Caves

This time on The Children's Hour, we're joined by three cave biologists who are researching life underground. Learn the basics of caves, spelunking, and hear about cutting edge research into extremophiles. Plus we explore some of the world's most extraordinary caves. Learn with us!

The Kids Crew and Katie are joined by three cave biologists who are researching life underground. Dr. Diana Northup is a Visiting Associate Professor, BiologyProfessor Emerita, College of University Libraries & Learning Sciences at the University of New Mexico, Jenny Hathaway is the biologist inside Dr. Northup's laboratory, and Ryan Ozatalar is an undergraduate studying biology.

We will learn basic facts about caves, like how they are formed and where we can find them. Plus Dr. Northup and her team are on the cutting edge of biological discoveries inside caves. We find out about microbes and extremophiles which inhabit all caves, even ones with air that is toxic for humans.

Are there some caves that are particularly amazing? We think so! Hear about the Great Room in Carlsbad Caverns located in New Mexico, the glow worms in Waitomo Caves in New Zealand, and the ecosystems inside Viet Nam’s Son Doong Cave. Back in the United States, we learn why Wind Cave in South Dakota is sacred for the Oglala Lakota Nation.

This episode is mixed with great music, and was written and produced by Katie Stone, with help from Christina Stella and Eli Henley. This episode was recorded at the Outpost Performance Space in Albuquerque New Mexico. Our engineer was Chad Scheer. Our intern Thaniel Lentz provided our transcripts and playlists.

The Children's Hour is distributed by Native Voice One, The Native American Radio Network.

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