Overview

There are a LOT of trees in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and they’re responsible for that dreamy blue haze on the horizon. Trees produce fine mists of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which scatter blue light waves. But these compounds are also a key ingredient in ground level ozone, and in the mid-90s the area had serious air quality issues. Not only was it dangerous to breathe, the hazy blue was disappearing from the horizon.

Meet Mark Hufstetler, a fire lookout at Baptiste Tower in Flathead National Forest, Montana, who believes human observation is still imperative in fire detection and management. See how people like Mark have been protecting our forests for over a century and continue to play a vital role in protecting our natural resources.

Wild horses made their home on the islands of North Carolina centuries ago, supposedly descendants of horses brought by shipwrecked colonizers. Today, they are celebrities on these islands, creating a tourist frenzy and drawing thousands of people every summer to the northern beaches of North Carolina. But the situation is complicated. The horse population needs to be managed because they can cause serious damage to the ecosystem. How can we respect these horses and keep them wild while protecting the islands?

It’s one of the most breathtaking natural spectacles on the planet — trillions of green leaves across New England transform into the brilliant hues of fall. This is nature’s masterwork. But how and why do the leaves change color in fall? The answers may surprise you.

Red River Gorge, a geological wonder in Kentucky and one of the world’s top rock climbing destinations, is a haven for rare species and a place of many surprises. What makes this place so special?

The three human figures and two animals that make up the Blythe Geoglyphs - or Blythe Giant Intaglios - are enormous. So big in fact, that they can’t be fully appreciated from the ground. But the figures were carved into the earth long before air travel was invented. So who made them...and why?

American prairies were once home to as many as 60 million bison. But when ranching and agriculture displaced elk and bison from the prairies, America’s grasslands all but disappeared. Now, the Nature Conservancy manages the largest remaining protected tract of tallgrass prairie in the entire world, the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in northeastern Oklahoma. This 40,000-acre expanse is much more than grass. It is a biologically rich habitat that harbors a diverse collection of plant and animal species—more than 750 species of flora and 80 different mammals. This prairie is also a vital component in nature’s fight against climate change. The key to keeping the prairie healthy? Bison.

Two-time Drone Racing League Champion Jordan Temkin knows the feeling of personal flight. Come along for a ride with Jordan as we dive into the mechanics and the physics of FPV (First-Person View) drones.

It’s a mile long and 150 feet high, and covered in the most spectacular ice falls anyone has ever seen. And it’s all human-made. The Ouray Ice Park is the world’s premier location for ice climbing and attracts visitors from around the world. Nobody has ever attempted to create anything on this scale. How do they do it?

Traffic causes a litany of problems for society, from increased emissions to accidents. This traffic scientist thinks automated vehicles will help us finally solve it.

Avalanches are mysterious and complex and the science of these natural phenomena is incomplete. One thing that is known is how to prevent them. To do that, you have to do something counterintuitive — you have to start them. In the coming years, new technologies could transform our understanding of these deadly events. Scientists may be able to more efficiently and effectively identify the danger zones. And that could help save lives.

Most the of 600 billion pounds of waste that Americans produce every year ends up in landfills. All that trash can have huge impacts on the environment. But modern landfills have found a new use for all that trash — they’re turning it into energy.

If Texas were a country it would be fifth in the world for wind energy generation. Take a trip through wind country with host Joe Hanson as he looks into why oil country is turning into wind country.

Corals all over the world are threatened by warming ocean temperatures. But 30 years of data show that reefs off the Florida Keys could protect themselves from rising temperatures if they weren’t also dealing with nutrient pollution coming from land. What’s weakening these corals? Sewage. And there’s something we can do about it.

The ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest are home to giant trees and many secrets, which science is just beginning to understand. But these forests are at risk of disappearing. In British Columbia on First Nation territory, a small band of forest defenders are risking life and liberty to protect some of the last remaining ancient forests.

Cars dominate US city streets, and there’s no better example than Atlanta, GA. Streets in Atlanta are designed for getting cars around as fast as possible. The result? Pedestrian deaths in ATL are twice the national average. But the city is trying to change that, starting with Peachtree Street.

Roller coasters have the power to heal. Host Joe Hanson explores the world of coasters, exploring the safety protocols ride engineers consider in designing them and the impact they have on the human body. We learn about how the experience of riding coasters can have positive impacts on our lives.

Horseshoe crabs spend most of their lives in the ocean depths. But every May and June, their spindly little legs will carry them 60 miles or more to congregate on sandy beaches up and down the Atlantic coast. Nowhere are their numbers greater than in Delaware Bay. As many as 30 million crabs — a population the size of Shanghai, China — descend on these shores. What are they all up to?

On the morning of May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens volcano exploded with 500 times the force of the Hiroshima bomb. It was the most destructive eruption in U.S. history. The cataclysmic chain of events killed 57 people and thousands of animals, took out 250 homes, 47 bridges, and 185 miles of highway, and flooded valleys. The mountain’s north side collapsed leaving a yawning crater the size of downtown Seattle. To this day, the crater of Mt. St. Helens volcano remains a place of immense danger and strictly off-limits to the public — avalanches, crevasses, poison gas, and boulders tumbling down the near-vertical slopes are just a few of the threats. But in recent years, the crater has become a place of great scientific interest. Few people realize that the hollowed-out crater now holds the world’s youngest glacier. And it continues to grow while most others around the world are shrinking. Not only is it the newest, but it’s also one of the few that’s growing. What’s behind its growth and how might it one day help scientists discover life on other planets?

Come on an epic journey as our host Joe Hanson explores the mysterious physics of sand. Along the way, we meet Dr. Melany Hunt and Dr. Nathalie Vriend who solved the long-standing mystery of how dunes sing. If you want to take your journey further, head over to It’s Okay to be Smart (https://youtu.be/L6Now-gHtx0) - where Joe Hanson takes an even deeper dive into sand... and lives to tell the tale!

Chicago is the third-largest city in the U.S., and one of the country’s most diverse. There’s a secret subculture here that’s growing larger by the year but lurks out of sight in shadow — coyotes! More than 4,000 of these canines prowl the streets of Chicago; you’ll even find them stalking amongst the skyscrapers of Michigan Avenue and busy Lake Shore Drive. What are they doing in downtown Chicago? And how are they transforming our thinking about cities and their relationship with the natural world? Researchers with the Chicago Urban Coyote Research Project are tracking these resourceful predators to learn their secrets. In two decades of work, they’ve collared more than 600 animals. What they’re finding is upending decades of ecological thinking.

The Bonneville Salt Flats are perfect for speed. Every year, cars and motorcycles break land speed records on the flat expanse of the Bonneville Salt Flats. It’s been a tradition for more than a century, and racers have built a thriving community around the salt races. But how did these salt flats form, and why are they disappearing now?

More and more scientists are starting to ask the question: Could beavers be the ally we’ve been waiting for when it comes to saving the environment? Travel with host Joe Hanson to Central Oregon where a group of scientists set up a kind of beaver laboratory to learn more about the crepuscular creatures. We’ll also speak with a scientist who studies how beavers help to mitigate wildfire and drought.

The Everglades is a water world — It’s the widest and slowest river in the United States. But in the heart of this great water body exist secret islands that have outsize importance for the cultural heritage of a people and for the biodiversity of this important wetland. Thousands of these tree islands dot the Everglades. For generations, the Miccosukee people have called these islands home. And they’ve long understood that the islands are a giver of life in this unforgiving environment. The islands are some of the only dry land around and harbor a surprising diversity of plant and animal life, including: coyotes, bobcat, bear, and even the Florida panther. But among the scientific establishment, the islands are little understood. Researchers from the Miccosukee tribe are working to understand how animals use the islands and what role they play in the larger Everglades ecosystem. With the islands under threat from outside forces, their studies have taken on increased urgency.