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This episode was recorded on February 15th, 2026 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Solas, Tim O’Brien & Jan Fabricius, Amanda Cook Band, Clymer & Kurtz, Darrin Hacquard. https://bit.ly/41NZrP8

In an episode first aired back in 2025 on our sister show, Terrestrials, we take you on a musical journey all about beavers. 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, Christian Murphy from the Bronx River Alliance and Dr. Emily Fairfax.  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. EPISODE CITATIONS: Books –  Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter (https://zpr.io/4QLuhrSMfurk), by Ben Goldfarb Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America (https://zpr.io/3BbaViJK8Hk3), by Leila Philip’s Videos –  Watch the US government drop beavers out of planes (https://zpr.io/y2JJPwwyr3Bp).  Watch Leave It to Beavers (https://zpr.io/JVGZYmNCTy6h), a documentary about beavers restoring rivers and wetlands. Articles –  How reintroducing beavers can enhance ecological health (https://zpr.io/KNxz3MtKL9sV), by Madison Pobis, Stanford Report. Beaver Dams Help Wildfire-Ravaged Ecosystems Recover Long after Flames Subside (https://zpr.io/kAnjEUPvPUeJ), by Isobel Sandcomb, Scientific American  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.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show.Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for behind-the-scenes extras and more.Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify, Apple Music, or our music page. 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! Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show by joining Radiolab’s membership program, The Lab—and we’ll send you a special thank-you gift from our team!Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot will do an overview of Neil Young’s six decade-long career in just 12 songs.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eEvRnGMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah  Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:Neil Young, "Old Man," Harvest, Reprise, 1972The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Neil Young and Crazy Horse, "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)," Rust Never Sleeps, Reprise, 1979Neil Young, "Sugar Mountain (Demo for Elektra Records, 1965)," Decade, Warner Bros., 1977Buffalo Springfield, "Expecting to Fly," Buffalo Springfield Again, Atco, 1967Neil Young with Crazy Horse, "Cinnamon Girl," Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Reprise, 1969Neil Young, "On the Beach," On the Beach, Reprise, 1974Neil Young, "Campaigner," Decade, Warner Bros., 1977Neil Young and Crazy Horse, "Like a Hurricane," American Stars 'n Bars, Reprise and Warner Bros., 1977Neil Young, "Mr. Soul," Trans, Geffen, 1983Neil Young, "Rockin' in the Free World (Live on Saturday Night Live, 1989)," Freedom, Geffen, 1989Neil Young and Crazy Horse, "F_!#In' Up," Ragged Glory, Reprise, 1990Neil Young, "Walk With Me," Le Noise, Reprise, 2010Neil Young, "Devil's Sidewalk," Greendale, Warner Bros., 2003Neil Young, "After the Gold Rush (Live at Massey Hall, 2011)," After the Gold Rush, Reprise, 1970Billy Woods, "Misery (feat. Kenny Segal)," Golliwog, Backwoodz, 2025See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most years, the Sun produces hundreds or thousands of sunspots – magnetic storms that look like dark splotches on its surface. From 1645 to 1715, though, sunspots all but disappeared. In many years, the number stayed in the single digits. And in some years, there were no sunspots at all. Today, that period is known as the Maunder minimum. It’s named for British astronomer Edward Maunder, who was born 175 years ago today. He wrote about the period in the late 1800s. Maunder was working at Britain’s Royal Observatory. He was assisted by his wife, Annie, who was a “computer” at the observatory – someone who did the tedious calculations. Maunder discovered a pattern in the sunspots, which wax and wane during a cycle of about 11 years. When a new cycle begins, most of the sunspots are concentrated at the Sun’s middle latitudes. As the cycle peaks, they’re concentrated closer to the equator. But he’s best known for the Maunder minimum. It occurred during the “Little Ice Age” – a period of unusual cold. That suggests a link between solar activity and Earth’s climate. But the link isn’t confirmed – it could be just a coincidence. We still don’t know what caused the sunspots to vanish. It had happened at least once before. So the mystery of the Maunder minimum remains unsolved. Script by Damond Benningfield

It's a new music explosion! We highlight the latest releases from Manu Chao, Darumas, Migrant Motel, Orquesta Akokán, Monsieur Perine, Hunters of the Alps, The Warning, Julieta Rada & Juan Campodonico, Diamante Electrico, Sara Valenzuela, Spanish Harlem Orchestra and more.

At a time when the U.S. government is trying to make American history tidier, we try to learn from the mess. Including the untold, messy story of Paul and Essie Robeson. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Guest Host Emanuele Berry talks to Nichole Hill about the Black movie characters Nichole was curious about as a child. (7 minutes)Act One: A giant of the Harlem Renaissance, Paul Robeson was the most famous American of his day. Until he wasn’t. Nichole Hill tells the messy, complicated story of Paul and his wife, Essie Robeson. (38 minutes)Act Two: In 1865, a formerly enslaved man named Jourdan Anderson received a letter from his former enslaver, asking Jourdan to return to the plantation and work. Actor Laurence Fishburne reads Jourdan’s response. Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.