Featured image: A rotting log supports an entire ecosystem, from base recyclers to apex predators. (Courtesy Rachel Ignotofsky)
Another featured book giveaway this week: Kelsey Ockert brings us The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth, written and drawn by Rachel Ignotofsky. In captivating page-by-page diagrams of complex natural ecosystems, Ignotofsky illustrates the diversity of life while showing the interdependence of all organisms. See how Andean mountainscapes and underwater reefs support themselves, and what modern threats endanger each ecosystem the most.
The book was gifted to a lucky listener courtesy of the Princeton Public Library.
In other news:
- The mysterious weather event, El Niño, disturbs the planet’s equilibrium once every few years. But a new class, El Niño Modoki, is enhanced by climate change and is overtaking the old as a typical global pattern.
- By combining volcanic activity maps with artificial intelligence, we are teaching computers to predict new eruptions and save lives — but how smart are computers at reading our tectonic plates?
The playlist can be found online at WPRB.com or below.
These Vibes Are Too Cosmic 