126 episodes

Stay in tune with our phenomenal world. Join us for explorations of science, art, history, and more. We're on a quest to find awe and wonder in all nature—human or wild, vast or small. Encounters that move us beyond words. Hosted by Marcus Smith, Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio.

Constant Wonder BYUradio

    • Science
    • 4.7 • 102 Ratings

Stay in tune with our phenomenal world. Join us for explorations of science, art, history, and more. We're on a quest to find awe and wonder in all nature—human or wild, vast or small. Encounters that move us beyond words. Hosted by Marcus Smith, Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio.

    S7 E11: Love and Loss and Elephants

    S7 E11: Love and Loss and Elephants

    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.

    • 1 hr 1 min
    S7 E10: One Man's Quest to Restore A Beloved American Tree

    S7 E10: One Man's Quest to Restore A Beloved American Tree

    Emmett Hoops was seven when he determined to help save the nearly extinct American chestnut tree. He's 64 now, but his hope and passion are unabated. In this episode of Constant Wonder, you'll meet Emmett, but you'll also hear voices from the past: people who grew up under the leaves of the chestnut tree and who relied on its nutritious nuts—before blight drove it from the American forest around 1940.

    Guests:
    Emmett Hoops, Director for District 5 and Vice President for Outreach, New York Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation
    Andy Newhouse, Director of American Chestnut Project at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

    Special thanks to Bethany N. Baxter for archival interviews from Appalachia conducted in 2008.

    • 53 min
    S7 E9: Shared Solitude: The Life-Changing Epiphanies of a Children's Writer

    S7 E9: Shared Solitude: The Life-Changing Epiphanies of a Children's Writer

    Though his life looked calm from the outside, Douglas Wood's undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia dragged him down—until he received a personal letter from the famed wilderness writer Sig Olson. Olson's encouragement set him on a path to become a wilderness guide and a noted children's author.

    Guest: Douglas Wood, author of over 40 books, retired wilderness canoe guide, and most recently the author of "A Wild Path," a collection of essays for adults

    • 53 min
    S7 E8: Freediver Welcomes All to a World of Wonder

    S7 E8: Freediver Welcomes All to a World of Wonder

    Raised in landlocked Soweto, Zandile Ndhlovu didn't have easy access to a pool or the ocean, and she grew up hearing tales of monsters lurking in rivers and the sea. When she was nearly 30, she went on a snorkeling trip in Bali and felt a startling feeling of "coming home" beneath the waves. She would soon give up her management consulting career to become the first female Black South African freediving instructor. She can hold her breath for nearly five minutes underwater! As an ambassador for the sea, she travels the globe sharing the wonder of the ocean and the power of human breath.

    GUEST: Zandile Ndhlovu, freediving instructor, Founder and Director of the The Black Mermaid Foundation, author of the children's book "Zandi's Song"

    • 52 min
    S7 E7: From Emancipation to the Great Migration: A Family Journey

    S7 E7: From Emancipation to the Great Migration: A Family Journey

    Born just after Emancipation, Anna Maria Threewitts and CG Garrett grow up to become pillars of their Black community. Their ten children must decide if they'll embrace their parents' high expectations for achievement in the Jim Crow South, or head north as part of the Great Migration that forever changed the face of America.

    Guest: David Nicholson, author of "The Garretts of Columbia: A Black South Carolina Family from Slavery to the Dawn of Integration"
    Readers: Othello Richards, John Pilmer, and Peachie Jones

    "A Charge to Keep I Have" written by Charles Wesley, sung by Hasan Green, accessed at TheHasanGreen YouTube channel
    "Manual Typewriter Sound Effect" accessed at Sound Effects YouTube channel

    • 1 hr 3 min
    S7 E6: Divine Discontent and the Unyielding Pursuit of Justice

    S7 E6: Divine Discontent and the Unyielding Pursuit of Justice

    When Freeman Hrabowski III first heard Martin Luther King speak in church, he was a 12-year-old math nerd trying to avoid getting hazed by the older kids. A week later, he, along with hundreds of other kids, was a hero of the civil rights movement, having spent five nights in jail. Later that fall, one of Freeman's schoolmates died in the notorious 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Those events shaped the course of a life devoted to helping Black children reach their educational goals.

    Guest: Freeman Hrabowski III, Emeritus President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and author of "The Resilient University: How Purpose and Inclusion Drive Student Success"

    • 49 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
102 Ratings

102 Ratings

Shauna NI ,

Dreams

What a great program! The science of dreaming was outstanding. More like this please.

And then Jill ,

Fun in the wondering!

I LOVED this episode! I appreciate the variety of topics and the fun thoughts that are invited to my curious mind. Thank you!

onthedont ,

Top notch

Recently found this podcast and loving it, great host and topics, really liked the hospice Dr and ordered his book.
Thank you!

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