Constant Wonder BYUradio

A bee’s brain is tiny, but its one million neurons make shockingly complex connections. Individual bee and bumblebee intelligence is phenomenal, from spatial memory to communication. And would you believe that bees are likely also capable of play? Two leading researchers paint a compelling picture of just how much we’ve underestimated the individual sentience of bees. The stereotype of the bee as a robot fully dependent on the hive is far from accurate. We explore fascinating bee research involving harmonic radar, machine learning, and AI—in an effort to see the world through the eyes of a bee.

Guests:
Lars Chittka, professor of Sensory and Behavioral Ecology at Queen Mary University of London and author of "The Mind of a Bee"
Tim Landgraf, professor of Machine Learning and Robotics at the Free University Berlin

connectedness, transcendence, insects, bees, sentience, miracle of life, hope, redemption, tragedy, limits of medicine, spiritual growth, emotional healing, triumph, saving lives, courage, personal stories, audio documentary, human interest, human interest stories, resilience, human resilience

Alan Townsend describes his early professional and personal life as marked by a naïve faith in the power of science to provide answers and solve problems. Townsend was already softening his early scientific dogmatism when his wife and his daughter were diagnosed with unrelated brain cancers. One survived, while the other did not, and this father and husband then had to choose how to how to put back the pieces, both of his life and of his view of a universe that once seemed to him so clear and logical.

Guest: Alan Townsend, author of "This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist's Path from Grief to Wonder"

Health, physical health, wellness, spirituality, audio documentary, connectedness, transcendence, mental health, treatment, healing, physician, doctor, recovery, diagnosis, survival, health discoveries, miracle of life, hope, redemption, tragedy, limits of medicine, spiritual growth, emotional healing, triumph, saving lives, courage, personal stories, audio documentary, human interest, human interest stories, resilience, human resilience

After farmer Mas Masumoto was contacted as next-of-kin for a woman he knew almost nothing about, he set about to uncover why his disabled aunt was hidden away after WWII, and his efforts began to heal wounds that were seven decades old. His story tracks the triumphs and heartaches of four generations of Japanese Americans.

Guest:
David Mas Masumoto, author of "Secret Harvest: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm"
Original artwork by Patricia Wakida

Natural wonders, environment, biodiversity, conservation, beauty in nature, sustainability, stewardship, environmental stewardship, environmental sustainability, the natural world, ecosystems, land ethic, wonder, wonder in nature, awe, awe in nature, humility, audio documentary, exploration, discovery, beautiful, beauty, spirituality, nature lovers, nature walk, animal stories, animal rescue, noticing nature, connectedness, transcendence, solitude, new life, hidden worlds, adventure, climate change

Amidst the annus horribilis that was 2020, New York-based writer John Oakes sought to exorcise some of his own inner noise and "automaticity" by doing a week-long liquid-only fast. He liked it so well that he and his wife, Carin Kuoni, began fasting twice a year. And he liked that so well that he wrote a book about it. In this episode of Constant Wonder he and Carin explain the how and why of these biannual fasts.

Guests:
John Oakes, author of "The Fast: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Promise of Doing Without"
Carin Kuoni, Senior Director/Chief Curator, Vera List Center for Art and Politics

Hidden histories, human interest, human interest stories, audio documentary, spirituality, microhistories, interview, history buff, history makers, history lovers, wonder, wonder in history, historical wonders, awe, awe in history, human wonders, breakthroughs, overcoming challenges, connectedness, transcendence, personal narrative, life experience, biography, autobiography, memories, resilience, family, ancestral roots, belonging, community, voice of the people

When Christian Wiman and Danielle Chapman met and married, life seemed charmed and the horizon calm. But within a year, Christian was diagnosed with a rare, incurable blood cancer, and their life veered in directions unforeseen. Now, over twenty years later, Christian and Danielle and their two teenage daughters are thriving; Christian is cancer free after the latest round of therapy. He has been the beneficiary of multiple timely medical breakthroughs. Along the way, they have experienced intense joy amidst great pain and developed a quiet, shared Christian faith.

Guests:
Christian Wiman, professor at Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music; editor; poet; author of "Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair"
Danielle Chapman, poet, essayist, and lecturer in English at Yale University

Health, physical health, wellness, spirituality, audio documentary, connectedness, transcendence, mental health, treatment, healing, physician, doctor, recovery, diagnosis, survival, health discoveries, miracle of life, hope, redemption, tragedy, limits of medicine, spiritual growth, emotional healing, triumph, saving lives, courage, personal stories, human interest, human interest stories, resilience, human resilience, artist, art lovers, personal expression, artistic expression, inspiration, artistic inspiration, creativity, storytelling through art, imagination, beauty, transcendence, spirituality, connectedness, wonder, curator, personal connection, connectedness, memories, illustration, interview, creative process, community, creators, art world, joy in art, devotion to craft, wonder in art, spiritual art, overcoming doubt, overcoming fear

He's known as the "Bear Man of India" for his work rescuing sloth bears from inhumane conditions "dancing" on the streets. His obsession with helping animals began early in his life, when he'd spend full-moon nights high in a jungle tree watching a procession of wild animals visit a nearby watering hole. In the intervening 30 years, he's braved the "timber mafia" and even gunshots in a tireless crusade to protect wildlife.

Guest: Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS

Wildlife, wilderness, natural wonders, environment, biodiversity, conservation, beauty in nature, sustainability, stewardship, environmental stewardship, environmental sustainability, the natural world, ecosystems, land ethic, wonder, wonder in nature, awe, awe in nature, humility, audio documentary, exploration, discovery, beautiful, beauty, spirituality, nature lovers, nature walk, animal stories, animal rescue, noticing nature, connectedness, transcendence, solitude, new life, hidden worlds, adventure, storyteller, story