What An Owl Knows - Smithsonian Associate Jennifer Ackerman The Not Old - Better Show

What An Owl Knows - Smithsonian Associate Jennifer Ackerman
The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series
Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Art of Living Interview Series on radio and podcast.  I’m Paul Vogelzang and as part of our Smithsonian Associates interview series, a wonderful, joyous, and important interview with our guest, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ackerman, who I’ll introduce in just a minute.
But quickly, if you missed any episodes, last week was our 718th episode when I spoke with University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford Distinguished Professor, Dr. Arthur Lupia, who’s written recently in Nature Magazine about how political endorsements impact scientific credibility.  Two weeks ago, in honor of Memorial Day and the USS Arizona, I spoke with Kevin Kline, executive director of Operation 85 and the USS Arizona.  There are still 85 “unknown” Navy and Marine service members from USS Arizona whose remains are in unmarked graves, and we can help find them.  Excellent subjects for our Not Old Better Show audience. If you missed those shows, along with any others, you can go back and check them out with my entire back catalog of shows, all free for you, there on our website, NotOld-Better.com. You can Google Not Old Better and get everything you need about us!
For millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. Our fascination with these mysterious birds was first documented more than 30,000 years ago in the Chauvet Cave paintings in southern France. With their forward-looking eyes and gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls?
Scientists have only recently begun to understand in deep detail the complex nature of these extraordinary avians. Some 260 species of owls exist today, and they reside on every continent except Antarctica, but they are far more difficult to find and study than other birds because they are cryptic, camouflaged, and mostly active in the dark of night.
Our guest today, Smithsonian Associate Jennifer Ackerman, author of the New York Times bestseller The Genius of Birds, pulls back the curtain on the nature of the world’s most enigmatic birds as she explores the rich biology and natural history of owls and examines remarkable new scientific discoveries about their brains and behavior.  Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about science, nature, and health for three decades.  Her work aims to explain and interpret science for a lay audience and to explore the riddle of humanity’s place in the natural world, blending scientific knowledge with imaginative vision.  Jennifer Ackerman will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up, so please check out our show notes or the Smithsonian Associates site for more details.  But we have Jennifer Ackerman today and here is a brief passage from her new book, What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Bird , which we’ll be discussing, and is the title of Jennifer Ackerman’s upcoming presentation at Smithsonian Associates.
That of course, is New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ackerman reading from her new book, What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Bird. Please join me in welcoming to the Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates interview series on radio and podcast, Smithsonian Associate Jennifer Ackerman.
My thanks to Smithsonian Associate Jennifer Ackerman.  Jennifer Ackerman will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up, so please check out our show notes or the Smithsonian Associates site for more details. My thanks to the wonderful Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show.  My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience here on radio and podcast.  Please be well, be safe, and let’s talk about better.  The Not Old Better Show on rad