vegansaurus!
09/06/2012
Conservation Biologist Thor Hansen explains why feathers matter »
This week on Fresh Air, Terri Gross interviewed Thor Hanson, a conservation biologist and author of the newly published Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle. As part of his research, he plucked a dead wren to count its feathers. It had 1,500. A tiny wren, like the Australian white-winged fairy wren in the photo!
In the interview, which you can listen to on NPR, Hanson discusses the biological makeup of feathers, why he thinks birds evolved feathers, and how they adapted them to flight. The first feathered animals might’ve used them primarily for insulation, and now, every single individual flight feather is an airfoil, while being part of the airfoil that is the bird’s wing. Double-airfoil action for maximum flight!
Animals are amazing! So is science!
[white-winged fairy wren photo by David Cook Wildlife Photography, via Flickr]
∞ posted at 06:23 by seriousmeaveness 
09/01/2009
» It's Animal Week on NPR's Fresh Air!
Hey so I’m not sure if it’s gonna all be about how cats and dogs rule and fuck all other animals and Temple Grandin talking about how she’s autistic and so she has a DEEP SPIRITUAL CONNECTION with animals that’s why she helped devise a better way to kill them but YOU KNOW. Let’s listen and find out. Until we get too angry and have to air-strangle Terry Gross’ voice.
Local showtimes (weekdays!) are:
KALW-FM 91.7 San Francisco: 9 to 10 a.m. and 6 to 7 p.m.
KQED-FM 88.5 San Francisco: 1 to 2 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m.
KUSP-FM 88.9 Santa Cruz: 6 to 7 p.m.
If you can’t listen live(!), NPR has an official Fresh Air podcast, too.
∞ posted at 16:17 by laurahooperb 
