Podcast
Wild Thing
Hosted by Foxtopus Ink · EN
Wild Thing is a long-form, narrative podcast about the obsessions that capture our imaginations. This sound-rich and deeply reported show examines the relationship between science and society—that point where scientific inquiry collides with our very human desire to find answers, even when there are none. Whether it's seeking out Sasquatch, looking skyward for extraterrestrial life, or probing the power of the atom, exploring the unknown helps us better understand ourselves. Every season, host Laura Krantz tackles a brand new topic, so be sure to start with the first episode for each one.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Seth Shostak and SETI—S2 Bonus Interview
1w ago00:32:38Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! Seth Shostak is the chief astronomer at the SETI Institute and we’ll hear from him about SETI's mission: how they’re looking, what they're looking for, and how they think about the search.
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Making Sense of MUFON—S2 Bonus Interview
3w ago00:23:12Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! Rob Swiatek introduces us to MUFON—the Mutual UFO Network—whose mission is to collect reports of and investigate UFO sightings all over the US and the world. Swiatek has been with MUFON for decades and explains how the organization works and what they're looking for.
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Silvano Colombano Wonders If We're Doing It Wrong—S2 Bonus Interview
Apr 2800:26:50Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! Silvano Colombano, a long-time NASA scientist, argues that the search for extraterrestrial life makes some erroneous assumptions. We talk to him about what those assumptions are, why they might be wrong, and how we might think differently about the search.
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Aliens and Art with Frank Buffalo Hyde—S2 Bonus Interview
Apr 1400:21:00Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! UFOs, aliens, other-worldly beings—all have appeared in art over the centuries (including, possibly, in Renaissance-era paintings). But some of the most recent depictions appear in the works of Frank Buffalo Hyde, an Onondaga artist who uses UFOs to talk about tribal histories and lore.
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Sara Seager Explains Exoplanets—S2 Bonus Interview
Mar 3100:27:39Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! While we hypothesized about exoplanets for years, it wasn't until recently that we could confirm their existence. Astrophysicist and MIT professor Sara Seager has been at the leading edge of the search for exoplanets.
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Abel Méndez Talks About the Arecibo Telescope—S2 Bonus Interview
Mar 1700:32:06Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! 2020 - already not a great year - was made worse for astronomers when the Arecibo Telescope collapsed in Puerto Rico. Abel Mendez, an astronomer who grew up in the telescope's shadow, talks about the importance of Arecibo and what future plans may bring.
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"Ancient Aliens" with David Anderson—S2 Bonus Interview
Mar 300:30:48Tap to summarizeWild thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! David Anderson likes the idea of aliens but he’s not a big fan of the TV show Ancient Aliens. The archeologist has real problems with how the show portrays his chosen field and diminishes human achievements. But, he says, while the show is misguided, he also understands why these ideas about “pseudoarchaeology” are so appealing.
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Sarah Stewart Johnson Marvels at Mars—S2 Bonus Interview
Feb 1700:32:46Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! Sarah Stewart Johnson is a planetary scientist who has worked on several Mars missions and is also the author of Sirens of Mars. She talks to us about the latest mission to the Red Planet—the Perseverance rover—and why our closest neighbor holds such fascination for Earthlings.
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Talking About Aliens with Neil deGrasse Tyson—S2 Bonus Interview
Feb 300:37:09Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson gives his perspective on the rare earth hypothesis, the difficulty of wrapping one's head around the universe, and the problem with movie aliens.
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A Conversation with Joe Scott—S2 Bonus Interview
Jan 2100:29:28Tap to summarizeWild Thing is re-releasing its bonus interviews! In a wide-ranging conversation, Joe Scott, (host of the popular YouTube series Answers With Joe) and I discuss panspermia, whether octopuses are aliens, and the rare earth hypothesis.
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