most hated. Tennis and basketball players are complaining about losing court space because of an “invasion” of pickleballers. Residents are …
Notes de l’épisode
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. It may also be the most hated. Tennis and basketball players are complaining about losing court space because of an “invasion” of pickleballers. Residents are losing sleep because of the incessant noise. Fights over pickleball have led to a slew of petitions, calls to the police, and even lawsuits.
So why do pickleball players love this sport so much? Just how annoying is it to everyone else? And what will it take for everyone to just get along?
Producer Felix Poon visits one of the most popular courts in Boston to see how the drama is unfolding there.
This episode was originally reported in 2025.
Featuring Kemardo Henry, Martha Merson, Soren Whited, and Zariyah Cherise.
For a transcript and full list of credits, go to outsideinradio.org.
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You’ve got scorpion
A listener recently asked, “Has the entire surface of earth at some point or another been covered in poop?” Turns out, there are some questions that even we can’t answer. In this installment of our regular …
Notes de l’épisode
A listener recently asked, “Has the entire surface of earth at some point or another been covered in poop?” Turns out, there are some questions that even we can’t answer.
In this installment of our regular mailbag segment, the Outside/Inbox, we do our best to take on your zany inquiries, or find experts who can. Here are this week’s questions:
Is there any official recognition for hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail?
Why do kids (and adults) chant “Do it! Do it! Do it!” and other chants?
Featuring Kathleen Simmons, Carlos Santibanez-Lopez, and Barb Lake.
Produced by Felix Poon, Marina Henke, and Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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Big porpoise energy
Whales have Free Willy. Dolphins have Flipper. But what about the humble porpoise? The porpoise doesn’t star in any Hollywood blockbusters. These shy, elusive “deer of the sea” are often overshadowed by their …
Notes de l’épisode
Whales have Free Willy. Dolphins have Flipper. But what about the humble porpoise?
The porpoise doesn’t star in any Hollywood blockbusters. These shy, elusive “deer of the sea” are often overshadowed by their more charismatic cousins – but don’t let their social anxiety fool you. In fact, porpoises are speed-fiends with an insane metabolism and an outrageous sex drive.
Host Nate Hegyi and producer Marina Henke explore the Olympic sprinters of the sea and wonder if the fate of the endangered vaquita might hinge on being oh-so-very-cute.
Featuring Michelle Dutro, Barb Lake and Ruxandra Guidi.
Produced by Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
Ripped logo credit: Jeremy Keith / Flickr
SUPPORT
We launched a Patreon! Become an Outside/Insider for just $5 a month, and you can get AD-FREE episodes of the podcast, plus access to behind-the-scenes blog posts and more.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
LINKS
The second season of Rux Guidi’s podcast, The Catch, covered the plight of the vaquita.
In 1999, the Department of Defense studied the speed and hydrodynamics of dolphins, whales and porpoises to build better underwater drones.
Here’s a picture of a porpoise penis, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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A tinned fish renaissance
We launched a Patreon! Become an Outside/Insider for just $5 per month, and you can get AD-FREE episodes of the podcast, plus access to behind-the-scenes blog posts and more. Sardines are in vogue. Literally …
Notes de l’épisode
We launched a Patreon! Become an Outside/Insider for just $5 per month, and you can get AD-FREE episodes of the podcast, plus access to behind-the-scenes blog posts and more.
Sardines are in vogue. Literally. They are in Vogue magazine. They’re delicious (subjectively), good for you, and sustainable… right?
Recently, a listener called into the show asking about just that.
“I've always had this sense that they're a more environmentally friendly fish, perhaps because of being low on the food chain. But I'm realizing I really have no sense of what it looks like to actually fish for sardines,” Jeannie told us.
The Outside/In team got together to look beyond the sunny illustrations on the fish tins. Is there bycatch? What about emissions? Are sardines overfished? If we care about the health of the ocean, can we keep eating sardines?
This episode was originally published in 2025.
Featuring Jeannie Bartlett, Malin Pinsky, and Zach Koehn.
Rip logo photo: Canned seafood by Jack Kennard (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
Produced by Justine Paradis. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Never add sodium to your pasta water
Put salt (aka sodium chloride) in your pasta water and you’ll end up with delicious spaghetti. Put pure sodium in it instead… and it will explode. It’s the latest edition of “The Element of Surprise,” our …
Notes de l’épisode
Put salt (aka sodium chloride) in your pasta water and you’ll end up with delicious spaghetti. Put pure sodium in it instead… and it will explode.
It’s the latest edition of “The Element of Surprise,” our occasional series about the hidden stories behind the periodic table’s most unassuming atoms, isotopes, and molecules. This time we’re talking all about sodium.
It’s the periodic table’s saltiest element. It powers your body like a battery and you need it to survive. So why is too much of it bad for you? Plus, how did salt help the North win the Civil War?
Featuring Raychelle Burks, Trisha Pasricha, Ashley Dumas.
Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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LINKS
Watch a 1947 newsreel of the US Army disposing thousands of pounds of pure sodium into a lake in Washington State, causing massive explosions.
See images of the Slanic Salt Mine in Romania and the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland, now major tourist sites.
Check out Theodore Gray’s “Sodium Party” YouTube video series where he drops sodium chunks of various sizes into water to observe how they explode. Here’s the first video in the series.
Want to learn more about the role of salt throughout human history? Read Mark Kurlansky’s Salt: A World History.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A cow named Speckles
When 10-year-old Doug Crandell joined the 4-H program, he was supposed to learn about raising, feeding, and selling a cow. What he wound up learning was something else entirely. “I wanted to be a hog man, like …
Notes de l’épisode
When 10-year-old Doug Crandell joined the 4-H program, he was supposed to learn about raising, feeding, and selling a cow. What he wound up learning was something else entirely.
“I wanted to be a hog man, like my father,” he said. “But I knew pretty early on that you couldn’t have these animals forever.”
From producer Shaina Shealy, this is the story of a boy and his cow, Speckles.
Featuring Doug Crandell.
Produced by Shaina Shealy. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In defense of darkness
Megan Eaves-Egenes grew up under the very starry skies of rural New Mexico. During those years, she developed a deep appreciation for astronomy. The fascination is, of course, not hers alone. But, a starry sky …
Notes de l’épisode
Megan Eaves-Egenes grew up under the very starry skies of rural New Mexico. During those years, she developed a deep appreciation for astronomy.
The fascination is, of course, not hers alone. But, a starry sky requires one pretty important ingredient: darkness. One study recently reported that since 2011, the night sky has gotten brighter at about 10% per year.
All that light pollution has brought dire consequences to life on planet earth. Crickets can’t tell whether it’s day or night, bird migrations have gone haywire, and our own natural alarm clocks are constantly confused.
In a world where switching on a lamp during evening hours is, as Megan writes, “almost as basic as breathing” is there hope for our night skies? Or have we illuminated our way to a point of no return?
Featuring Megan Eaves-Egenes.
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To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, call the show’s hotline and leave us a voicemail. The number is 1-844-GO-OTTER. No question is too serious or too silly.
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram and BlueSky, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
LINKS
You can order a copy of Megan’s book Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness on her website.
Want to plan travel around dark sky locations? Dark Sky International offers a variety of guides and tips on how to visit darky sky locations responsibly.
There are many popular stargazing apps. Megan uses SkyView, but also recommends Stellarium or SkySafari.
Learn more about satellite’s role in light pollution from our 2024 episode, “The new space race.”
Made nearly 10 years ago, here is our episode about light pollution emitted from a New Hampshire greenhouse.
CREDITS
Produced by Marina Henke. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Life and death and psilocybin
President Trump recently signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions like depression and PTSD. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Joe Rogan were in the …
Notes de l’épisode
President Trump recently signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions like depression and PTSD. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Joe Rogan were in the oval office, and President Trump even joked during the signing ceremony, “can I have some, please?”
Maybe this executive order wasn’t on your 2026 political bingo card… but interest in these substances for mental health isn’t new. In this episode, we’re revisiting the story of Kathy Kral. In the midst of her battle with cancer, Kathy found herself facing a diagnosis of major depression.
So, she signed up for a clinical study to see if psilocybin – the psychedelic compound found in “magic mushrooms” – could help her confront her fears about cancer and death, as well as her deepest inner demons.
This episode was first published in 2023. Featuring Kathleen Kral, Manish Agrawal, and Norma Stevens.
Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
LINKS
Trump’s order is a milestone for proponents of using psychedelics as medicine. (NPR)
Listen to the Sunstone Psilocybin Spotify Playlist that patients listen to during their psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Silicon Planet
Like a typecast actor who can’t escape the blockbuster franchise they’re known for, the element of silicon is inescapably associated with Silicon Valley. But that association undersells just how important, how …
Notes de l’épisode
Like a typecast actor who can’t escape the blockbuster franchise they’re known for, the element of silicon is inescapably associated with Silicon Valley. But that association undersells just how important, how foundational silicon is for human civilization.
It’s another edition of “The Element of Surprise,” our occasional series about the hidden stories behind the periodic table’s most unassuming atoms, isotopes, and molecules. And this time, it’s all about silicon.
From humankind’s early tools, to the quartz crystal hidden in your digital watch, we’ll cover how this underrated element has a lot more to offer than one California valley might suggest.
Featuring Vince Beiser, Megan Brewster, and Rachel Maines.
Produced by Taylor Quimby. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
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LINKS
Still confused about the difference between silicon, silica, and silicone? We think this explanation is helpful.
See the inside of a silicon wafer fab. It’s wild.
Or watch this old video on how silicon wafers are made. Also wild.
If you are very into watches, you might enjoy this detailed history of how the “Quartz Crisis” upended the Swiss watch industry.
Want to learn more about the environmental impacts of sand mining? Check out this 2019 UNEP report.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Dry Hot American Summer
In the spring of 1936, the producer of King Kong hauled a film crew to the desert of Arizona to shoot a sweeping romantic epic. But the heat was so punishing that it melted film stock, caused the lead actress …
Notes de l’épisode
In the spring of 1936, the producer of King Kong hauled a film crew to the desert of Arizona to shoot a sweeping romantic epic. But the heat was so punishing that it melted film stock, caused the lead actress to pass out, and killed the production’s mascot – a baby camel.
It was the beginning of a heat wave that parked itself over America for months, quickly becoming one of the deadliest natural disasters in our country’s history. It blew up sidewalks, cooked onions in the ground, claimed at least 12,000 lives, and turned the United States into a literal frying pan.
Host Nate Hegyi talks with Geoff Williams, author of the forthcoming book The Summer of Death, about a ‘heat horror show’ that transformed American life 90 years ago, and what lessons it gives us on how to survive a hotter world today.
Featuring Geoff Williams
Produced by Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
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LINKS
You can check out Geoff’s book, The Summer of Death, here.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech about the impacts of the drought and heat wave in the fall of 1936.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Like a Dirty Rotten Whale
We’re cleaning out the proverbial fridge, but instead of old food, it’s fantastic and forgotten questions from the Outside/Inbox. Conversation topics include Taylor’s humiliatingly old headlamp, the olfactory …
Notes de l’épisode
We’re cleaning out the proverbial fridge, but instead of old food, it’s fantastic and forgotten questions from the Outside/Inbox. Conversation topics include Taylor’s humiliatingly old headlamp, the olfactory experience of a dead whale and, of course, the answers to the following queries…
- Why do dogs like to roll in dead stuff?
- Do humans have a mating season?
- Why do so many deer collisions happen in November?
- When did headlamps start to have red light?
- I live next to a highway. What can I do about the noise pollution?
- In the final Lord of the Rings movie, there’s a crust that forms on top of the lava that the ring is thrown onto. Is that legit?
Featuring Christopher Schell, Eric Nystrom, and Erica Walker.
Thanks to our listeners who called in: Dusty, Kyle, Claire, Amanda, Gretchen, Zach, and Sabrina.
We’re looking for new submissions to the Outside/Inbox! Send us those questions by recording yourself on a voice memo, and emailing that to us at [email protected]. Or you can call our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Follow Outside/In on Instagram and BlueSky, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
LINKS
If you want to learn more about noise pollution listen to our episode “Shhhh! It’s the sound and silence episode.”
Check out for yourself what those clunky old mining headlamps used to look like.
CREDITS
Produced by Marina Henke, Felix Poon, and Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Dead Bird Rabbit Hole
Every December, tens of thousands of volunteers look to the skies for an international census of wild birds. But during migration season, a much smaller squad of New York City volunteers take on a more sobering …
Notes de l’épisode
Every December, tens of thousands of volunteers look to the skies for an international census of wild birds.
But during migration season, a much smaller squad of New York City volunteers take on a more sobering experience: counting dead birds that have collided with glass buildings and fallen back to Earth.
In this episode, we find out what kind of people volunteer for this grisly job, visit the New York City rehab center that takes in injured pigeons, and find out how to stop glass from killing an estimated one billion birds nationwide every year.
This episode was first produced and published in the spring of 2024.
Featuring Melissa Breyer, Linda LaBella, Gitanjali Bhattacharjee, Katherine Chen, and Tristan Higginbotham. Produced by Taylor Quimby. For a transcript and full list of credits, go to outsideinradio.org.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Subscribe to our newsletter (it’s free!).
Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
LINKS
Want to see the migration forecast? Check out Birdcast.
Want to be a citizen scientist and report dead birds? Check out dBird.
Want to see volunteer Melissa Breyer’s photos of dead birds? Check out Sad Birding.
More about Project Safe Flight.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Microplastics Cleanse
With the ubiquity of plastic products, it’s maybe no surprise that a growing body of research shows tiny pieces of plastic are getting inside of us. But what is all this plastic doing to our bodies? And once …
Notes de l’épisode
With the ubiquity of plastic products, it’s maybe no surprise that a growing body of research shows tiny pieces of plastic are getting inside of us.
But what is all this plastic doing to our bodies? And once it’s there… is there any way to get it out?
Producer Haleema Shah looks at what the research says (and doesn’t say) about plastic and health, and explores a new trend in wellness: the microplastics cleanse.
Featuring Charmaine Dahlenburg, Marcus Garcia, Yael Cohen, and Sarah Morath.
Produced by Haleema Shah. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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