Lately, paleoecologist Audrey Rowe has been a bit preoccupied with a girl named Elma. That's because Elma is ... a woolly mammoth. And 14,000 years ago, when Elma was alive, her habitat in interior Alaska was rapidly changing. The Ice Age was coming to a close and human hunters were starting early settlements. Which leads to an intriguing question: Who, or what, killed her? In the search for answers, Audrey traces Elma's life and journey through — get this — a single tusk. Today, she shares her insights on what the mammoth extinction from thousands of years ago can teach us about megafauna extinctions today with guest host Nate Rott.
Thoughts on other ancient animal stories we should tell? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might make a future episode about it!
In a Valentine's Day exclusive report, NPR has learned there is currently a gay anteater couple at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C.But this couple is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to queerness in the animal world – it's been documented in hundreds of species. We spoke with wildlife ecologist Christine Wilkinson of the "Queer is Natural" TikTok series to uncover the wildest, queerest animals of the bunch.
Questions, comments or thoughts on queer animal love? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might feature it on a future episode!
Investors in dating app companies are suffering from heartbreak. As these companies shift gears and try to make a profit, many of their users are heartbroken too.
Guinness World Records at first rejected a tower replica that Richard Plaud made from more than 700,000 matchsticks. But on further review, the organization said it might have been too "heavy-handed."
With a Grammys comeback performance, an unannounced 'SNL' visit, and an Olympic un-retirement, women were center stage this week. Sorry, Swifties, this time we're not talking about Taylor.
When the beloved red Muppet asked people how they were doing, they responded with honesty — and, in some cases, despair. Elmo replied to many messages with encouragement and empathy.
More than 100 of these artifacts have been found across Europe, but no one knows what they were used for. This dodecahedron was discovered fully intact and in excellent condition.
This week, we saw the Iowa caucuses suck up news coverage, an ancient space entity suck in stars, and low temps suck the charge from Teslas. Were you paying attention?
Times Square is not the only place that drops something to count down to the new year. A duck decoy, a MoonPie and a pickle are some of the other things that will descend at midnight.
Brosnan, who is best known for his stint as James Bond in the 1990s, was charged in Wyoming with failing to keep to the trails. He's due in federal court on Jan. 23.