This week: We have more raptor news in today’s show – Elsa discusses new findings about what bald eagles eat, and what that means for their conservation on California’s Channel Islands. Then a fascinating finding about what elephants think of bees. You’ll also hear how the oil spill on the Gulf coast might affect U.S climate policy. Also some perspective on a non-native fish headed toward the Great Lakes. And we hear how a meteorology professor uses music in his classroom.

Elephants Fear Bees: We’ve all heard the urban myth about how elephants are afraid of mice. But it’s quite a different creature that can make these giant beasts run for cover – the African bee! Not only do elephants flee from bees, but they also make low rumbling alarm calls to warn each other.  This news is being welcomed by farmers in Kenya (where the research was done) who are eager to protect their crops from elephants.

Credit for image above: http://www.flickr.com/photos/exfordy/ / CC BY 2.0
Watch elephants flee after hearing a “bee” alarm call.
The study.
A post about this study was named Blog Pick of the Month by the journal PLoS ONE.

Rename that Fish! American catfish farmers imported Asian carp in the 1970s to control algae on their fish farms. Some fish escaped and are now headed toward the Great Lakes, posing such a threat that the White House even convened an “Asian Carp Summit” earlier in the year. One possible solution to the expanding Asian carp population is to encourage Americans to eat the fish, but the current name doesn’t tempt the palate. Should the fish be renamed to make it more marketable? What should that name be?
Report by: The World’s Alex Gallafent.
Learn more about Asian carp in the Great Lakes.
Ready to try it? Find some Asian carp recipes here.
You can suggest appetizing names on The World’s discussion page.

Stopping Non-native Species: Can getting more Americans to eat the Asian carp stop the fish from taking over the Great Lakes? For an answer to that question, I went to an expert on invasive species. He also told me about some new tools built by scientists to stop the import of potentially invasive non-native species.
Guest: Reuben Keller
More about North America’s invasive species from the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Impact of Oil Spill on US Climate Policy: Up to 5,000 barrels of oil a day are thought to be spilling into the water after last month’s rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The slick has begun to reach the Louisiana shore, and the US Navy has been sent to help avert an economic and environmental disaster. Last month, President Barack Obama eased a moratorium on new offshore drilling, but he has now banned oil drilling in new areas off the US coast while the cause of the spill is investigated.  Listen to this story about how the oil slick could affect US energy and climate policy.
Report by: The World’s Katy Clark.
A great graphic for understanding the spill from the Times Picayune.
Satellite images and maps of the oil spill.
Oil spill coverage from Science magazine’s policy blog, ScienceInsider.

Elsa’s Favorite Stories:

• Inbreeding in Darwin’s Family: Three of Charles Darwin’s ten offspring died in childhood, and he fretted that the others weren’t very “robust.” Their health problems may have been due, at least in part, to the fact that Darwin married his first cousin Emma Wedgewood.
  The study.
  More about Darwin’s life on Podcast no. 51.
  Our Science Forum on Darwin’s life and works.
• Genetics of Worm Regeneration: You can chop a planarian flat worm all to bits, and each one regenerates a whole worm–including a new brain. Now researchers have found a gene that is essential to rebuilding the worm’s eyes and brain.
  The study.
  BBC interview with one of the study authors.
• Bald Eagle Diet: Bald eagles lived on California’s Channel Islands from the Pleistocene until DDT wiped them out in the 1960s. Now a small population is getting re-established. But what will they eat? A new study of prehistoric and historic eagle bones suggests that today’s birds may go after food that endangers their own health or other threatened species.
  The study.
  Channel Islands bald eagle webcam.
  More about the Channel Islands Bald Eagle Restoration Program.

Music in Science: Meteorologist John Knox wants his students to know they’re not in for a typical boring science class, and he proves it by playing music before each lecture. Knox teaches meteorology and geography at the University of Georgia in Athens. He told us about the haunting song that started his whole musical curriculum. You’ll also hear a clip from his class band playing the same song!
Song: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot

Opening Music: Shotgun Wedding, by When Cousins Marry
Album: Shotgun Wedding (You can download some of the songs for free.)

This week: Chile continues to deal with the aftermath of last Saturday’s quake. You’ll hear about a famous scientist who witnessed a similar earthquake in Chile in 1835.  You’ll also hear a story about making Haiti more resilient to natural disasters. Then we have some good news about protecting marine species, and some fascinating news about the sex lives of frogs and flies. Oh, and you have until March 10th to take our ONLINE SURVEY. So please give us your feedback.

Darwin Witnessed 1835 Earthquake in Chile: Chile has a long history of powerful earthquakes like the one that struck last Saturday. A massive quake occurred there in 1835, and among those who witnessed its aftermath was none other than Charles Darwin. At the time, he was traveling around the world on the HMS Beagle. What did Darwin see, and what lessons did he draw from his observations? Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson explained that to The World’s Marco Werman.
Guest: Edward O. Wilson
From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin’s Four Great Books.
The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online.
More on Chile’s history of earthquakes from the BBC.

Restoring Haiti’s Ecology: The January earthquake in Haiti wasn’t as powerful as the one in Chile, but it was far deadlier. Haiti was more vulnerable partly because of rampant environmental degradation. Development experts say a key to making the country more resilient to natural disasters is restoring Haiti’s ecological infrastructure.
Report by: Marina Giovanelli
Check out an audio slide show of Haiti’s rural landscape.

Elsa’s Favorite Stories:

• Marine Reserves Help Ocean Health: Setting up marine reserves – swaths of ocean where no fishing is allowed – is thought to improve ocean health.  Marine scientists at the AAAS annual conference in San Diego presented new findings that explained how and where these reserves can be most helpful. One study found that heavily fished species benefited the most from the reserves. Another unpublished study found the increase in fish stocks within reserves can have a spillover effect on areas outside.
  The study about heavily fished species.
  More coverage of marine news from the AAAS meeting from Science News and the San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Promiscuity in Female Flies: Monogamy in female Drosophila could lead to extinction, according to a new study. The findings offer a new explanation for why female promiscuity is so common in Drosophila and perhaps in other animals (and plants), as well. Listen to Elsa explain the evolutionary forces against monogamy in this species.
  The study.
  Queen bees have another good reason to mate with lots of males.
• A Rare Monogamous Frog Species:Promiscuity can’t always ensure the survival of a species. A new study reveals that, for a particular poison dart frog in Peru, monogamy is the only way to keep the offspring alive.
  The study.

Music in Science: Sorry folks! This segment is on holiday and will return soon.

This week: A movied called Creation has just opened in theaters across the U.S. It’s based on a biography of Charles Darwin written by his great great grandson, Randal Keynes. You’ll hear an interview with Keynes about the movie, and you’ll have a chance to ask Keynes your own questions in this week’s Science Forum. Also in today’s show – the difference between running with shoes and running barefoot. And another researcher describes his musical favorites for doing science.

Creation: The movie tells the story of Charles Darwin’s personal struggles when he was working on his world-changing treatise On the Origin of Species. I spoke with Randal Keynes, who wrote the book that is the basis of the movie. Keynes is also a direct descendant of Darwin. I asked Keynes about the process of turning his book into a film. Keynes will be taking questions from you on this week’s Science Forum. Come join the conversation about Darwin’s life and his work. See link below.
Guest: Randal Keynes.
The official movie site for Creation.
Join the discussion with Randal Keynes in The World Science Forum.

Running Barefoot: A new study finds that people who run barefoot move very differently from people who run in modern athletic shoes. The research, conducted in the U.S. and Kenya, found that shoeless runners land on the front or middle of the foot, whereas shod runners land on the heel. The researchers say running in shoes — as most Americans do — causes the body to strike the ground with more force and may increase the odds of athletic injuries.
Report: By Keith Seinfeld of station KPLU.

Music in Science: Kevin Feldheim is an evolutionary biologist at the Field Museum in Chicago. He’s working on the genetic diversity of lemon sharks. On most days he can be found in the lab sequencing shark DNA while listening to trance music.
Produced by: The World’s Marina Giovanelli
Kevin Feldheim’s bio.

The film chronicles the life and work of  Charles Darwin.

The movie is directed by Jon Amiel. Paul Bettany stars as Darwin. Jennfer Connelly plays Darwin’s wife, Emma.

Creation is based on a biography written by Charles Darwin’s great great grandson, Randal Keynes.

Keynes is a conservationist and author who lives in London.

The World’s science correspondent, Rhitu Chatterjee, spoke with Keynes about his famous ancestor and the experience of seeing his book turned into a movie.

Listen to that interview here.[player] Download MP3

Now it’s your turn to chat with Randal Keynes. Join the conversation — it’s just to the right.

• Did Keynes’s famous pedigree prompt his decision to become a conservation biologist?
• What is it like for Keynes to see the species Darwin studied — in the Galapagos, for instance — threatened with extinction?
• Have you seen the movie Creation?  Did it change your view of Darwin as a man?

Charles Darwin, the king of evolution, was born 200 years ago today. So, in his honor, we focus on his legacy.

MIT Museum director John Durant tells us about Alfred Russel Wallace, the man who beat Darwin to the punch on evolution. So why do scientists talk Darwinism and not “Wallacism”? The answer will surprise you.

We retrace the steps of the HMS Beagle, this time by private jet.

We examine Darwin’s legacy in South Africa, a place he visited during his travels. Darwin came up with some key discoveries in that country. His ideas were later used to further racist policies there.

The Anglican Church is commemorating Darwin’s birth—and apologizing for past attacks on his ideas. Church leaders say evolution and Christianity are not at odds.

We’ll also visit Mt. Darwin, in southern Chile. The captain of the HMS Beagle named the peak in honor of Charles Darwin on his 25th birthday.

Music
Roy Ayers, Evolution

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