Time To Eat The Dogs

Cannibals, headless men, and giants were common figures of Medieval and Renaissance maps. Historian Surekha Davies tells us why we need to take these figures seriously. Davies is the author of Renaissance Ethnography and the Invention of the Human: New Worlds, Maps and Monsters (Cambridge University Press, 2016)

David Munns, professor of history at John Jay College, talks about his new book, Engineering the Environment: Phytotrons and the Quest for Climate Control in the Cold War, but we also talk about Matt Damon, shitting in space, and growing pot in your dorm room.

In 1946, Swedish and Finnish observers reported "ghost rockets" flying over Scandinavia. In the United States, they became known as "flying saucers." Historian Greg Eghigian discusses the science and culture of UFOs in the twentieth century.

Karen Routledge tells the story of Baffin Island’s Inuit community as they came into contact with western whalers and explorers in the nineteenth century. Her new book, Can You See the Ice ?, tells the story of the Inuit of Cumberland Sound. Even though the Inuit worked closely with outsiders, their views of the Arctic world, of the meaning of home, even time itself, remained very different.

California is in the middle of its worst fire season ever. 1.2 million acres have burned so far with no end in sight. Now, with flames threatening Los Angeles, 200,000 people have been told to evacuate. Michael Kodas returns to Time to Eat the Dogs to give an update on the fires raging across Southern California. When we spoke two weeks ago, Kodas described the Napa Valley fires as wildfires that were transitioning into urban firestorms. Now this dangerous type of fire approaches Los Angeles, the second largest city in America.

In September President Trump nominated Jim Bridenstine – a three term Congressman from Oklahoma-- to lead NASA. Discussing Bridenstine’s nomination and other issues confronting NASA is Dan Vergano, science reporter for BuzzFeed.

In 1845, the two British naval ships left England with 129 men in search of the Northwest Passage. They were never heard from again.The disappearance of the Franklin Expedition shocked the world. Dozens of expeditions set sail into the Arctic looking for the missing explorers. Professor Russell Potter talks about the Expedition and the reasons why it continues to fascinate people around the world.

Noel Phillips discusses the growing popularity of climbing among women. Her article, “No Man’s Land: The Rise of Women in Climbing” was recently published in Climbing Magazine.

Ten years after the 1953 summit of Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, a team of 19 Americans and hundreds of Sherpas, attempted to do it again. Historian Phil Clements discusses the American expedition and its focus on Cold War scientific research. 

The sport of running has exploded in the last three decades with some runners pushing the envelope of the extreme. Dr. Beth Taylor discusses the science and psychology of this rapidly growing sport. 

Journalist Michael Kodas talks about the phenomenon of megafires, forest fires that burn over 100,000 acres, and why the number of these fires is increasing every year.