Whether on a pizza or on a pile of soil, you can’t deny the allure that mushrooms have on people. But a new project in central Wisconsin may find that mushrooms are more than just a tasty food. They could be helping to clean contaminated soil. As Wisconsin Public Radio reports, the project seeks to […]
A World Without Soil
For today’s show, Monday host Patty Peltekos speaks with Jo Handelsman about her new book, A World Without Soil: The Past, Present, and Precarious Future of the Earth Beneath Our Feet. The Wisconsin Book Festival and the Wisconsin Science Festival are co-presenting a book event with Jo Handelsman this Thursday, October 21 at 6 p.m. […]
Trees Can Talk
Trees can talk. That’s the surprising discovery at the heart of ecologist Suzanne Simard’s over thirty-five years of research in the forests of Canada, where she grew up. Her new book, Finding the Mother Tree, is in many ways an autobiography, tracing her family’s connection to the land. But it’s also about her years of […]
The Looming Collapse of American Farming
Back in April, we hosted food and agriculture writer Tom Philpott to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on our food supply. Today, he returns to the show to discuss his new book, Perilous Bounty, and the effects of climate change and farming practices on two major growing regions in the U.S.: California and the […]
Dairy and greenhouse gas emissions with Guest Dr. Matthew Ruark
Agriculture in the U.S. represents about 9% of total greenhouse gas emissions. But new research suggests that improvements in dairy farm operations could reduce those emissions by up to 30 or 40%. Dr. Matthew Ruark shares the results of the multi-university, $10 million research report on dairy and greenhouse gas emissions. The report titled “Climate […]
A Concerning Earth Day
Monday host Patty Peltekos speaks with Marcia DeLonge, senior scientist in the Food & Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. They’re in conversation about Earth and its issues, with particular emphasis on soil, farmland, and agroecology. Dr. DeLonge has a Ph.D. and M.S. in environmental science from the University of Virginia, where she […]
