American Museum of Natural History Podcast

Join Mollie Battenhouse, sommelier and wine director of Maslow Six, and grape geneticist Peter Cousins, of Cornell University, as they discuss wines with ancient lineages and the early history of viticulture. Wines with Ancient Lineages was recorded on February 14, 2010 at the American Museum of Natural History.

Starting with his best-seller, The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World, Michael Pollan has uncovered hidden aspects of the industrialized American diet. In his newest book, he encourages us to take control of our eating habits with a simple resolution, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Michael Pollan discusses ways of doing this with Peter Hoffman, chef and owner of Savoy. Recorded on May 14, 2009.

Professor Patrick Gannon, Chair of Basic Science Education at Hofstra University School of Medicine, helps us understand the adaptive shift to language by looking at the brain. While he delivers the 79th James Arthur lecture on the Evolution of the Human Brain, Dr. Gannon discusses the evolution of human brain language areas, from their origins over 30 million years ago to their development in our common ancestors. Recorded on March 23, 2009.

Join Anthony "Ace" Bourke and John Rendall for this illustrated account of the story of Christian, the lion cub purchased at Harrods and raised in London until it was evident he needed a proper home. As the now famous YouTube video portrayed, Christian was flown to Africa and introduced into the wild where he thrived. This talk reveals the story behind the final reunion depicted in that video. Recorded on March 19, 2009.

Todd Carmichael, La Colombe Torrefaction; Coffee Roasters and Blenders; and Danner Friedman, Rainforest Alliance, discuss growing coffee amid the realities of climate change. Learn how the coffee you purchase can help protect against deforestation, one of the leading causes of carbon dioxide emissions. A coffee cupping introduces several coffee varietals (plant strains) grown under different environmental conditions, from slash-and-burn farms to rainforests. Recorded on February 3, 2009.

For centuries, mathematical theories have proven uncannily accurate at describing and predicting the physical world. What is it that gives mathematics such power? Mario Livio attempts to answer this question in his new book Is God A Mathematician?. Spanning such fields as cosmology, physics, and cognitive science, Dr. Livio offers an accessible and lively account of the lives and thoughts of some of the greatest mathematicians and scientists in history, from Archimedes to Galileo, Descartes to Godel, and on up to today. Recorded on January 12, 2009.

Donald R. Prothero vividly illustrates how the fossil record is now one of the strongest lines of evidence for evolution. Tackling subjects ranging from flood geology and rock dating to neo-Darwinism and macroevolution, he takes us on a grand tour that sheds light on such subjects as invertebrate transitions, the reign of the dinosaurs, and the leap from chimpanzee to human. Donald R. Prothero is Professor of Geology at Occidental College and author of the new book Evolution: What Fossils Say and Why it Matters. Recorded on January 8, 2009.

In this talk, Edmond A. Mathez presents the scientific evidence for climate change, describes some of the possible impacts, and explores potential solutions. Dr. Mathez is curator of the exhibition, Climate Change: The Threat to Life and A New Energy Future and author of the new book, Climate Change: The Science of Global Warming and Our Energy Future. Recorded on January 6, 2009.