Most iguanas are indigenous to the Americas. So how did the Fijian species end up on the island, nearly 5000 miles away in the South Pacific? According to a new study in the journal PNAS, it was probably via raft ... that is, on clump of floating trees.
And this rafting hypothesis isn't entirely unprecedented. After hurricanes Luis and Marilyn hit the Caribbean in the 1990s, researchers found that a group of iguanas had floated over 180 miles away from Guadeloupe to the territory of Anguilla.
Want to hear more about iguanas? Or rafts? Or evolutionary biology? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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The Indicator from Planet Money - Should we vote for all judges?
Mexico is gearing up to directly elect federal and state judges for the first time this June. President Claudia Sheinbaum says the new system will combat nepotism and increase the integrity of the courts. But critics see it as a naked attempt to dilute the court's independence. Today on the show, how Mexico's judicial reforms are creating angst for businesses at home and abroad.
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Related episodes:
SCOTUS: De-facto pro-business?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Fact-checking by Cooper Katz-McKim. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘Long Island,’ one woman returns to Ireland after discovering her husband’s affair
At the beginning of Long Island, an Irish-American woman named Eilis opens the front door of her New York home and is greeted by news of her husband's affair. The other woman is pregnant – and Eilis must decide what to do next. Author Colm Tóibín says this scene convinced him to write the novel, an unplanned sequel to Brooklyn. Long Island picks up 25 years after Brooklyn left off, following Eilis as she returns to the Irish town where she grew up. In today's episode, Tóibín talks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about his decision to write the sequel, his own hometown in Ireland, and his characters' views of what makes someone a foreigner.
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2497: From Texas to Central Park
Episode: 2497 Frederick Law Olmsted on the Texas Frontier. Today, we go from the Texas frontier to Central Park.
Read Me a Poem - “The Dream” by Theodore Roethke
Amanda Holmes reads Theodore Roethke’s “The Dream.” Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.
This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.
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First Things Podcast - Elon Musk’s Eugenic Dream
In this episode, Matthew Schmitz joins Rusty Reno at The Editor’s Desk to talk about his piece, “Elon’s Family Values” from the April 2025 issue of the magazine. Please subscribe at www.firstthings.com/subscribe in order to access this and many other great pieces!