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Short Wave - The Race To Rescue The Guadalupe Fescue

Big Bend National Park in Texas is home to the only remaining Guadalupe fescue in the United States. The grass is tucked away in the Chisos Mountains, high above the Chihuahuan Desert. These mountaintops form a string of relatively wet, cool oases called "sky islands" — unique, isolated habitats. But as the planet warms, species that depend on "sky island" habitats tend to get pushed even higher up the mountain — until they eventually run out. Carolyn Whiting, Park Botanist at Big Bend, talks to host Aaron Scott about why the little things are worth preserving.

Check out all the other episodes in our series on the research happening in U.S. public lands.

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NPR's Book of the Day - Two authors write about the importance of mental health and accessing feelings

The two books featured in this episode focus on accessing feelings and mental health. First is a book of essays by spoken word artist, Bassey Ikpi. Ikpi tells Scott Simon that her book I'm Telling the Truth but I'm Lying chronicles the hard work it took to make a real life for herself after facing abuse at home. Then we hear from neurologist and physician Anna DeForest on her novel that questions a lot about existence and the inequities of the medical system. A History of Present Illness is DeForest's first novel, and she explains to Ayesha Roscoe why mental health is at the heart of her story.
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Consider This from NPR - The Life And Reign Of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch of Britain since 1952, died on Thursday at the age of 96. She reigned for longer than any other ruler of the United Kingdom, spanning seventy years and fifteen prime ministers.

NPR's Frank Langfitt brings us the story of her life and reign, including the ups and downs of the royal family during her tenure.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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Short Wave - Short Wave Goes To The Circus

Julia Ruth has a pretty cool job: it takes a lot of strength, a lot of balance, and a surprising amount of physics.

As a circus artist, Julia has performed her acrobatic Cyr wheel routine around the world. But before she learned her trade and entered the limelight, she was on a very different career path--she was studying physics.

Julia talks with Emily (who also shares a past life in the circus) about her journey from physicist to circus artist, and how she learned her physics-defining acts.

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NPR's Book of the Day - Gaia Vince details how migration will help billions survive in new book

The main argument Gaia Vince makes in her book Nomad Century is that in order for three to five billion people on Earth to survive, it will require a planned and deliberate migration of the kind humanity has never before undertaken. NPR's Scott Simon discusses this possibility with Vince as she explains how human kind has hampered the success of migration through "artificial bordering of nation states," and as she talks of the need to "rethink how we decide where someone is allowed to live" in order to have a chance of survival in a warming climate with extreme temperatures.
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Planet Money - The salvage car Silk Road

A practically brand new Lexus with a New Jersey inspection sticker lands on an auto body lot in Turkmenistan. How did it get there? To find out, we journey into the bizarro economy for misfit cars. And we follow a very different kind of journey – of the auto body repairman from Turkmenistan who brought us this story in the first place. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

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Consider This from NPR - In Jackson, Mississippi, A Water Crisis Decades In The Making

For more than a month, residents of Jackson, Mississippi, have not had access to safe drinking water. The city is under a boil water advisory after problems with the pumps at the city's main water treatment plant.

It's the latest emergency in a city that has had problems with its water system for decades.

We talk to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan about efforts to fix Jackson's water infrastructure.

This episode also features reporting from NPR's Cory Turner and Jennifer Ludden.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.


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