sky

Lose Yourself In The Sky

Dangerous Ideas

Magician Nate Staniforth has a dangerous idea for you. Tonight, after dark, go outside and look up to the sky.More

Latest Stories

The Wisdom of Trails

A path near Lake Wingra in Madison, Wisconsin.
Audio

Any hiker has to wonder about the trails they walk on. Who made them? And why does the trail follow this particular route? Robert Moor has traveled around the world exploring animal and fossil trails, and he's investigated ancient roads and neural networks. He says paths embody a deep wisdom.

The Greatest Navigators on the Planet

Photos courtesy of the Aldo Leopold Foundation
Articles

David Barrie is fascinated by how animals find their way. How do they travel thousands of miles across oceans or continents, to a place they've never been, without any other creature to show them the way?

Length: 
11:25

The High Costs — And Potential Gains — Of Migration, Both Animal And Human

The Maasai have lived alongside the Serengeti wildlife for generations.
Articles

Science journalist Sonia Shah, herself the child of Indian immigrants, has long been fascinated with the way animals, people and even microbes move. She says migration is both a crisis and an opportunity.

Length: 
09:30

A Neuroscientist and a Novelist Put Creativity Under a Microscope

The creative mind
Articles

Novelist Siri Hustvedt knows how the creative process feels. Neuroscientist Heather Berlin knows what it looks like in the brain. Together with Steve, they explore the emerging science of creativity.

Length: 
11:00

The Serengeti's Great Migration, Up Close

We came over one hill and saw hundreds of zebras.
Photo Gallery

Imagine driving over a hill and seeing hundreds of zebras or a thousand wildebeest. Anne and Steve were lucky enough to witness this spectacle in the Serengeti. Their expert guide, Moses Augustino Kumburu, describes the Great Migration.

Length: 
09:20

Sandhill Cranes Make The Long Journey South

Greg Dixon (Photo copyright gregdixonphoto.com)
Photo Gallery

Thousands of sandhill cranes gather each fall on the banks of the Wisconsin River before they head south for the winter. Anne and Steve visited the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin to witness this migration firsthand, along with their guide: wildlife ecologist Stan Temple.

Length: 
06:55

Was The Art Worth All The Pain?

"Junebug"
Photo Gallery

Nathaniel Mary Quinn was abandoned as a child. Today, he’s a celebrated painter, exhibiting around the world. He tells Charles his remarkable story about talent and perseverance in the face of enormous odds.

Length: 
15:05

Why Do Animals Migrate?

A herd of topi.
Audio

The fact that so many animals migrate — sometimes thousands of miles — has puzzled people over the ages. Why do they take such risky journeys? Conservation biologist David Wilcove studies migration, and he says the scale of migration is staggering.

Length: 
10:10