This episode explores new research, which has found that hotter days brought about by climate change have been linked to an increased risk of shootings in the United States. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.    Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘My Mother Contemplating Her Gun’ by Nick Flynn here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that the microplastics in Auckland’s air is equal to 3 million plastic bottles every year. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.   Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Plastic Bag from Corner Store Laments the Self’ by Aliyah Cotton here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that in the Western United States, an increase in forest resilience is linked with a higher mortality risk for trees. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Eastern Forests’ by Charlie Smith here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that seagrass can reduce coastal erosion by up to 70% thanks to its root mats binding the sand. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Coast’ by Julia Randall here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that under the conditions, disease-resistant corals can help protect other corals that are more vulnerable to disease. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.               Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘People Are a Living Structure Like a Coral Reef’ by Heather Christle here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that thanks to conservation efforts reef manta rays are thriving off the Raja Ampat archipelago in Indonesia. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.              Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Night Dive’ by Peggy Shumaker here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that vines and climbing plants are more likely to infest smaller trees in Southeast Asian forests, with significant implications for global carbon storage and climate change. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.                Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Vine in Early Spring’ by Sara van Alstyne Allen here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that rhino horns have shrunk over the past century, likely due to hunting. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.               Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘A Rhinoceros and a Lion’ by Kaoru Maruyama here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that insects can contribute to atmospheric electricity. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.              Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Myths of Electricity: A Letter to Nikola Tesla’ by Kevin Meaux here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that 80 years after it sank, a World War 2 warship is still polluting the local ecosystem. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.             Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘After the Shipwreck’ by Alicia Ostriker here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that the Salton Sea is turning into toxic dust. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.             Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Salt to Make a Sea’ by Renée Ashley here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has improved the ability to predict fluctuations in the rotation of the Earth and with it the length of the day. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.             Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Days’ by Philip Larkin here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that planting hedges and flower strips in orchards helps to support wild bee communities, thereby improving pollination. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.             Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘The Bees’ by Bruce Mackinnon here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that five years after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, one in four residents has PTSD. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.            Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Water Table’ by Eliza Griswold here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that bottlenose dolphins form the largest alliance network outside of humans. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.           Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Dolphins at Seven Weeks’ by Rachel Jamison Webster here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that a single introduction of wild rabbits triggered their invasion across Australia in the 1800s. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.           Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Rabbit’ by Stanley Vestal here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that climate change will likely lead to irreversible declines in freshwater storage in the Tibetan Plateau by the middle of this century, impacting the supply of freshwater for nearly two billion people. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.           Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Water Table’ by Eliza Griswold here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that tinnitus affects more than 740 million adults and is perceived as a major problem by more than 120 million people across the world. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.          Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Tinnitus’ by Henry M. Seiden here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that junk food advertising restrictions on Transport for London networks have prevented almost 100,000 obesity cases since 2019. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.         Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘The Sugar Thief’ by Ned Balbo here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that wood heating pollutes the air in mountain areas more than previously assumed. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.        Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Meeting the Mountains’ by Gary Snyder here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that after Hurricane Harvey, the residents of Houston were exposed to more chemical pollutants than normal. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.       Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Storm Is Over’ by Jason Guriel here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has used underwater nuclear bomb detectors to reveal a rebound in the population of pygmy blue whales. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.       Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Environmental Awareness: The Right Whale’ by Claudia Emerson here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that the climate crisis is likely to deepen environmental injustice in urban areas. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.      Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Post-Construction’ by Kay Ryan here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that ancient microbes may help us to find extraterrestrial life forms. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.     Read the scientific study that inspired it here.        Read ‘The Colors of Ageing’ by Peter Boyle here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that dairy cows exposed to wildfire smoke produce less milk. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.    Read the scientific study that inspired it here.        Read ‘The Cows’ by Frederick Bock here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that artificial light affects the seasonal rhythms of plants. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.   Read the scientific study that inspired it here.       Read ‘In the Changing Light’ by Carter Revard here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found evidence of a beautiful songbird potentially becoming an invasive species in the UK. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here.      Read 'Songbird' by John Brehm here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that e-cigarettes have led to more than 1 million young people (14-17) in the US becoming daily tobacco users. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.                Read the scientific study that inspired it here.     Read ‘Interstate Sonnet’ by Carl Marcum here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has used 10 years of citizen science data to show that a variety of conservation approaches are needed to protect UK bumblebee species. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.                Read the scientific study that inspired it here.     Read ‘Apple Blossoms’ by Susan Kelly-DeWitt here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has investigated how an extra-terrestrial stone found on Earth provides clues about supernova events. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.                Read the scientific study that inspired it here.    Read ‘We Astronomers’ by Rebecca Elson here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that shipping poses a significant threat to the endangered whale shark. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.               Read the scientific study that inspired it here.    Read ‘Requiem Shark’ by Rad Smith here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that student debt can impair your cardiovascular health into middle age. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.              Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘The Debt’ by Paul Laurence Dunbar here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found links between red tides and dead zones off the west coast of Florida. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.             Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Fabliau of Florida’ by Wallace Stevens here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that the absence of visual imagination can be detected by looking at how the pupils respond to light. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.            Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘The Mind’s Eye’ by David M. Graham here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that children differ dramatically from adults in their moral views on animals. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.           Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Animals That Die in Our Houses’ by Jane Shore here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that changing the ways in which fruit is gathered from palm trees could help to conserve Amazon peatland forests. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.           Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Palm Tree’ by Rabindranath Tagore here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that a globalised diet of ultra-processed foods is having a negative impact on both human and planetary health. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.          Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Strict Diet’ by James Crews here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that neighbourhood green space is tied to lower healthcare costs. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.         Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Green Pear Tree in September’ by Freya Manfred here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has created a colour catalogue to help find life on distant, frozen worlds.   --- Read this episode’s science poem here.        Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence’ by Matthew Rohrer here.   --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found a sharp decline in basking shark sightings in California. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.      Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Basking Shark’ by Norman MacCaig here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found unexpectedly high levels of hazardous chemicals in nail salons. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.     Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘You Mean You Don’t Weep at the Nail Salon?’ by Elizabeth Acevedo here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that almost all children have tobacco smoke toxicants on their hands, even in non-smoking homes. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.    Read the scientific study that inspired it here.     Read ‘Smoking’ by Ronald Wallace here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that old and ancient trees help to develop a forest's resilience. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.   Read the scientific study that inspired it here.    Read ‘Tree’ by Jane Hirshfield here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found evidence of nanoplastics falling like snow in the remote, high-altitude Alps. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.   Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Twilight in the Alps’ by Henry Van Dyke here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that the safe planetary boundary for pollutants (including plastics) has been exceeded. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.   Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Value Added’ by Stephen Sandy here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that 370,000 Californians rely on drinking water that is polluted, with communities of colour disproportionally affected. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.   Read the scientific study that inspired it here. Read ‘Water’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that violence is broadly felt by millions of Californians. --- Read this episode’s science poem here. Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘Parable in Praise of Violence’ by Tony Barnstone here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth 

This episode explores new research, which has found that head lice can help us to analyse the remains of our ancestors. --- Read this episode’s science poem here.          Read the scientific study that inspired it here.   Read ‘What DNA Knows’ by Charlotte Pence here. --- Music by Rufus Beckett. --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: [email protected]   Twitter: @samillingworth