Shows
9 Minutes of WonderChristmas traditions you may or may not have heard of — and happy holidays to you!Christmas is not the same everywhere, and isn't that a good thing?
Every December when I was a young girl, the phone company set up a special phone number that we could call to hear Santa speaking from various countries. He'd tell us about Christmas traditions in those places and of course wish us a Merry Christmas. I'd then get out my globe and imagine what it might be like to celebrate Christmas around the world.
This episode is from me, not Santa, but it's my way of saying happy holidays to you by sharing...
2025-12-2308 min9 Minutes of Wonder(Reposting in honor of this week's lights) The northern lights: how can we not be amazed by lights jumping around in the sky?Wow, pink and purple skies! I hope you've had a chance to see it this week, or at least sometime in the past or future. Let's talk about these magnificent lights.
A few resources:
What causes the northern lights?
Northern lights: what they are and how to see them
10 awesome aurora facts (from the Australian government)
Fire in the sky: the southern lights in Indigenous oral traditions
Hubble captures vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere (NASA)
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com...
2025-11-1409 min9 Minutes of WonderMagnificent sun, where have you gone? Fall is a good time to reflect on the wonders of our favorite star.What's something you often yearn for but then sometimes wish would leave you alone? That could be the sun. But our friendly closest star is much more than that bright circle in the sky we mainly think about when it's not visible and we're cold. It's one of the few things that are absolutely vital to life on Earth. So let's focus on the sun, without looking directly at it, of course.
A few resources:
Sun (Wikipedia)
Sun vs. atomic bomb (YouTube)
6 ancient sites aligned with the solstice and the equinox
2025-10-2909 min9 Minutes of WonderForks: never to be taken for granted!You probably use a fork every day, yet you never think much about this multi-pronged utensil, do you? That may change after you hear this, and you might find yourself getting curious about other everyday things in your home as well. Why not? Everything has interesting stories, and connecting to things like forks helps us feel more connected to this complex and seemingly disjointed world.
A few resources:
How the simple fork almost tore apart the fabric of society (National Geographic)
A history of Western eating utensils, from the scandalous fork to the...
2025-09-1508 min9 Minutes of WonderWhat's not to love about butterflies?Butterflies are incredible in so many ways! Their beauty alone is good enough reason to admire them, but there's so much more. Reacquaint yourself with their magic.
Butterflies: masters of disguise
Migration and overwintering (monarchs)
What happens inside a chrysalis? (sorry, I can only find this on one Facebook)
Monarch butterfly metamorphosis time-lapse (YouTube)
Monarch butterfly life cycle (YouTube)
Butterfly Conservation (UK-based butterfly and moth charity)
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
Co...
2025-08-1408 min9 Minutes of WonderSongbirds can make you happier! Peek behind the scenes of how and why they sing, and hear a few singing today.Almost everyone loves hearing birds sing! Even if you rarely pay attention to the birds singing around you, you'd miss them if they stopped and might even feel more depressed. So start listening for the birds in your area, and listen here to learn some of the wonders of how and why they sing.
A few resources:
What is a songbird, exactly?
5 fascinating facts about birdsong
The development of birdsong
Which birds are the best mimics?
Listening to birds sing really does soothe your brain. Here's why.
2025-07-1809 min
PGH Dive Bar Talk108 - Enter the Romper Room108 – Enter the Romper RoomHappy Father’s Day to all those that celebrate. We are PGH Dive Bar Talk and we are the only Category 5 podcast in the universe. We are now 730 pounds of podcast proclivity and mutually exclusive, we are also alcohol influencers. Be sure you tell ‘em where you got it!(4:00) – There’s a huge shift in our podcast philosophy. Tune in to hear us celebrate women.(5:40) - @newscientist Magazine headlines1. Penguin excrement helps keep Antarctica cool.2. Teeth may have come from ancient fish skin.3. Mysterious planet is orbiting backwards between two stars.(7:14) – What not to do on a job interv...
2025-06-2458 min9 Minutes of WonderFireflies are magical! Spend a few moments marveling at this lovely bioluminescent beetle.One of my favorite childhood summertime memories is watching fireflies in the evenings. After many firefly-free years, I got to see them again last weekend. Discover why they're so cool and how they do what they do.
A few resources for your enjoyment:
2025-06-2308 min9 Minutes of WonderSee pigeons in a whole new way — they're smart, gentle, and full of storiesDo you know any pigeon-haters, or pigeon-phobes? Pigeons are actually such interesting birds, and they mean us no harm at all. Bring some wonder into your next city or suburban outing, and maybe you'll see pigeons in a new light.
(Not my best-quality audio, I'm afraid, but this will have to do because I've already recorded it twice!)
A few resources:
Are pigeons as smart as primates? You can count on it.
The human relationship with pigeons: forgotten war heroes
Humans domesticated pigeons, then abandoned them. Is it time...
2025-06-1009 min9 Minutes of WonderWhat were the odds? The beauty (and sometimes peril) of chance encounters.What chance encounters have shaped your life? Don't you look back on them with a sense of wonder — what were the odds?! I'll talk about this phenomenon and also put in a good word for its social cousin, small talk with strangers, even if you're an introvert like me.
Chance encounters (CNN)
Small talk doesn't need to be meaningless: the benefits of talking to strangers
Planned happenstance and your career
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2025-05-2308 min9 Minutes of WonderLibraries inspire wonder! Here are three reasons why, in nine minutes...Even with the internet's endless magic, libraries remain fascinating and important places. Come to the library with me in this episode, where I'll share three reasons I love libraries and think everyone else should too!
A few resources:
World Book Day
Joanina Library
Great Library of Alexandria: New and improved
The world's most extraordinary libraries
'A cultural masterpiece': the world's best new public libraries — in pictures
Public libraries are not just about books. At their heart, they are about social equity. (The Guardian)
2025-04-2209 min9 Minutes of WonderWonder is its own form of resistanceIf you haven't heard it from me enough, I'll say it again: cultivating wonder is good for us all! I'm going to share some things you might try today or this week if you're seeking more wonder, awe, and joy.
Why now?
While I always hope this podcast is uplifting, I can't produce it in a vacuum as if I feel all is well in the world. And since I don't feel that way now (and you may not either), I've recorded this episode about how cultivating wonder can be its own form of resistance...
2025-04-0707 min9 Minutes of WonderThe birds are migrating again as they've done for eons — look up and around, and listen!Few natural phenomena are as magical and mysterious as bird migrations. I wish I had more than nine minutes, but I'll give you just a taste of why migrating birds are so cool.
"Marshland Elegy" by Aldo Leopold (PDF from A Sand County Almanac, 1949)
These 5 birds are all winners in the migrations Olympics (National Audubon Society)
Bird migration is one of nature's great wonders. Here's how they do it. (National Geographic)
Fabulous flights: 13 amazing facts about bird migration (BBC)
How migrating birds use quantum effects to navigate (Scientific American)
2025-03-2009 min9 Minutes of WonderIce is nature's exquisite abstract art (but it doesn't belong in winter drinks!)How much attention do you pay to ice? Maybe you're sick and tired of all the ice around you this time of year, but what about taking a closer look — even if it's just in your freezer? Ice is a menace on the road or sidewalk and can damage our beloved trees, but have you ever considered ice as an art form? Listen to find out more about this simple form of water that we usually either take for granted or curse. (Bonus topic: why do Americans use so much ice in their drinks?)
A huge thank yo...
2025-03-0709 min9 Minutes of WonderQuiet, please! Let's talk about quiet...with a bonus section where I will actually be quietThe world is so noisy! Even if we live in relatively quiet places, we are bombarded by noise thanks to all the pinging and dinging on our phones, the din of terrible news, demands from annoying coworkers...the list can seem endless. So let's focus on the more quiet side of life — quiet places we can visit or imagine. If quiet creeps you out, not to worry — this episode only lasts 9 minutes, and I talk through most it!
A few resources:
Lonely Planet: The Joy of Quiet Places
In the Earth's quietest room, you c...
2025-02-1109 min9 Minutes of WonderCan music make you "float above the Earth in a starry dome"?If you need to be uplifted, how about listening to some beautiful music and learning why it's awe-inspiring? Awe scientist Dacher Keltner lists music as one of the “eight wonders of life," and there's no question that music is an essential and universal part of being human. So spend nine minutes here, and then spend some more time with your favorite music today.
See also:
Beethoven Ode to Joy flash mob (YouTube)
Tchaikovsky Research, Symphony No. 4
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2025-01-2809 min9 Minutes of WonderDeep time: it's almost unfathomable, but let's try anyway!What comes to mind when you think about the upcoming year? What about the "upcoming" 10 million years? Big difference, obviously, not just in the amount of time but also in how we envision these time spans. In this episode, I share a few fun metaphors for deep time — ways of visualizing (and maybe understanding) the unimaginable.
For more info:
Carl Sagan — Cosmos — cosmic calendar
Earth's entire history (visualized on a football field)
A glass of whiskey could help you get your head around deep time
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk...
2025-01-1109 min9 Minutes of WonderIt's winter solstice in the northern hemisphere — enjoy the dark turning to light!The winter solstice is special from various perspectives. Even if you don't get into the spiritual magic of the day, you can still be impressed at what our planet's tilt makes happen as we go around the sun. And you can watch the livestream of this special day from Stonehenge (link below). Happy solstice! (And happy summer solstice to my southern-hemisphere friends!)
Some links:
Winter solstice at Mission San Juan Bautista (source of the audio clip)
A trip to San Juan Bautista on the winter solstice (video)
California Frontier Project (to...
2024-12-2109 min9 Minutes of WonderPoinsettias: notice them in a new way (you might as well since they're everywhere!)It's National Poinsettia Day in the US! Make it a good one by learning more about these ubiquitous "flowers." Or listen after the fact to prepare for next year.
A few resources:
Poinsettias at Christmas
8 fun facts to know about poinsettias
How to keep a poinsettia alive
Cuetlaxochitl: a cultural history of the poinsettia
The checkered history of the poinsettia’s namesake and the flower’s origins get new attention
The complicated history of the poinsettia
Joel Roberts Poinsett: Namesake of the poinsettia, ensl...
2024-12-1210 min9 Minutes of WonderAwe and wonder are good for us! Here's why I'm doing this...Why am I doing this podcast anyway? Peek behind the curtain of my motivations in this short episode. Hint: because it's fun, and because awe and wonder are good for us and for society.
Dacher Keltner's website, with info about his book Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-12-0507 min9 Minutes of WonderThe enormous solar furnace of Uzbekistan: be blown away by the engineering, and brave the creepy staircase to the top!I can hardly begin to describe how cool this place was, in an industrial sort of way. I'll tell you about it here, but please visit the link to see what the place looks like. This is a fantastic engineering marvel, although in a way it's so simple — harnessing the sun to heat things up.
By the way, I mention 3000 degrees, and that's Celsius. In degrees Fahrenheit it would be 5432 degrees.
Burnt by the sun: Uzbekistan's spectacular solar furnace
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creat...
2024-11-1407 min9 Minutes of WonderSamarkand and the marvelous observatory: did you ever think a place of serious science could look so magnificent?Samarkand is a city of gorgeous tiled architecture, but in a way the most interesting site is the observatory of Ulugh Beg. You can only see the remaining sextant now, although a small bit of the observatory building has been reconstructed to help visitors imagine its earlier splendor. The astronomical discoveries made here are awe-inspiring enough, but the architecture must have been dazzling even to people who had no idea what the building was for.
Have a look at the photos on these sites to bring the place to life:
Observatory of Ulugh Beg, Samarkand (t...
2024-10-2807 min9 Minutes of WonderThe wonders of travel: spend 9 minutes in the surprising city of Tashkent, UzbekistanVisiting new places inspires wonder by giving us fresh perspectives on daily life (among other reasons). Join me for a few minutes in Tashkent and learn some things that may surprise you about this city that you probably don’t know much about.
Uzbekistan’s secret underground - in pictures
Uzbekistan Travel
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-10-1507 min9 Minutes of WonderSea otters: because near-extinction stories are wonderful (and the otters are so darned cute)I wrote my fourth-grade animal report about sea otters — so you know I love them! I hope you'll love them too after learning about their magnificent fur (which almost led to their extinction) and their inspiring comeback, as well as some other reasons they're important and interesting. After listening, search "sea otter photos and videos," or use some of the links below, to see how cute they are.
Oregon Encyclopedia: Sea Otter
12 facts about sea otters for Sea Otter Awareness Week (US Dept. of the Interior)
Sea otters crack open oysters and clams (Yo...
2024-09-2909 min9 Minutes of WonderKetchup: you’ll never think about this ubiquitous American condiment in the same way againEven mundane things in your kitchen can inspire wonder — or at least be interesting — if you pay attention. If you've never wondered about the history of ketchup, or why it's called ketchup, or what ketchup was like in the olden days, now's your chance to wonder.
Edit: I made a mistake when I talked about the "mystery" EZ Squirt ketchup. It apparently didn't have all those colors together. Rather, the mystery was which color you would get. That does make more sense!
A few resources:
11 ketchup facts that go well with ever...
2024-09-0209 min9 Minutes of WonderSwarms of locusts — awe-full and awfulA horror show in August! Not all awe-inspiring phenomena are uplifting — this one surely isn't, but it does inspire a sense of wonder in what nature can do. Learn about some historical and more recent swarms.
(I don't mention this in the show, but the word "awful" originally meant "arousing or inspiring awe." I think both meanings fit this topic well.)
A few resources:
On the Banks of Plum Creek (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
The Locust Plague of 1915 Photograph Album (Library of Congress)
Looking Back at the Days of the Locu...
2024-08-1809 min9 Minutes of WonderOlympic athleticism: how can anyone possibly do that? (part 2)Here's more on the awe-inspiring Olympics, including two additional sports and the exciting conclusion of my personal badminton story.
Ancient Olympic pentathlon (Wikipedia)
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-08-0506 min9 Minutes of WonderOlympic athleticism: how can anyone possibly do that? (part 1)Have you been watching the Paris Summer Olympics? There's no question the athletes inspire awe and wonder — especially in those of us who are not particularly coordinated! In this Part 1 of 2, I talk about the Olympics in general and a couple sports I find particularly amazing, plus share a story or two of my own athletic mishaps.
Meet the nations that have never won an Olympic medal (and two that just did) (New York Times)
What makes an elite badminton player?
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
L...
2024-08-0409 min9 Minutes of WonderWyatt the wonder kitten: all good people love kittens, and Wyatt is a kitten hero to wonder at!We all love inspiring stories about overcoming challenges. Here's one about Wyatt, a beautiful and very happy little orange kitten with many medical challenges.
(edit: at one point I say "mother kitten" — but you know I meant "mother cat"!)
Kitkat Playroom website
Kitkat Playroom YouTube channel, including livestream
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-07-2109 min9 Minutes of WonderSpin the Globe to Samar Island: because the world is a wonder-inducing planet with a very interesting moonWhat better way to pass time while waiting for the dentist than spinning the Google Earth globe and seeing where you land? In this first spin-the-globe episode, I've landed on Samar Island in the Philippines. Let's see where we end up from there...
Philippine flying lemur (colugo)
Philippine eagle (a critically endangered species)
How did all these arches form? Erosion and weathering — Arches National Park
Fairy Bridge (Xianren Bridge)
Natural arch found on the Moon
Water and ices on the Moon
Musi...
2024-07-0209 min9 Minutes of WonderCicadas of 2024: wow are these insects cool (yes!), only appearing once every 13 or 17 yearsThe 17-year cicadas emerged once again this year in northern Illinois (while a 13-year brood emerged to the south), and I traveled to see and hear them. "Ick, insects?" I know, they are pretty big, with buzzing wings and large red eyes. But why not spend nine minutes hearing about them anyway — and see if you can sense some of the wonder in this regular, but infrequent, natural phenomenon.
Illinois Cicada Watch (Facebook group)
Insectophilia (insects in Japanese culture, with the Haiku I read)
Illinois cicada info
Mus...
2024-06-2009 min9 Minutes of WonderThe ruins of Rome: layers of time right before your eyes, what could be more awe-inspiring?Here's my take on why the ruins of ancient Rome are so awe-inspiring. Then think about ancient (or at least relatively old) sites near your home — is a road trip in order?
A couple videos on the topic:
The Ancient City of Rome (travel video)
Virtual Rome: What Did Ancient Rome Look Like?
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-06-0709 min9 Minutes of WonderPeanuts: such ordinary little seeds, but take a closer look and you’ll appreciate them so much morePeanuts are not really nuts, but they're much more interesting than you might think. Even if you don't eat them, you can appreciate how far they've spread in the world and how they've even inspired some gross banana-flavored candies!
A few of my sources:
Peanuts and power in the Andes
Where are the peanuts? (the David Williams quote)
A brief history of peanut butter (Smithsonian)
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-05-2108 min9 Minutes of WonderThe northern lights: how can we not be amazed by lights jumping around in the sky?Wow, pink and purple skies! I hope you've had a chance to see it this weekend, or at least sometime in the past or future. Let's talk about these magnificent lights.
A few resources:
What causes the northern lights?
Northern lights: what they are and how to see them
10 awesome aurora facts (from the Australian government)
Fire in the sky: the southern lights in Indigenous oral traditions
Hubble captures vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere (NASA)
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com...
2024-05-1108 min9 Minutes of WonderSolar eclipse: everyone should see one at least once — it’s really worth the trip!Did you see the recent total solar eclipse? Eclipses are really incredible! Find out why in this episode.
A few notes:
In the episode I mention Horatio Cushman. I should have read more about him before speaking, but you can read about him here if you like. He was not Choctaw, but he lived in the same area and wrote a major history of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez, published in 1899.
The Archilochus quote comes from this page.
I found the audio clip of the eclipse here (really a video): h...
2024-05-0609 min9 Minutes of WonderSeeds: annoying little things in our fruit…or the fascinating foundation of everything?We take seeds for granted, yet they're all around us and are obviously essential to life. We'll discuss seeds and visit the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard (where you can take your own virtual tour).
A few resources of interest:
Who controls the world's food supply?
Inside the Doomsday Vault (the Time Magazine article I quote)
Global Seed Vault
Global Seed Vault Virtual Tour
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-05-0609 min9 Minutes of WonderIslands way up north: there’s something awe-inspiring about the world’s extreme northerly placesThese islands are so far removed from most of our lives — and I find them fascinating. Find out why in this nine-minute trip north of the Arctic Circle.
Notes:
See today's weather forecast for Jan Mayen.
Here's a site about Jan Mayen, with the Lord Dufferin quote.
And here's another page about Jan Mayen.
Learn about the Global Seed Vault.
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk): www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-05-0508 min9 Minutes of WonderDeep water: terrifying, mysterious, and beautiful all at onceDeep water is awe-inspiring, in a spooky sort of way. Join me to explore some wonders of the depths.
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk): www.soundcloud.com/jenseast
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0
2024-05-0108 min9 Minutes of WonderWelcome to 9 Minutes of Wonder (Trailer)This podcast promotes a state of wonder about this captivating world and its inhabitants. We explore real-life examples of how things we often take for granted — or never even think about at all — are actually fascinating if we pay attention to them. Each episode is around nine minutes or less, but I hope these few minutes will affect how you experience the other minutes and hours of your day. A sense of wonder and awe is good for us, as we already intuitively know and as science is increasingly demonstrating — so please join me!
Music: Jens Ea...
2024-04-1401 min