Pick Your Poison

FromOutside/In

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Pick Your Poison

FromOutside/In

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Length:

25 minutes

Released:

Sep 14, 2017

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

In our long, evolutionary history, modernity is just a blip. The wiring of our brains took place over hundreds of thousands of years of hunting and gathering food out in the wilderness, and nothing proves that more vividly than the practice of mushroom hunting. It’s incredibly addictive, even to those who know all too well the associated dangers.

Released:

Sep 14, 2017

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

A show about the natural world and how we use it. We explore science, energy, environmentalism, and reflections on how we think about and depict nature, and always leave time for plenty of goofing off. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. Learn more at outsideinradio.org

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The Kiwi Apocalypse: Or, how Sam learned to stop worrying and love the cold hardy kiwi. It's a fruit you've never heard of, but it could be the key to one man's dream, even though it's another man's invasive nightmare. by Outside/In
17 min listen
10x10 - Vernal Pools: ....or, why you should always be careful when you're traipsing through the woods in the springtime. In this episode we check out the most short-lived and abundant sources of life that you've never heard of. by Outside/In
11 min listen
Trailer: What is Outside/In?: Introducing our new podcast about the outside world and how we use it. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio by Outside/In
2 min listen
These Shoes Were Made For Mocking: Producer Taylor Quimby has been defending Vibram FiveFingers™ shoes to naysayers for years. When people see him wearing them while he’s on the trail or out for a run, they tend to have a pretty visceral reaction, and that reaction is typically disgust. So what is it about these glove-like shoes that makes people so upset? #running #fivefingers #vibram by Outside/In
25 min listen
Parenting At 24,000 Feet: For alpinist Ben Clark, scaling the world's toughest montains was a source of pride and accomplishment, for his parents it was a source of constant worry. After learning to live with their son's adventurous streak, Ben decided to quit mountaineering altogether. Why? The answer may surprise you. by Outside/In
19 min listen
Smashing Pumpkins-The Gourd That Changed A Town: In the early '90s Keene, New Hampshire created a pumpkin festival to bring the community together, but after 24 years the quaint festival tore the town apart. by Outside/In
23 min listen
Don't Cheer For Me Argentina: Sam won’t tell you this, but he’s a really great athlete. He has another secret, too. There’s this photo of him leading a ski race, and it’s plastered on the side of a city bus in Argentina. So, how did Sam wind up on the side of a bus? This story explains. by Outside/In
18 min listen
The Pokémon Question: Pokémon Go is getting people outside and moving around, but is that enough? When it comes to developing a lasting appreciation for the natural world, will augmented reality make a dent? Sam hashes it out with a Poké-believer and a Poké-skeptic. by Outside/In
21 min listen
Champagne on the Rocks: This past summer, Scott Jurek set a new record for running the 2,181 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But on his triumphant day atop the last mountain in Northern Maine, his 21st century campaign for the trail's record ran afoul of a park founded on ideas about wilderness from a decidedly earlier time. Photo credit: "The Shared Experience" via Creative Commons BIT.LY/23A9KSV by Outside/In
18 min listen
Gridlocked: We're gonna give it to you straight. This story is Sam's white whale. For years, the electrical grid has called to him like a siren, and lead him down a treacherous path of unintelligible tech jargon, mind-numbing energy reports, unfinished radio stories, and lots of mixed metaphors. But out of the ashes, the story of Boothbay, Maine rose like a Phoenix...or perhaps it was cobbled into existence, like Frankenstein. Either way, this is a story about the electrical grid, and it's darned interesting. Sam has slayed the beast. by Outside/In
22 min listen
The Moose Whisperer: In 2015 about 2,700 of the 50,000 people who applied will receive a moose hunting permit. If you're one of the lucky ones who has waited 20 years for this moment, you're going to want an expert on your team. You're going to want a moose whisperer. by Outside/In
15 min listen
Never Bring a Sledgehammer to a Scalpel Fight: When a Harvard professor accidentally let Gypsy Moths loose in the 1860s, he didn’t realize he was releasing a scourge that would plague New England forests for more than a century. Nothing could stop the moths except a controversial method of wildlife management called biocontrol. It’s the scientific version of “fighting fire with fire”: eradicate an invasive species by introducing another invasive species. Since then, there have been lots of biocontrol success stories, but also a few disastrous failures. In this episode, we ask whether biocontrol is the best--maybe the only way--to combat invasives, or if it’s just an example of scientific hubris. by Outside/In
30 min listen
Pier Pressure: In 1998, Forest Quimby spent thousands of dollars building one of the most beautiful, most elaborate docks on Franklin Pierce Lake in New Hampshire. There was just one problem – it was illegal. In this story, we hear about Quimby’s seventeen-year battle with the NH Department of Environmental Services, and find out why small-scale environmental regulations are so hard to enforce. by Outside/In
22 min listen
Eat the Invaders - Lionfish: This is Eat The Invaders - our occasional segment where we take a bite out of invasive species populations. On the menu today, one of the scariest, most voracious and intractable invaders out there: the lionfish. by Outside/In
16 min listen
Up Against the Ropes: The “Save the Whales” movement of the 1970’s was instrumental in putting a stop to commercial whaling. But even as humpbacks and other whale populations have bounced back, one species is still up against the ropes. Literally. In this story, Sam tackles the problem of whale entanglement - and discovers that proposed solutions include crossbows, Australian lobsters, and Chinese finger traps. by Outside/In
28 min listen
Tiny Terror: A mini-episode about the world's cutest predator. by Outside/In
8 min listen
Dr. Percy & the Magic Soybean: It’s not surprising that many of the medicines we use today are derived from plants. The surprising part is how similar the molecular components of plants are to the building blocks of our own human, mammalian bodies. This week we dive head first into a vat of soybean oil with Dr. Percy Julian who, against all odds, became one of the most prominent chemists of his time and whose work paved the way for the birth control pill. Plus, why the cone snail and its deadly neurotoxin just might be the key to a pain free future. by Outside/In
36 min listen
Always. Wear. Earth. Tones.: Tony Bosco hid in plain sight for more than two decades in the most densely populated state in the nation. How did he do it? And what makes someone exchange all of the comforts of their home for the simplicity of a shed in the woods? by Outside/In
23 min listen
Look Toward the Dawn: Today, we take a step back to imagine a world without a web of GPS satellites telling your smartphone where you are every second of the day. While this might sound scary, come along and maybe you’ll discover you have a secret sixth sense...one that’s been inside you all along, if you just knew how to turn it on. by Outside/In
25 min listen
Ask Sam | Syrup-titious: Two listeners, two very different questions for Sam. Can you 'taste' which state maple syrup comes from & why do dogs spend so much time deciding where to go #2? by Outside/In
22 min listen
The Young Man of the Mountain: Tyler Armstrong is 12 years old. He likes to play laser tag. He’s learning to play guitar. And this spring he’s heading to China, where he will attempt to summit the world’s highest mountain. In this episode, an ethical debate: how young is too young to climb Everest? by Outside/In
20 min listen
HumaNature - Hoofprints on the Heart: This week on the show we’re bringing you something a little different, a story from someone else. Caroline Ballard and Micah Schweizer started HumaNature, which is based in Wyoming, and they’re part of the team responsible for bringing us the story of a man, his walk through an unfamiliar culture and an unexpected friendship, in a couple of different ways. by Outside/In
23 min listen
Anothah Boston Cheat: Ari Ofsevit is a guy from Boston fueled by an intense, nerdy love for sports. The day after running this year’s Boston Marathon, his face was all over the cover of the Boston Globe and on all of the network news channels, but on the internet, people were accusing him of cheating. This is Ari’s story. by Outside/In
20 min listen
Pick Your Poison: In our long, evolutionary history, modernity is just a blip. The wiring of our brains took place over hundreds of thousands of years of hunting and gathering food out in the wilderness, and nothing proves that more vividly than the practice of mushroom hunting. It’s incredibly addictive, even to those who know all too well the associated dangers. by Outside/In
25 min listen
When the Cat's Away, The Mice Will Play: The producers commandeer the show while host Sam Evans-Brown is on a much-needed vacation. They sail into weird territory almost immediately. Note: Sam will be back with a new, normal episode right after Labor Day. by Outside/In
10 min listen
The Accidental History of Solar Power: If you’re even the least bit interested in solar power, you’ve probably come across an obscure, hard-to-parse, seemingly conflict-free term: net metering. It’s a system that has come to be the bedrock of the American rooftop solar industry, and the root of one of today’s biggest energy battles. It was also started by a dude named Steven Strong, kind of by accident. Buckle up folks, we're going full energy nerd. by Outside/In
39 min listen
Millionaires' Hunt Club: Sam is going to take us all hunting this week. Not hunting for animals, but instead, hunting for the secret of what’s behind that 26-mile fence cutting through the woods of New Hampshire, and why some people want it to stay a secret. by Outside/In
24 min listen
Full Disclosure: Nature documentaries and wildlife films transport us to places in the world that still feel wild, but what if the wilderness they present is staged? What if, in order to capture nature’s unvarnished beauty and conflict, filmmakers have to engage in a bit of fakery? In this episode we examine how deception is used to enhance the drama of nature documentaries, from Disney’s Oscar-winning film White Wilderness, to the incredible footage featured in the BBC’s Planet Earth II. Plus, we own up to some of the production tricks we use to make this podcast. by Outside/In
37 min listen
Ask Sam | Snow Fleas, Wind, Mount Mitchell: Every so often, we take some time out from telling stories to answer questions from you, our friends and listeners. These questions have been piling up, and so we thought we’d dig through them and bring you some of the more interesting ones. This week, we're digging into snow fleas, the lies we tell others about mountains, and whether there's more wind than there used to be. If you want us to answer your question, you should give us a call! The number is 603-223-2448. If you’re technologically inclined, record your question on a voice-memo and send it to outsidein@nhpr.org. by Outside/In
18 min listen
The Death Machine: When Ryan and Sinehan Lessard first started dating, they discovered they have something strange in common: after they die, they both want to “become a tree”. This is the story about a growing number of people who want to forgo standard funeral practices like embalming, caskets and big granite monuments in favor of a more natural burial - and why that’s easier said than done. by Outside/In
31 min listen

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The papyrus and the volcano: How often do you think about the Roman Empire? by Outside/In
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In search of an ethical 401k: The SEC is trying to make sustainable investing easier. But can you save for retirement in a way that’s both good for the planet… and good for your pocketbook? by Outside/In
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You can make kids hike, but you can’t make them hikers: We gather tips on how to manipulate — er, inspire kids into liking the outdoors, and stories of what happens when it doesn’t work out. by Outside/In
34 min listen
The disappearing dunes of 'Dune': Grass is the sand-killer. by Outside/In
34 min listen
Hunters do cry: Producer Felix Poon exits his comfort zone and picks up a crossbow, to find out if one weekend in the Catskills can convert him into a dedicated hunter. by Outside/In
37 min listen
What's the most successful species on Earth?: Who should wear the crown of GSOAT (Greatest Species of All Time), and are humans even in the running? by Outside/In
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The edge of the ice: Life on a scientific mission to one of Antarctica’s most remote glaciers. by Outside/In
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The plot thickens: What’s the greenest way to die: casket, cremation, or compost? by Outside/In
33 min listen
Blue is the loneliest color: Roses are red, violets are… red-absorbing? We tackle your questions on the illusory essence of nature’s most elusive color. by Outside/In
26 min listen
Not everyone is wild about wild horses: What happens when a symbol of the American West is also a nuisance? by Outside/In
28 min listen
Pigeons are weird: Thought these frequently frowned-upon birds were boring, metropolitan pests? Think again. by Outside/In
28 min listen
The Oatly Chronicles: In 1994, the world’s first oat milk company was born in Sweden. Three decades later, Oatly is on a high-stakes mission to defeat the dairy industry. by Outside/In
33 min listen
Dragons, trolls and pine trees: How game designers created the 'natural world' of Skyrim by Outside/In
36 min listen
Baby it’s GREAT outside: 12 more tips for embracing winter: The weather outside is frightful, but don’t let that stop you from having a wonderful winter. by Outside/In
39 min listen
Is 'Yellowstone' ruining Montana?: ‘Yellowstone’ is one of the most popular television shows in the country. What does it get right – and wrong – about the people and landscapes of the American West? by Outside/In
30 min listen
Dear ChatGPT: Are you a climate solution? Or climate problem?: AI is a powerful tool for climate science. It’s also a dangerous distraction. by Outside/In
30 min listen
How does the National Weather Service work?: A brief history of the national agency tasked with predicting the future by Outside/In
32 min listen
Why did the road cross the chicken?: From turtles to cougars, the answer to the roadkill epidemic might require more infrastructure, not less. by Outside/In
29 min listen
The secret lives of bugs: We peek inside the chrysalis and answer your questions about mosquitoes, fireflies, and more. by Outside/In
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As American as hard apple cider: an immigrant food story: What if apples have more in common with American immigrants than they do colonial heritage? by Outside/In
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Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana: Let’s do the time warp again by Outside/In
35 min listen
Bat Out of Hell Ranch: Nate discovers a colony of bats living in the siding of his new house and is forced to either evict them or learn to coexist. by Outside/In
22 min listen

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Pick Your Poison

Pick Your Poison

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Outside/In

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