BBC Earth Podcast

Welcome to another episode of the BBC Earth Podcast; the podcast that delves deep into nature’s great mysteries and surfaces the unknown.

This week we’re telling stories of the unexpected, stories which seem too astounding to be true. Journey with us to the Sahara where the sand is known to sing; deep, bassy sounds that reverberate as the millions upon millions of grains fall down the dunes. From the unknown cause of these sounds to the unknown status of a species, let us take you back to the 1930s, when the Tasmanian Tiger was confirmed “extinct”. Unlike the tiger you have pictured in your imagination, this one was more dog-like, with stripes across its back and a tail not dissimilar to that of a kangaroo. There have supposedly been 8 sightings of this creature in the last 3 years, suggesting science should not give up on it just yet...

Should these stories leave you perplexed, just wait until you hear from Doug Larson who was the first to discover an ancient forest, undisturbed since deglaciation. These 700 year-old trees had never been found by humans until Doug came along.. Mind. Blown.

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In the final episode of series 4, we’re digging into some of the more elusive corners of our planet.

To begin, we’re on a bear hunt deep in the Bornean rainforest. Guiding us is Siew Te Wong, who is the world’s foremost authority on a bear we know very little about. The sun bear is the smallest bear in the world and, as Wong has discovered for himself, tracking them can draw up some unexpected discoveries.

Next we’re turning our attention upwards, to the sky at night. Or, to be more precise, to the sounds that come from it. Magnus Robb explores what birdsong can tell us about the extraordinary migration routes of these animals.

To end, we sit still to see the visible changes over time to our glaciers. Using past and present technology, Kieran Baxter brings to life some of the unprecedented declines in our natural world.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you...

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We’re exploring the parts of our world that require us to look a little deeper. From the depths of our oceans to the canopies that grace our skylines, we’ll be venturing into unfamiliar pockets of nature with the people who have carved a life out of choosing to study the things that many of us can’t see.

First up, we meet Matthew Doogue who finds solace in capturing small things. He tells us how photographing the tiniest creatures has helped him find a greater sense of happiness.

We also travel to the bottom of the ocean, and discover how even in the most extreme environments fragments of life persist. What can this alien environment teach us about life’s limits and extraordinary capabilities?

And finally we head upwards into the canopies of trees with ecologist Nalini Nadkarni. She invites us to to experience canopy life, and reflects upon what it can teach us about relationships and recovery.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you...

Website: www.bbcearth.com

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We've reached the end of Series 3! It's been a series of new discoveries, awe-inspiring moments, tear-jerkers and revelations.

In the final episode of the series, we are telling stories about the senses. We begin by meeting Sy Montgomery, who built a bond with an eight limbed friend through touch. Octopi have the unique ability to taste what they are touching using the suction cups on their tentacles; some are more sensitive than others and it became clear to Sy that a friendship had been born. Hear from legendary composer, Hans Zimmer, as he describes the process of composing for natural history documentaries - such as Seven Worlds, One Planet - and how these thought provoking series differs from his work on iconic, blockbuster movie soundtracks. In this episode we also tell the story of Bernie Krause who is a "soundscape ecologist", responsible for tracking and recording the sounds of our planet which are rapidly vanishing.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth Podcast. As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or story that tugged your heart strings...

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The show takes a spooky turn as we go on a ghost hunt through the natural world. Sebastian shares his adventures finding fossils – the traces of animals that once lived, and Rutendo talks about her experiences in The Cradle of Humankind, the South African UNESCO World Heritage site containing early human fossils.

Deep in the Peruvian Amazon there is a species of wild dog so rarely sighted it has become known as the ‘ghost dog’. We hear from Renata Leite Pitman, one of the few scientists to successfully track down and study the elusive creature as it moves quietly through the forest.

Gravedigger turned ecologist Dan Flew leads Rutendo and Sebastian through Bristol’s Arnos Vale Cemetery in the dead of night, for a close and thrilling encounter with some of the UK’s rarest bats.

We venture to the world’s most northerly permanently inhabited place, Svalbard, in the Arctic Circle, where TikToker Cecilia Blomdahl reveals the magical secrets of this isolated yet beautiful landscape, on a trip out on her boat with her dog Grim.

And we hear rare recordings of the Northern White Rhino, sadly now extinct in the wild, a recently departed ghost of a more biodiverse world.

Credits:

The BBC Earth podcast is presented by Sebastian Echeverri and Rutendo Shackleton.

This episode was produced by Rachel Byrne and Geoff Marsh.

The researcher was Seb Masters.

The Production Manager was Catherine Stringer and the Production Co-ordinator was Gemma Wootton.

Podcast Theme Music was composed by Axel Kacoutié, with mixing and additional sound design by Peregrine Andrews.

The Associate Producer is Cristen Caine and the Executive Producer is Deborah Dudgeon.

Special thanks to:

Renata Leite Pitman for the feature on the ghost dogs.

Dan Flew for leading the bat walk in Bristol.

Cecilia Blomdahl for her report from Svalbard.

Martyn Stewart for providing the sounds of the Northern White Rhino.

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