The idea of human zombies probably seems pretty far-fetched. But there are real zombies out there in the animal kingdom. To kick off Halloween week, science writer Ed Yong of The Atlantic creeps us out with a couple of examples. Hint: they involve fungus. (Encore episode)
Read more of Ed's reporting on:
- The zombie fungus controlling ants' brains: https://bit.ly/2Zk79nA
- How to Tame a Zombie Fungus: https://bit.ly/3E13QAc
Haunted by other creepy crawlies in the animal kingdom you think we should know about? Please email the show at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love a little afternoon fright!
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NPR's Book of the Day - The zoo that history nearly forgot in ‘When Two Feathers Fell From The Sky’
If you visited South Nashville today, you might not suspect that, over a century ago, it was home to a zoo and amusement park called the Glendale Zoo. Among other attractions, the zoo had a popular attraction called "horse diving," in which a performer rode a horse off a tall platform into a body of water. In her book, When Two Feathers Fell From The Sky, Verble imagines the life of a young Cherokee girl named Two Feathers, who horse dives for a living at the zoo in the year 1926 — set against the background of the Jim Crow South and widespread mistreatment of Native Americans.
It Could Happen Here - That Time the CIA dosed a French Town with Acid: Spooky Week #1
A look at the poisoning of the town Pont Saint Esprit, and how some mysterious bread turned hundreds of residents temporarily mad.
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Snap! The trap-jaw ant’s amazing jaws can move faster than a speeding bullet, snapping shut at a top speed of 230km per hour. When the ant bites down, the force is so great that it launches the insect high into the air. Their powerful spring mechanism is being copied by scientists and may help move a new type of mini robot, which one day could be deployed in situations too dangerous for humans to enter – like fires or earthquake zones.
Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think. #30Animals
Get in touch: www.bbcworldservice.com/30animals
Consider This from NPR - BONUS: Wisdom From The Top
This episode is from our friends at Wisdom From The Top.
From the creator of How I Built This, host Guy Raz invites you to listen in as he talks to leadership experts and the visionary leaders of some of the world's biggest brands. Along the way, you'll hear accounts of crisis, failure, turnaround, and triumph, as the leaders reveal their secrets on their way to the top. These are stories that didn't make it into their company bios, and valuable lessons for anyone trying to make it in business.
In this episode: As a child growing up in Ibadan, Nigeria, Dara Treseder was often told to get her head out of the clouds. But her mother encouraged her to dream big and to follow her ambition if it would lead her to contentment. For Treseder, that meant moving across the world to attend both Harvard and Stanford, and chasing a deeply-held desire to make a positive impact on the world. Her career in marketing began with stints at Apple and Goldman Sachs, then, in 2020, she became SVP, Head of Global Marketing and Communications at Peloton. Today, she is one of the most influential marketing leaders of her generation.
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From the creator of How I Built This, host Guy Raz invites you to listen in as he talks to leadership experts and the visionary leaders of some of the world's biggest brands. Along the way, you'll hear accounts of crisis, failure, turnaround, and triumph, as the leaders reveal their secrets on their way to the top. These are stories that didn't make it into their company bios, and valuable lessons for anyone trying to make it in business.
In this episode: As a child growing up in Ibadan, Nigeria, Dara Treseder was often told to get her head out of the clouds. But her mother encouraged her to dream big and to follow her ambition if it would lead her to contentment. For Treseder, that meant moving across the world to attend both Harvard and Stanford, and chasing a deeply-held desire to make a positive impact on the world. Her career in marketing began with stints at Apple and Goldman Sachs, then, in 2020, she became SVP, Head of Global Marketing and Communications at Peloton. Today, she is one of the most influential marketing leaders of her generation.
Listen to more Wisdom From The Top via Apple, Spotify, or Google.
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Audio Poem of the Day - Photograph from September 11
by Wisława Szymborska (tr. by Clare Cavanagh and Stanislaw Baranczak)
CoinDesk Podcast Network - SOB: Why Is the IMF Afraid of Cryptoization?
Speaking of Bitcoin on the CoinDesk Podcast Network is brought to you by CrystalBlockchain.com.
The IMF has outlined yet another set of concerns it holds about crypto. Is crypto really the problem, or is the IMF just afraid of the things it cannot control?
Join hosts Adam B. Levine, Jonathan Mohan and Andreas M. Antonopoulos as they dissect the October global financial stability report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) subtitled “COVID-19, Crypto and Climate: Navigating Challenging Transitions.” An entire chapter of the report is dedicated to destabilization factors crypto poses, at least as identified by the IMF. It even coined a new term, “cryptoization,” to refer to the introduction and/or substitution of crypto in emerging markets.
Although worries of supply shocks, supply chain inflation and stagflation fill headlines, the IMF placed crypto in the top three stability concerns. Is the organization gearing up to poise crypto as the scapegoat in case of an oncoming financial crisis?
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Crystal Blockchain is building a better, safer cryptocurrency space with end-to-end solutions for all your analysis, investigative, and compliance needs. The team of world-class experts creating a more transparent crypto economy via blockchain analysis. Learn how to get started at crystalblockchain.com.
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Today’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan and Adam B. Levine, with music by Gurtybeats.com. Our episode art is a photograph by Giorgio Trovato/Unsplash recreated by Speaking of Bitcoin
Any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.show
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More or Less: Behind the Stats - The numbers behind Squid Game
Netflix has announced that South Korean survival drama Squid Game is its most popular series ever. We scrutinise the statistics behind the claim, and look at the odds of surviving one of the show?s deadly contests.
CoinDesk Podcast Network - BREAKDOWN: The US Government Sold a Wu-Tang Album to a DAO for $4M
If you think DAOs aren’t going to be a thing, listen to this.
This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.
On today’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW tells the story of PleasrDAO buying a one-of-a-kind hip hop album, and what it means that the U.S. government is interacting with this new type of collective. He also reads:
Thread: DAOs as Changing the Fate of the Species
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NYDIG, the institutional-grade platform for bitcoin, is making it possible for thousands of banks who have trusted relationships with hundreds of millions of customers, to offer Bitcoin. Learn more at NYDIG.com/NLW.
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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Tidal Wave” by BRASKO. Image credit: Michael Hurcomb/Corbis Entertainment/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.
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The Daily - The Sunday Read: ‘Who Is the Bad Art Friend?’
On June 24, 2015, Dawn Dorland, an essayist and aspiring novelist, did perhaps the kindest, most consequential thing she might ever do in her life. She donated one of her kidneys — and elected to do it in a slightly unusual and particularly altruistic way. As a so-called nondirected donation, her kidney was not meant for anyone in particular, but for a recipient who may otherwise have no other living donor.
Several weeks before the surgery, Ms. Dorland decided to share her truth with others. She started a private Facebook group, inviting family and friends, including some fellow writers from GrubStreet, the Boston writing center where she had spent many years learning her craft.
After her surgery, she posted something to her group: a heartfelt letter she’d written to the final recipient of the surgical chain, whoever they may be. Ms. Dorland noticed some people she’d invited into the group hadn’t seemed to react to any of her posts. On July 20, she wrote an email to one of them: a writer named Sonya Larson.
A year later, Ms. Dorland learned that Ms. Larson had written a story about a woman who received a kidney. Ms. Larson told Ms. Dorland that it was “partially inspired” by how her imagination took off after learning of Ms. Dorland’s donation.
Art often draws inspiration from life — but what happens when it’s your life?
This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.