Located just 15 miles outside Washington, the Great Falls of the Potomac is the most magnificent natural landmark in the metropolitan area. Rise early on an fall morning, avoid the crowds, and enjoy a small-group hiking experience with naturalist Keith Tomlinson. Examine the natural history of the area’s forest, observe a variety of birds, and learn about the effect of local land-use patterns on conservation efforts along the Potomac.
Far from being the wilderness described in early histories, the West was never an undiscovered Eden. Instead, it was an ancient homeland with landscapes that humans have inhabited, modified, and managed. In her book Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West, historian Sara Dant draws on historic data and the latest scientific research to trace the environmental history and development of the American West.
Everyone—regardless of the size of their space—can help restore nature. Join journalist and author Isabella Tree and her husband, conservationist Charlie Burrell, to learn practical steps to rewild everything from rivers and ponds to public spaces and community gardens to urban parks and window boxes.
Join geologist Kirt Kempter as he explores the geology of Western National Parks over the course of 2023, with an in-depth look at one location every month. This program spotlights Glacier National Park as part of a fall series, focused on parks in Montana and Utah.
To many people, a skeleton is just a hopeless pile of bones. But to a forensic anthropologist, skeletal remains are the key to identifying an individual and how and when they died. And nowhere else do they get a better understanding of decomposition than at the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee, aka the body farm. Dawnie Wolfe Steadman, the director of the center, digs into how forensic anthropologists from around the world learn from these bodies.
It seems popular these days to claim that free will is an illusion—that our brains or our genes or even just the laws of physics determine our actions. Neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell argues that these claims are hollow and traces the role evolution has played in the development of free will.
Over the course of the more than three decades he lived or visited there, the Badlands of North Dakota transformed Theodore Roosevelt into not only the kind of vigorous outdoorsman that he’d idealized as a youth but also a passionate conservationist. During a 5-day study tour led by naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley, explore the area, including Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and gain insights into Roosevelt’s pivotal years in the Badlands.
Following a thread woven from five of life’s essential elements—hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus—scientist Stephen Porder explores how microbes, plants, and people have used these fundamental building blocks to change the planet we all share. He argues that we can use our knowledge to craft a more sustainable future.
Animals’ color tells us where they belong in a classification scheme and plays a role in the ecology and behavior of insects, reptiles, and amphibians. It also can reflect changes in diet, adaptations of body temperature, and immunological responses. BIologist Kay Etheridge gives visual examples of color in these roles and discusses the challenges of naturalistic representation from medieval through modern times.
Spend a day on a journey into the enchanting embrace of autumn at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, a 1,700-acre preserve along the Patuxent River. Learn about the unique ecology of the area with Liana Vitali, naturalist and educator at Jug Bay. A wine tasting featuring selections from a local vineyard is included.
Virginia’s fabled Skyline Drive weaves through the length of Shenandoah National Park, one of the region’s top draws for hikers. In a two-day active getaway designed for outdoor lovers, explore the Blue Ridge trails at the height of their fall beauty with naturalist Keith Tomlinson and stay at an historic lodge on Skyline Drive that offers magnificent panoramic views of the mountain landscapes.
Few of us can enjoy a star-spangled night sky any longer, thanks to the glowing pall caused by all the lights that line roadways, parking lots, and backyards. Fortunately, the spread of light pollution can be halted and even reversed. Sky and Telescope magazine’s Kelly Beatty discusses how we can safely light up our homes, businesses, and communities without wasting energy, disturbing the neighbors, or creating an unhealthy environment for humans and wildlife.
Join naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley for an autumn nature hike in the scenic Potomac Gorge at Carderock, Maryland. The walk along the Billy Goat Trail offers dramatic river vistas and passes through a mature forest of oaks, hickories, maples, beeches, black walnuts, and sycamores.
Evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman uncovers the deadly secrets that lurk within our spice racks, medicine cabinets, and backyard gardens. Drawing on his book Most Delicious Poison, he reveals the origins of toxins produced by plants, mushrooms, microbes, and even some animals; the mechanisms that animals evolved to overcome them; and how humans came to use and abuse some of these toxins.
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Delaware Bay is noted for attracting an incredible array of migratory birds, especially shorebirds, as well as a wide variety of other species. Grab your binoculars and spotting scope and spend a day here with naturalist Matt Felperin, perfectly timed for great fall viewing, to seek out this fascinating array of avian wildlife.
Join geologist Kirt Kempter as he explores the geology of Western National Parks over the course of 2023, with an in-depth look at one location every month. This program spotlights Arches and Canyonlands as part of a fall series, focused on parks in Montana and Utah.
All of us would like to live longer or to slow the debilitating effects of age. Geneticist Coleen Murphy, author of the new book How We Age, illustrates how recent research on longevity and aging may be bringing us closer to this goal. Drawing on work in her own lab as well as other sources, she discusses what we know about aging and what we can do with this new knowledge.
Immerse yourself in the Japanese practice of forest bathing as Melanie Choukas-Bradley introduces its history and how-tos. Learn creative ways to reduce holiday stress and banish winter blues by connecting with nature close to home as Choukas-Bradley, a certified forest therapy guide, leads you through techniques to incorporate this soulful practice into your life.
Join geologist Kirt Kempter as he explores the geology of Western National Parks over the course of 2023, with an in-depth look at one location every month. This program spotlights Capitol Reef as part of a fall series, focused on parks in Montana and Utah.
When Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of Species, the oldest known fossils were trilobites preserved in rocks deposited during the Cambrian Period. Many decades and countless discoveries later, fossils from six continents now extend the animal record backward into the Ediacaran Period, some 50 million years before the first trilobites. Andrew H. Knoll of Harvard University traces the fossil record of Earth’s earliest known animals, asking how these remains illuminate the early evolution of our own kingdom.
