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Posts tagged as “soil science”

LSS 85: Earth Day Edition

P. madseniana (courtesy R. Wilhelm)

In today’s episode, we observe the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day by exploring soil bacteria and volcanology. We also learn about how to observe the natural world that surrounds us.

We start off with a brief history of Earth Day presented by Candice Limper.

In our feature interview, Janani Harihanan speaks with soil scientist Dr. Roland Wilhelm. They discuss the newly discovered and characterized soil bacterium Paraburkholderia madseniana, which is named after the late Cornell scientist Eugene Madsen. Dr. Wilhelm also talks about the fascinating ways that plants and soil bacteria interact with each other.

Calbuco, Chile volcano erupts on April 22, 2015 (courtesy Creative Commons.org)

Later on in the show, Liz Mahood presents an overview of one of Earth’s most iconic features, the volcano. She talks about some current volcano research and what scientists are learning about the causes of some eruptions.

Laurie Rubin (courtesy Stenhouse Publishers)

We also hear from local educator Laurie Rubin about the benefits of getting outside and observing the natural world.

Enfield Glen at Robert H. Treman State Park
(Creative Commons)

We close out the show with a poetry reading, in observance of National Poetry Month. Local author Jay Leeming reads “At the Falls”, from his book Miracle Atlas.

Show Producer: Esther Racoosin

Featured Interview: Janani Harihanan

Music: Joe Lewis, Blue Dot Sessions, Ben Jordan