Constant Wonder BYUradio

After Tod O'Donnell suffers a traumatic brain injury, his filmmaker son, Tim, documents his recovery and his advocacy for others. The family embraces "Tod 2.0," a more fearless, more open version of his former self. Listen to Tod's accounts of life today, what he calls "a new frontier."

Guests:
Tod O'Donnell, subject of the documentaries "The House We Lived In" and "No Quit"

Tim O'Donnell, documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Pixela Films

Original music, "The Field," by James Call

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

Explore the hidden world of nematodes. These tiny—less than one millimeter long—organisms are everywhere in the soil, some as plant parasites, others as pest predators. With 57 billion nematodes in the soil for each human standing on it, turns out their importance in genetic research and biomedicine is immense.

Join us as we delve into this fascinating field and tap into the excitement and humor of nematologists on the cutting edge of discovery.

Guests:
Byron Adams, biology professor at Brigham Young University
Adler Dillman, nematology professor at UC Riverside
Michael Werner, microbiology professor at the University of Utah

Songs from "The Plant Parasitic Nematode Songbook" were written by Kathy Merrifield and sung by Brian Tanner, Becca Hurley, and Sam Payne

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, climate change.

Constant Wonder continues its pursuit of awe and wonder in all creation, human or wild, vast or small. Here's a sample of what we've got coming up over the next weeks: We'll meet a pair of married poets, perched at Yale University, whose shared lives have been shaped for two decades now by the looming threat of cancer, but the also the redemptive promises of love and faith. We'll hear from a Japanese-American farmer about how he discovered his "lost" aunt, whose mental disability had led to her becoming a ward of the state, and whose very existence had been hidden from the family for decades.  We'll look in on the cutting edge of nematology and nematodes, tiny, microscopic and ubiquitous worms that have kindled a kind of Wild West of discovery where surprise and delight are a matter of course.  And then we'll speak with a father and son who are rebuilding their shared lives after the father's memory of his identity and past were erased by a traumatic brain injury. All of that and more is coming up in Season 8 of Constant Wonder, kicking of May 8.

While we're busy working on Season 8 of the Constant Wonder podcast, we're pleased to bring you an episode from a podcast we think you'll love. In Curator's Choice, Ayla Sparks goes behind the scenes at museums and other points of interest, getting the stories that explain why they're so special. In this episode, you'll learn the quirky and litigious history of Luray Caverns' discovery. You'll also hear the world's largest lithophone, aka the "stalacpipe organ." If you enjoy this episode be sure to check out more Curator's Choice adventures at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And join us on May 8 for the launch of Constant Wonder Season 8, which gets going with an episode on nematodes, the astounding, ubiquitous and sometimes, you might say, iniquitous microscopic worms beneath your feet.

Facing the loss of her Elkmont cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains—a family treasure for five generations—Lynn Faust began to pay more attention to the fireflies there, the "light show," as the family called it, where thousands of fireflies would light up in unison. When she read that synchronous fireflies did not exist in North America, she knew that scientists were wrong. The creatures were right in her own yard! Realizing just how little was known about these enchanting insects, she set out to observe them, becoming a self-taught firefly expert and unveiling the mysteries of nature's tiny lanterns.

Guest: Lynn Faust, author of "Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada"

Photo credit: SmokyMountains.com

Businesswoman Françoise Malby traveled the world for work, until a chance encounter in a London tube station changed her life. Within a year, she'd quit Paris for South Africa, where she and her partner, Lawrence, would eventually establish a wildlife preserve to shelter troubled and orphaned elephants and rhinos. The two would eventually marry and spend 14 years together operating the Thula Thula preserve. When Lawrence passed away suddenly, the responsibility for these animals fell to Françoise. In this episode of Constant Wonder, a tale of love and loss, and a touching connection beyond the grave.

Guest: Françoise Malby-Anthony, owner of Thula Thula Private Game Reserve and author of "The Elephants of Thula Thula"

Thula Baba traditional lullaby accessed on the Soweto Gospel Choir YouTube channel.