Radiolab for Kids

Maggots are disgusting, right? Lulu has a hard time even saying the word maggot.  But in this episode, we’re asking you to join us in setting our “ick” aside. If you stick with us, we promise that you’ll go from thinking these bugs are the grossest things ever to actually kinda liking them. Maybe even loving them.  ER doctor Avir Mitra [https://nyulangone.org/doctors/1174917249/avir-mitra] leads us down a rabbit hole of scientific discovery, explaining how these revolting critters have a history - and future - of saving human limbs and lives. Plus, a musical lesson in wound treatment 101. Tell us what creature you want a future show about! Submit suggestions on what animals we should do our next season on here [https://forms.gle/UG4JE5xjMZpA4ZyF8]! Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC studios. This episode was produced by Alan Goffinski with sound design by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Our Executive Producer is Sarah Sandbach. Our team also includes Ana Gonzalez, Tanya Chawla and Joe Plourde. Factchecking was by Natalie Middleton. Huge thank you to Dr Avir Mitra. If you liked his storytelling, listen to some more stories he did with Radiolab: The Elixir of Life  [https://radiolab.org/podcast/the-elixir-of-life] Dispatch 5: Don't Stop Believin' [https://radiolab.org/podcast/dispatch-5-dont-stop-believin/transcript] The Dirty Drug and the Ice Cream Tub  [https://radiolab.org/podcast/dirty-drug-and-ice-cream-tub] Our advisors for this show were Jamie Albright, kid advisor Kai, momma (fly) Maya, Ana Luz Porzecanski, Nicole Depalma and Carly Ciarrocchi. Support for Terrestrials also comes from the Simons Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the John Templeton Foundation. HEY GROWN-UPS! Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us! We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfQ5fJWDQY6VxpY3UZ2JfUR_wWefhAB_iDGZBCF7ltfZQJAw/viewform]. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids] for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show. Follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaum_fMDGgFQCmKHUBPq_xg], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialspodcast/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@terrestrialspodcast] for behind-the-scenes extras and more. Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/2dJoTi6y22d3Mb7laxaCXj], Apple Music [https://music.apple.com/us/album/terrestrials-just-the-music-season-1/1769054305?uo=4&app=music&at=1001lry3&ct=dashboard], or our music page [https://wnycstudios.bandcamp.com/album/terrestrials-just-the-songs]. Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrialspodcast@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF9rrN-64E-wKGAnxjdCWyIi2JMA4AThp5y1BgB4X5tSZk1Q/viewform?usp=send_form]! Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show [http://terrestrialspodcast.org/join] by joining Radiolab’s membership program, The Lab—and we’ll send you a special thank-you gift from our team!

In 1971, a red-headed, tree-loving astronaut named Stu ‘Smokey’ Roosa was asked to take something to the moon with him. Of all things, he chose to take a canister of 500 tree seeds. After orbiting the moon 34 times, the seeds made it back to Earth. NASA decided to plant the seeds all across the country and then… everyone forgot about them. Until one day, a third grader from Indiana stumbled on a tree with a strange plaque: "Moon Tree." This discovery set off a cascading search for all the trees that visited the moon across the United States. Science writer, and our very own factchecker, Natalie Middleton [https://www.nataliemiddleton.org/] tells us the tale. We’re holding a Moon Tree contest! Send us a drawing of what you imagine a Moon Tree to look like. Submit here [https://forms.gle/QAutKeByV1ELWxrs8]. If you happen to find a Moon Tree and visit it, email us pictures of you at terrestrials@wnyc.org! We’d love to feature you on our social media [https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialspodcast/] @terrestrialspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialspodcast/].  Check out Natalie’s map to find your nearest Apollo 14 moon tree on our show page [https://radiolab.org/podcast/the-travelers-how-moon-trees-hide-among-us]! Help us hunt for more moon trees. If you know of an undocumented moon tree, contact Natalie at nataliemiddleton.org [http://nataliemiddleton.org]. Check out Natalie’s essay on Moon Trees [https://orionmagazine.org/article/moon-tree/] and Space Zinnias [https://orionmagazine.org/article/astronaut-scott-kelly-flower-experiment-space/] in Orion Magazine [https://orionmagazine.org/].  Visit NASA’s official Moon Tree Page [https://science.nasa.gov/resource/apollo-moon-trees/] for a list of all the Apollo 14 Moon Trees in the world.  To learn more about Stu Roosa or to learn more about acquiring your own half Moon Tree, check out the Moon Tree Foundation [https://www.moontreefoundation.com/], spearheaded by Stu’s daughter, Rosemary Roosa. Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC Studios. This episode was produced by Tanya Chawla and sound-designed by Joe Plourde. Our Executive Producer is Sarah Sandbach. Our team includes Alan Goffinski, Ana González and Mira Burt-Wintonick. Fact checking was by Diane Kelly.  Special thanks to Sumanth Prabhaker from Orion magazine, retired NASA Scientist Dr. Dave Williams, Joan Goble, Tre Corely and NASA scientist Dr. Marie Henderson. Our advisors for this show were Ana Luz Porzecanski, Nicole Depalma, Liza Demby and Carly Ciarrocchi. Support for Terrestrials also comes from the Simons Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the John Templeton Foundation. HEY GROWN-UPS! Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us! We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfQ5fJWDQY6VxpY3UZ2JfUR_wWefhAB_iDGZBCF7ltfZQJAw/viewform]. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids] for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show. Follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaum_fMDGgFQCmKHUBPq_xg], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialspodcast/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@terrestrialspodcast] for behind-the-scenes extras and more. Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/2dJoTi6y22d3Mb7laxaCXj], Apple Music [https://music.apple.com/us/album/terrestrials-just-the-music-season-1/1769054305?uo=4&app=music&at=1001lry3&ct=dashboard], or our music page [https://wnycstudios.bandcamp.com/album/terrestrials-just-the-songs]. Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrialspodcast@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF9rrN-64E-wKGAnxjdCWyIi2JMA4AThp5y1BgB4X5tSZk1Q/viewform?usp=send_form]! Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show [http://terrestrialspodcast.org/join] by joining Radiolab’s membership program, The Lab—and we’ll send you a special thank-you gift from our team!

Few mammals have a bigger positive impact on the planet than the beaver. With its bright orange buck teeth, the creature is an expert engineer that brings life wherever it waddles and even fights fires. Our story begins in the Bronx river, once known as the  “open sewer” of New York City. After some humans decide to clean it up, we meet one of the river’s residents - José the beaver. We learn about the US government parachuting beavers out of planes into the mountains. And finally head to California where we discover how one beaver family saved acres of land from burning.  Special thanks to author Ben Goldfarb [https://www.bengoldfarb.com/], Christian Murphy [https://bronxriver.org/staff/christian-murphy] from the Bronx River Alliance and Dr. Emily Fairfax [https://emilyfairfaxscience.com/].  Subscribe to our newsletter [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids] if you haven’t already, follow us on instagram @terrestrialspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialspodcast/], and leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app - it helps curious listeners find us! KEEP LEARNING! Read Ben Goldfarb’s book Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter [https://www.bengoldfarb.com/eager].  Watch the US government drop beavers out of planes [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrOE-m7sX9E] into mountains.  Read Leila Philip’s Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America [https://www.amazon.com/Beaverland-Weird-Rodent-Made-America/dp/153875519X]. Watch Leave It to Beavers [https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/leave-it-to-beavers-production-credits/8860/?utm_source=chatgpt.com], a documentary about beavers restoring rivers and wetlands. Read about how [https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/08/beavers-climate-resilient-watersheds-biodiversity-research?utm_source=chatgpt.com] reintroducing beavers can enhance ecological health. Read about how beaver dams help wildfire-ravaged ecosystems recover [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/beaver-dams-help-wildfire-ravaged-ecosystems-recover-long-after-flames-subside/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]. Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC Studios. This episode was produced by Ana González and sound-designed by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Our team includes Alan Goffinski, Joe Plourde and Tanya Chawla. Fact checking was by Diane Kelly.  Our advisors for this show were Ana Luz Porzecanski, Nicole Depalma, Liza Demby and Tovah Barocas. Support for Terrestrials also comes from the Simons Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the John Templeton Foundation. HEY GROWN-UPS! Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us! We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfQ5fJWDQY6VxpY3UZ2JfUR_wWefhAB_iDGZBCF7ltfZQJAw/viewform]. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids] for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show. Follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaum_fMDGgFQCmKHUBPq_xg], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialspodcast/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@terrestrialspodcast] for behind-the-scenes extras and more. Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/2dJoTi6y22d3Mb7laxaCXj], Apple Music [https://music.apple.com/us/album/terrestrials-just-the-music-season-1/1769054305?uo=4&app=music&at=1001lry3&ct=dashboard], or our music page [https://wnycstudios.bandcamp.com/album/terrestrials-just-the-songs]. Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrialspodcast@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF9rrN-64E-wKGAnxjdCWyIi2JMA4AThp5y1BgB4X5tSZk1Q/viewform?usp=send_form]! Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show [http://terrestrialspodcast.org/join] by joining Radiolab’s membership program, The Lab—and we’ll send you a special thank-you gift from our team!

Over a billion lightyears ago, in the darkness of outer space, a collision of black holes sent out a fleet of invisible waves that were headed right toward planet Earth. The waves were so powerful they could ripple spacetime but most people on Earth didn't believe the waves were real. SPOILER ALERT: The waves are called gravitational waves and…they are real! Astrophysicist Dr. Wanda Díaz Merced tells the story of what happened when they hit Earth in 2015 and how scientists came to learn to use senses beyond eyesight to detect the waves. We also learn from Dr. Stavros Katsanevas about the building of a giant gravitational wave catcher called “The Interferometer.” This episode also explores how to persist in the face of doubt as we learn Wanda's tale of going blind and learning how to listen to the stars. Learn about the storytellers, listen to music, and dig deeper into the stories you hear on Terrestrials with activities you can do at home or in the classroom on our website, Terrestrialspodcast.org [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids/projects/terrestrials].  Watch the interferometer come to life, disco style, and find even MORE original Terrestrials fun on our Youtube [https://youtu.be/jE_MYZY_nl8]. Badger us on Social Media: @radiolab and #TerrestrialsPodcast  Support for Terrestrials is provided by Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. More from Terrestrials  The Shovels: Dig Deeper [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids/dig-deeper] For each episode of Terrestrials, we provide a selection of activity sheets, drawing prompts, musical lessons, and more. We call them “shovels” because we hope they will help you (and your friends, family, students, neighbors, etc) dig more deeply into the world! You can do them at home, in the classroom, outside, or in the privacy of your own mind. We hope you enjoy!If you want to share what you’ve made, ask an adult share it on social media using #TerrestrialsPodcast and make sure to tag @Radiolab Draw -  Use your ears to draw! In this very special drawing prompt, Wendy Mac and the DrawTogether team pull in an actual rockstar to play you various favorite sounds to draw. It's a feast for the mind, ears, and hands. Grab a pencil, pen, crayon, marker, anything, and check it out here [https://club.drawtogether.studio/p/20-what-does-sound-look-like-with#details]! Play 🎶 - Learn how to play https://media.demo.nypr.digital/media/resources/2019/Nov/22/WNYC_Phone_Usage_Instructions.pdfthe chords to the song “UNIMAGINABLE [https://media.wnyc.org/media/resources/2022/Oct/12/Unimaginable_Sheet_Music_and_Chord_Chart.pdf]” Do - Get crafty with a fun activity sheet [https://media.wnyc.org/media/resources/2022/Oct/12/The_Unimaginable_Activity_Sheet.pdf]!   This week’s storyteller [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids/storytellers] is Dr. Wanda Díaz Merced. Want to keep learning? Check out these resources to learn about the time-bending power that is the gravitational wave: Get to Wanda a little better; watch her TED talk [https://www.ted.com/talks/wanda_diaz_merced_how_a_blind_astronomer_found_a_way_to_hear_the_stars?language=en]!Take a tour [https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/WA/page/lho-public-tours] of the world’s first interferometer! (Free monthly tours in person in Richland, WA)Train yourself to use sound for signal detection in astronomy. Learn more about asteroseismology [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XDwnZKPmrM] with the wonderful Hank Green!Spooked by the idea of the infinite universe? Listen to John Green’s “Against Nihilism [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbyeApgIiBk]” (probably best for 13 and up)! Terrestrials is a production of WNYC Studios, created by Lulu Miller. This episode is produced by Ana González, Alan Goffinski and Lulu Miller. Original Music by Alan Goffinski. Help from Suzie Lechtenberg, Sarah Sandbach, Natalia Ramirez, and Sarita Bhatt. Fact-check by Natalie Meade. Sound design by Phoebe Wang with additional engineering by Joe Plourde. Our storytellers this week are Dr. Wanda Díaz Merced and Dr. Stavros Katsanevas. Transcription by Caleb Codding. Our advisors are Theanne Griffith, Aliyah Elijah, Dominique Shabazz, John Green, Liza Steinberg-Demby, Alice Wong, and Tara Welty. Terrestrials is supported in part by Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation. Have questions for us, badgers? Badger us away [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids/badgers]! Your parent/guardian should write to us along with you, so we know you have their permission, and for maybe even having your ideas mentioned on the show. Email terrestrials@wnyc.org [terrestrials@wnyc.org] HEY GROWN-UPS! Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us! We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfQ5fJWDQY6VxpY3UZ2JfUR_wWefhAB_iDGZBCF7ltfZQJAw/viewform]. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids] for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show. Follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaum_fMDGgFQCmKHUBPq_xg], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialspodcast/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@terrestrialspodcast] for behind-the-scenes extras and more. Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/2dJoTi6y22d3Mb7laxaCXj], Apple Music [https://music.apple.com/us/album/terrestrials-just-the-music-season-1/1769054305?uo=4&app=music&at=1001lry3&ct=dashboard], or our music page [https://wnycstudios.bandcamp.com/album/terrestrials-just-the-songs]. Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrialspodcast@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF9rrN-64E-wKGAnxjdCWyIi2JMA4AThp5y1BgB4X5tSZk1Q/viewform?usp=send_form]! Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show [http://terrestrialspodcast.org/join] by joining Radiolab’s membership program, The Lab—and we’ll send you a special thank-you gift from our team!

Pizza is one of the world’s most beloved foods. But as much as we love the way it tastes, the secrets of its ingredients are even yummier to discover. We explore the surprising sounds tomatoes make when they’re stressed, how wheat became integral to human survival and how mold is sometimes... delicious?  This episode also features live tap-dancing, mind-melting cheese facts and what might be the Songbud’s catchiest song yet. Special thanks to Little Island for having us. If you’re in NYC,  go check them out. It’s free to wander around, there are hidden musical instruments to see, gorgeous plants and so much more. Visit littleisland.org [http://littleisland.org] to learn more. And huge thanks to our guest performers - tap dancer John Manzari [http://johnmanzari.com],  who you can catch performing or teaching tap lessons around NYC, percussionist Caitlin Cawley [https://www.caitlincawley.me/] from Mantra Percussion, Josh Windsor, the Associate Director of Caves at Murray's Cheese [https://www.murrayscheese.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooXy-Sfp_ewkgBCdiwWey__LI09FSweCYtg7q5lX2DCV52s6StK] in New York City, a world-famous cheese shop with tons of cheeses, classes and fun family events, and WNYC’s very own David Gebel. This episode was originally produced and developed in front of a live audience at Little Island with Producing Artistic Director Zack Winokur and Executive Director Laura Clement. PLUS, TERRESTRIALS WILL BE BACK IN TWO WEEKS - STARTING SEPTEMBER 18TH – WITH BRAND NEW EPISODES DROPPING EVERY OTHER WEEK. Visit terrestrialspodcast.org [http://terrestrialspodcast.org]to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on instagram @terrestrialspodcast for updates. HEY GROWN-UPS! Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us! We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfQ5fJWDQY6VxpY3UZ2JfUR_wWefhAB_iDGZBCF7ltfZQJAw/viewform]. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab-kids] for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show. Follow us on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaum_fMDGgFQCmKHUBPq_xg], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/terrestrialspodcast/], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@terrestrialspodcast] for behind-the-scenes extras and more. Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/2dJoTi6y22d3Mb7laxaCXj], Apple Music [https://music.apple.com/us/album/terrestrials-just-the-music-season-1/1769054305?uo=4&app=music&at=1001lry3&ct=dashboard], or our music page [https://wnycstudios.bandcamp.com/album/terrestrials-just-the-songs]. Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrialspodcast@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF9rrN-64E-wKGAnxjdCWyIi2JMA4AThp5y1BgB4X5tSZk1Q/viewform?usp=send_form]! Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show [http://terrestrialspodcast.org/join] by joining Radiolab’s membership program, The Lab—and we’ll send you a special thank-you gift from our team!