8 episodes
9 Minutes of Wonder Betsy Hedberg
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- Education
Hi, I’m Betsy Hedberg. This podcast helps you find wonder in this captivating world and its inhabitants — taking you out of the daily-life grind for at least a few minutes. We explore real-life examples of how things we often take for granted, or never even think about at all, are actually fascinating if we pay attention to them.
Each episode is around 9 minutes or less, but I hope these few minutes will affect how you experience the other minutes and hours of your day. A sense of wonder and awe is good for us, as we already intuitively know and as science is increasingly demonstrating — so please join me!
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The ruins of Rome
Here's my take on why the ruins of ancient Rome are so awe-inspiring. Then think about ancient (or at least relatively old) sites near your home — is a road trip in order?
A couple videos on the topic:
The Ancient City of Rome (travel video)
Virtual Rome: What Did Ancient Rome Look Like?
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0 -
Peanuts
Peanuts are not really nuts, but they're much more interesting than you might think. Even if you don't eat them, you can appreciate how far they've spread in the world and how they've even inspired some gross banana-flavored candies!
A few of my sources:
Peanuts and power in the Andes
Where are the peanuts? (the David Williams quote)
A brief history of peanut butter (Smithsonian)
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0 -
The northern lights
Wow, pink and purple skies! I hope you've had a chance to see it this weekend, or at least sometime in the past or future. Let's talk about these magnificent lights.
A few resources:
What causes the northern lights?
Northern lights: what they are and how to see them
10 awesome aurora facts (from the Australian government)
Fire in the sky: the southern lights in Indigenous oral traditions
Hubble captures vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere (NASA)
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
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Eclipse!
Did you see the recent total solar eclipse? Eclipses are really incredible! Find out why in this episode.
A few notes:
In the episode I mention Horatio Cushman. I should have read more about him before speaking, but you can read about him here if you like. He was not Choctaw, but he lived in the same area and wrote a major history of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez, published in 1899.
The Archilochus quote comes from this page.
I found the audio clip of the eclipse here (really a video): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2017_Total_Solar_Eclipse_with_Audience_Reaction.webm#filelinks. This is the license that allows me to use it: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0 -
Seeds and the Global Seed Vault
We take seeds for granted, yet they're all around us and are obviously essential to life. We'll discuss seeds and visit the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard (where you can take your own virtual tour).
A few resources of interest:
Who controls the world's food supply?
Inside the Doomsday Vault (the Time Magazine article I quote)
Global Seed Vault
Global Seed Vault Virtual Tour
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0 -
Islands way up north (Jan Mayen and Svalbard)
These islands are so far removed from most of our lives — and I find them fascinating. Find out why in this nine-minute trip north of the Arctic Circle. Notes:
See today's weather forecast for Jan Mayen.
Here's a site about Jan Mayen, with the Lord Dufferin quote.
And here's another page about Jan Mayen.
Learn about the Global Seed Vault.
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk): www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0