Outside/In

You’ve got scorpion

A listener recently asked, “Has the entire surface of earth at some point or another been covered in poop?” Turns out, there are some questions that even we can’t answer.  In this installment of our regular mailbag segment, the Outside/Inbox, we do our best to take on your zany inquiries, or find experts who can. Here are this week’s questions: Why was there a sudden spike in “dangerous carbon monoxide levels” during a snowstorm in New Hampshire? Is there any official recognition for hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail? Why are live scorpions allowed in the mail? Why do kids (and adults) chant “Do it! Do it! Do it!” and other chants? Do all predators have forward-facing eyes? Featuring Kathleen Simmons, Carlos Santibanez-Lopez, and Barb Lake. Produced by Felix Poon, Marina Henke, and Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big porpoise energy

Whales have Free Willy. Dolphins have Flipper. But what about the humble porpoise?  The porpoise doesn’t star in any Hollywood blockbusters. These shy, elusive “deer of the sea” are often overshadowed by their more charismatic cousins – but don’t let their social anxiety fool you. In fact, porpoises are speed-fiends with an insane metabolism and an outrageous sex drive. Host Nate Hegyi and producer Marina Henke explore the Olympic sprinters of the sea and wonder if the fate of the endangered vaquita might hinge on being oh-so-very-cute.  Featuring Michelle Dutro, Barb Lake and Ruxandra Guidi. Produced by Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. Ripped logo credit: Jeremy Keith / Flickr SUPPORT We launched a Patreon! Become an Outside/Insider for just $5 a month, and you can get AD-FREE episodes of the podcast, plus access to behind-the-scenes blog posts and more.  Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. LINKS The second season of Rux Guidi’s podcast, The Catch, covered the plight of the vaquita.  In 1999, the Department of Defense studied the speed and hydrodynamics of dolphins, whales and porpoises to build better underwater drones.  Here’s a picture of a porpoise penis, but don’t say we didn’t warn you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tinned fish renaissance

We launched a Patreon! Become an Outside/Insider for just $5 per month, and you can get AD-FREE episodes of the podcast, plus access to behind-the-scenes blog posts and more. Sardines are in vogue. Literally. They are in Vogue magazine. They’re delicious (subjectively), good for you, and sustainable… right?  Recently, a listener called into the show asking about just that. “I've always had this sense that they're a more environmentally friendly fish, perhaps because of being low on the food chain. But I'm realizing I really have no sense of what it looks like to actually fish for sardines,” Jeannie told us. The Outside/In team got together to look beyond the sunny illustrations on the fish tins. Is there bycatch? What about emissions? Are sardines overfished? If we care about the health of the ocean, can we keep eating sardines? This episode was originally published in 2025.  Featuring Jeannie Bartlett, Malin Pinsky, and Zach Koehn. Rip logo photo: Canned seafood by Jack Kennard (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Produced by Justine Paradis. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Never add sodium to your pasta water

Put salt (aka sodium chloride) in your pasta water and you’ll end up with delicious spaghetti. Put pure sodium in it instead… and it will explode. It’s the latest edition of “The Element of Surprise,” our occasional series about the hidden stories behind the periodic table’s most unassuming atoms, isotopes, and molecules. This time we’re talking all about sodium. It’s the periodic table’s saltiest element. It powers your body like a battery and you need it to survive. So why is too much of it bad for you? Plus, how did salt help the North win the Civil War? Featuring Raychelle Burks, Trisha Pasricha, Ashley Dumas. Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.  Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. LINKS Watch a 1947 newsreel of the US Army disposing thousands of pounds of pure sodium into a lake in Washington State, causing massive explosions. See images of the Slanic Salt Mine in Romania and the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland, now major tourist sites. Check out Theodore Gray’s “Sodium Party” YouTube video series where he drops sodium chunks of various sizes into water to observe how they explode. Here’s the first video in the series.Want to learn more about the role of salt throughout human history? Read Mark Kurlansky’s Salt: A World History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A cow named Speckles

When 10-year-old Doug Crandell joined the 4-H program, he was supposed to learn about raising, feeding, and selling a cow. What he wound up learning was something else entirely. “I wanted to be a hog man, like my father,” he said. “But I knew pretty early on that you couldn’t have these animals forever.” From producer Shaina Shealy, this is the story of a boy and his cow, Speckles.  Featuring Doug Crandell. Produced by Shaina Shealy. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices