Wild Interest

Is music truly the universal language? And what in the world is the Voyager Golden Record doing floating around in space right now?

In this episode of Wild Interest, sibling hosts Nichole and Evan continue their sonic exploration by taking a trip to Belize to sit in with drummers carrying on the African Garifuna tradition as they gear up for the epic "Battle of the Drums!" Then, they chat with bluegrass pioneer Ron Thomaso...

Mabuhay Wildings! What in the world does "mabuhay" mean, and how did the Philippines give us both Olympic champions AND the modern yo-yo?

This week on Wild Interest, our Philippines Independence Day special is one great big celebration of Filipino life and culture around the world. First up: Nichole says "hi" to Hidilyn Diaz, champion weightlifter and the first Filipino ever to win an Olympic gold medal. Next, Ev...

Hey Wildlings! Do you believe in rooting for the underdog? What about the under-eagle? And what in the world happened 45 years ago that made everyone believe in miracles?

This week on Wild Interest, Evan takes us back to the "Miracle On Ice" when the US Olympic hockey team didn't have a snowball's chance in heck of beating the stronger, faster Russian team — but somehow they did! He reports in person from where t...

How do we perceive the world around us? With our senses, of course! But what in the world are those two mystery senses you may have never considered?

In this episode of Wild Interest, Evan gets a closer look at the world of sight with eyeglass merchant Adrien Bouet in Paris, France, and Nichole tantalizes your taste buds while discussing the fantastic world of ice cream flavors with Pete Van Leeuwen of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. Then we...

Music is the universal language! But what in the world does it feel like to rock out in the New York subway? And how do bluegrass kids make magic together?

In this episode of Wild Interest, prepare to be dazzled by two amazing groups of kid musicians. New York's Retro Rebelles rock out in the subway, and the plucky Carolina bluegrass quartet Young Mountain Magic picks us a tune or two and talks about what it feels like to play ...

Do animals talk? The answer might surprise you! But what in the world are whales actually saying to each other? And how does a whale language even have an alphabet?

In this episode of Wild Interest, we dive deep with zoologist and pioneering animal researcher Katy Payne and discover the complex ways whales and elephants communicate. She even does her best whale song impression for us! 

Project CETI linguistics lead and professor Gašp...

Our latest episode is all about the wild, wonderful world beneath our feet. Where does the word “dirt” come from? How do plants get nutrients from the soil? Could getting dirty be good for you? What about eating dirt? Nichole interviews Brandy Hall at Shades of Green Permaculture and learns about the importance of mindful landscape design, and how kids can get involved in healthy soil projects at home. We speak with biochar expert ...

Our seventh episode is all about sound, performance and storytelling. Nichole interviews Taryn Janelle and LeRell Ross of Atlanta’s Synchronicity Theatre who adapted John Steptoe’s 1987 award-winning children’s book “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters” into a musical theater piece for all ages. Our special correspondent Nicholas drops the needle on some choice selections from his personal vinyl record collection, then drops in on Michael...

Hot on the trail of adventure, we track down otters with Jessica Kraft, learn to read the forest with Mark Warren, and learn about how technology is tracking us and what to do about it with McKenzie Funk. Along the way, Bobby the Bigfoot tells us how Sasquatches induce ASMR, and Nichole tells us about the number nine’s magical properties. As if that weren’t enough, she also teaches us a song to remember the names of all 50 states. ...

In this episode we talk to the heroes at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya who rescue orphaned baby elephants, raising them until they can return to the wild. They tell us all about a special baby elephant named Toto. We’re also joined by musician, historian, and creator of the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Eli Smith. He talks about his life in folk music, plays us the same song on two very different banjos, and explains the competit...

Ever wondered what it’s like to be the voice of a bossy guinea pig on a hit TV show? Look no further. We are joined by Sofie Zamchick, the voice of Linny on The Wonder Pets. She tells us about playing Linny (she can still do the voice) and her career as a songwriter, actor, and master marimba player. Nichole introduces a new segment called “Feeding Ben Stuff” where her picky-eater friend Ben tries new foods blindfolded. Evan gets t...

April Fools' and an eclipse in the same month? Wild Interest has got you covered. We get ready for the eclipse with astronomer Mark Lancaster. And we've got the perfect prank for you to play -- all you need is a banana and a paperclip. Nichole talks with Grammy Award-winning artist Tim Maxey about his band Not The Twos and his production and songwriting (for Kendrick Lamar, Summer Walker, Baby Rose, and others). He even s...

Wild Interest is a kid-created and hosted audio magazine. In this episode, legendary NFL quarterback Jake "The Snake" Plummer talks with guest reporter Justus about making big plays, being nice to people, and life after football. Nichole talks with Dr. Andrew Newberg about what's great about yawning and why some Olympic athletes do it right before they compete. Evan tells us about Mothman, the winged creature with a ...

Wild Interest is a kid-created and hosted audio magazine. In this episode, Nichole tells us everything we need to know about leap years and then geeks out on bees and their wax with beeswax candlemaker Jon Kornbluh. Evan goes deep on his favorite cryptid Bigfoot and speaks to Dr. Jeff Meldrum, professor at Idaho State University and keeper of the largest collection of Sasquatch footprint casts in the world. And guest reporters Nola...