There's More To That podcast

#History #Smithsonian Magazines

46:39

“If we march into that village and we start trying to persecute people for using poison, something that's very illegal, nobody's going to talk to us. We're not going to find out where the poison came from. We're not going to be able to shut anything down. We should take the approach that people are using poison because they're desperate, because they see no other alternative.” – Andrew Stein Andrew Stein is a wildlife ecologist who spent the past 25 years studying human carnivore conflict from African wild dogs and lions in Kenya and Botswana to leopards and hyenas in Namibia. His work has long focused on finding ways for people and predators to coexist. He is the founder of CLAWS , an organization based in Botswana that's working at the intersection of cutting-edge wildlife research and community driven conservation. Since its start in 2014 and official launch as an NGO in 2020, CLAWS has been pioneering science-based, tech-forward strategies to reduce conflict between people and carnivores. By collaborating closely with local communities, especially traditional cattle herders, CLAWS supports both species conservation and rural livelihoods—making coexistence not just possible, but sustainable.…

There's More to That

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Smithsonian magazine covers history, science and culture in the way only it can — through a lens on the world that is insightful and grounded in richly reported stories. On There's More to That, meet the magazine's journalists and hear how they discover the forces behind the biggest issues of our time. Every two weeks, There’s More to That will give curious listeners a fresh understanding of the world we all inhabit.

Host Ari Daniel is an independent science journalist who has reported across six continents and contributes regularly to National Public Radio among other outlets. In a previous life, he trained grey seal pups and studied wild Norwegian killer whales. In the fifth grade, Ari won the "Most Contagious Smile" award.

39 episodes

There's More to That

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updated 7 days ago

Series home•Feed

39 episodes

#History #Smithsonian Magazines

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1
Dive Into the Deeper Story of the American Revolution on How New England and Virginia United Against the British 29:23

7 days ago29:23

29:23

Two hundred and fifty years ago this month, silversmith Paul Revere took to his horse on a midnight ride to warn American rebels that British troops were approaching. The famous ride and an ensuing battle at Lexington and Concord touched off the American Revolution. But there are other stories involving the role that enslaved Africans and Southern colonists played in launching and sustaining the rebellion that led to the founding of the United States of America. Host Ari Daniel speaks with Nikki Stewart of Old North Illuminated and Smithsonian writer Andrew Lawler about these lesser-known histories. Read the original Smithsonian article here . To subscribe to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes about a baseball field resurrected in a World War II-era Japanese internment camp , a recently solved mystery surrounding the burial of John F. Kennedy and how artificial intelligence is making ancient scrolls readable again , find us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. “There’s More to That” is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel , Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller , Genevieve Sponsler , Adriana Rosas Rivera , Sandra Lopez Monsalve and Edwin Ochoa . The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Our music is from APM Music. Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Photos by Ari Daniel, gregobagel via Getty Images and the Metropolitan Museum of Art under public domain.…

1
A Field of Dreams Built in an Unlikely Place: A Japanese American Internment Camp 38:13

21 days ago38:13

38:13

Baseball was a way of life in the camps that incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II. The United States government stripped the Americans who lived in these camps of their liberties, but for those communities, having played the game for generations, baseball brought them closer to each other and, paradoxically, to their country. At Manzanar, one such site at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California, dozens of baseball and softball teams played regularly. Decades after the camps closed, and after Japanese Americans had returned to their homes on the West Coast, Manzanar was established as a historic site . Replicas of camp buildings were erected to memorialize what had happened there, but the baseball field was in complete disrepair. Artist and baseball enthusiast Dan Kwong led the herculean restoration effort. Host Ari Daniel talks with Kwong and Smithsonian writer Rachel Ng, who reported on the endeavor. Read the original Smithsonian article here . To subscribe to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes on a recently solved mystery surrounding the burial of John F. Kennedy , the only battalion during World War II composed entirely of Black women , and everything you wanted to know about sweating and sports , find us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. “There’s More to That” is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel , Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller , Genevieve Sponsler , Adriana Rosas Rivera , Sandra Lopez Monsalve and Edwin Ochoa . The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Our music is from APM Music. Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Photos by Aaron Rapoport and the National Archives under public domain.…

1
The Swarm of People Intent on Saving Our Bees 24:42

5 weeks ago24:42

24:42

Native bees in the United States are dying due to pesticides, disease and habitat loss. These insects play a critical role in nature and on farms, yet we know very little about native bees in part because they’re a challenge to study. That’s where a legion of bee enthusiasts and amateur experts, called “beeple,” come in. Armed with nets and jars, they fan out across the country to find, document and study native bees, both common and rare. Host Ari Daniel interviews Smithsonian writer Susan Freinkel and self-proclaimed bee enthusiast Michael Veit about the future of bees through the lens of the beeple who care deeply about them. Read the original Smithsonian article by Susan Freinkel here . To subscribe to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes on the tale of what happened to Pablo Escobar’s hippos , the popularity of stories about animal behavior and the sex lives of dinosaurs , find us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. “There’s More to That” is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel , Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller , Genevieve Sponsler , Adriana Rosas Rivera , Sandra Lopez Monsalve and Edwin Ochoa . The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Images via John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and public domain.…

1
A Mystery Surrounding the Grave of JFK Is Solved 39:37

7 weeks ago39:37

39:37

Before he was a civil rights activist, James Felder was a member of the elite U.S. Honor Guard who helped bury John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery after his assassination in 1963. In a move that was unrehearsed, after laying the casket to rest, the members of the Honor Guard placed their military hats upon the gravesite in what James Felder called “a final salute to President Kennedy.” Years later, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis commissioned a bronze wreath to be made in honor of her husband that incorporated the caps. Once completed, this sculpture disappeared quite suddenly. Half a century later, improbably, it was found due to the help of a couple of sleuths at a private garden in Northern Virginia. In this episode, we hear from Elinor Crane of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and James Felder. Read the original Smithsonian article by Ellen Wexler here . To subscribe to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes on the man behind the nonfiction thriller about Abraham Lincoln's assassination , separating fact from fiction in the life of Sojourner Truth , and the complicated legacy of being the descendant of a Civil War hero , find us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. “There’s More to That” is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel , Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller , Genevieve Sponsler , Adriana Rosas Rivera , Sandra Lopez Monsalve and Edwin Ochoa . The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Images via John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and public domain.…

1
The Truth About the Sex Lives of Dinosaurs 29:39

9 weeks ago29:39

29:39

Dinosaurs are often thought of as aggressors—giant beasts that dominated our planet for millions of years. But these prehistoric animals almost certainly had a softer side. In the last decade, researchers have gained tantalizing insights into the sex lives and mating habits of these ancient reptiles. In this episode, Smithsonian contributing writer Riley Black describes new evidence that reveals how and when dinosaurs mated—including ancient behavior recorded in rock, a new theory around dinosaur horns and spikes, and a prehistoric cloaca. Read Riley's coverage of dinosaurs here and here . To subscribe to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes on the sticking power of stories about animal behavior , what happens when the Colorado River goes dry and how asteroid dust might tell us about the origins of life , find us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. “There’s More to That” is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel , Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller , Genevieve Sponsler , Adriana Rosas Rivera , Sandra Lopez Monsalve and Edwin Ochoa . The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Images via by Donald E. Hurlbert for Smithsonian Institution (SI-19-2014), James St. John via Flickr under CC BY 2.0, and public domain.…

1
Why Auroras Are Suddenly Everywhere All at Once 29:53

11 weeks ago29:53

29:53

For millennia, auroras have both enchanted and haunted human beings. Ancient lore is filled with myths attempting to explain what caused the celestial phenomenon. More recent historic documentation of auroras may even help us predict damaging solar storms in the future. As we head into a year expected to bring the best northern lights in two decades, we consider the science behind auroras and why they are suddenly so plentiful—even in places that hardly qualify as northern. In this episode, Jo Marchant , author of The Human Cosmos , and Smithsonian science editor Carlyn Kranking revel in auroras through the ages and explain how to view these dazzling displays yourself. Tap here to see the NOAA tracker mentioned in the episode. Read Carlyn's coverage of auroras here and here . To subscribe to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes on our love of eclipses , the use of asteroid dust to find the origins of life and why orcas may not be doing what we think , find us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. “There’s More to That” is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel , Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller , Genevieve Sponsler , Adriana Rosas Rivera , Sandra Lopez Monsalve and Edwin Ochoa . The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. / Images via public domain.…

1
How to Use Renaissance Paintings to Improve the Farming of Tomorrow 25:38

13 weeks ago25:38

25:38

Italian researcher Isabella Dalla Ragione has a most unusual job. An “arboreal archaeologist,” Dalla Ragione scours Renaissance paintings and medieval archives, discovering endangered fruits that might be revived. Her life’s work offers a possible solution to the problem of monocrops. Year after year, agricultural giants cultivate the same varieties of the same fruits and vegetables, while many other varieties have fallen to the wayside. Monocrops contribute to climate change and are highly susceptible to its consequences, jeopardizing our food supply. In this episode, Isabella and Smithsonian contributing writer Mark Schapiro discuss the importance and challenges of protecting biodiversity and agriculture in the midst of a changing climate — and why it matters. Read Mark's story for Smithsonian magazine here . To subscribe to There’s More to That , and to listen to past episodes on a plan to save Texas from deadly hurricanes , the wild story of Pablo Escobar’s hippos , and how artificial intelligence is making 2,000 year old scrolls readable again , find us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. There’s More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel , Debra Rosenberg , and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller , Genevieve Sponsler , Adriana Rosas Rivera , Sandra Lopez Monsalve , and Edwin Ochoa . The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Photos by Simona Ghizzoni / Images via the Metropolitan Museum of Art under public domain Music by APM Music .…

1
Coming January 23: There’s More to That from Smithsonian magazine and PRX, Season 2 7:12

14 weeks ago7:12

7:12

Smithsonian magazine covers history, science and culture in the way only we can — through rich reporting sparked by our editors’ insatiable curiosity. On There’s More to That , meet the magazine’s journalists and hear what they think about the biggest issues of our time. Find out how much more there is to… almost everything.…

1
RE-BROADCAST: Meet the Wide-Awakes, The Club of Cape-Wearing Activists Who Helped Elect Lincoln and Spark the Civil War 36:26

15 weeks ago36:26

36:26

We’re busy at work on our new season, which will hit your feeds later this month. In the meantime, we’re bringing you an episode of the Smithsonian Institution’s podcast Sidedoor to tide you over. Smithsonian curator of political history Jon Grinspan takes you inside the story of the Wide Awakes, a group of torch-bearing young activists who helped elect Abraham Lincoln and spurred the nation toward Civil War. Grinspan recently wrote about the Wide Awakes in an issue of Smithsonian magazine. We’ll be back soon with all new episodes to kick off our second season. Happy new year!…

1
[Rebroadcast] Meet The 6888: The WWII Battalion of Black Women That Inspired the New Netflix Film 38:02

18 weeks ago38:02

38:02

[First released in 2023.] The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the only unit comprised entirely of Black women to have been deployed overseas during World War II, and it had served a critical function: clearing the backlog of mail that marked the only line of communication between American soldiers in Europe and their loved ones back home. In this episode, we speak with retired Army Colonel Edna Cummings , who made it her business to get the 6888 their belated recognition, and with Smithsonian magazine senior writer Jennie Rothenberg Gritz , who wrote about Col. Cummings' quest for the March 2023 issue of Smithsonian . NOTE: On December 20, Netflix will debut "The Six Triple Eight," a movie that dramatizes the heroic story of the battalion. Starring Kerry Washington and featuring Oprah Winfrey, the film is directed by Tyler Perry. Learn more about the women of the 6888th Central Postal Battalion at the Women of the 6888th site . Find prior episodes of our show here . There’s More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Rye Dorsey, and Edwin Ochoa . The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz . Music by APM Music.…

1
As Hurricanes Get Stronger, Can a $34 Billion Plan Save Texas? 32:36

37 weeks ago32:36

32:36

After Hurricane Ike destroyed thousands of homes and inflicted an estimated $30 billion in damages in 2008, engineers hatched an ambitious plan to protect southeast Texas and its coastal refineries and shipping routes from violent storms. The $34 billion collaboration spearheaded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a harbinger of the type of massive public works projects that could be required to protect coastal cities like New York and Miami as sea levels rise and hurricanes become less predictable and more severe due to climate change. Smithsonian magazine contributor and Texas native Xander Peters reflects on his experiences growing up in a hurricane corridor and tells us how the wildly ambitious effort came together. Then, Eric Sanderson , an ecological historian, tells us how the project could be applied to other low-lying coastal cities. Read Xander Peters' Smithsonian magazine story about the Ike Dike here . Let us know what you think of our show, and how we can make it better, by completing our There's More to That listener survey here . Find prior episodes of our show here . Listen to the New York Botanical Garden podcast "Plant People" here . There’s More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Rye Dorsey, and Edwin Ochoa . The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz Music by APM Music .…

1
How to Sweat Like an Olympian 30:22

39 weeks ago30:22

30:22

Have you ever felt embarrassed by the need to carry a towel, or even a fresh shirt, with you during the most sweltering months of the year? You shouldn’t. Sweating is one of the most remarkable ways our bodies protect themselves when the mercury heads north. With summer temperatures spiking around the world as the sweat-filled Olympic Games begin in Paris, we’re joined by Sarah Everts, a Smithsonian contributor and the author a marvelous book called The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration. She explains why the body’s thermostat is so ingenious, and how it cools athletes—and the rest of us. Plus: A series of snack-sized anecdotes about the Olympics! Let us know what you think of our show, and how we can make it better, by completing our There's More to That listener survey here . Find prior episodes of our show here . Read Smithsonian magazine's coverage of the Olympics , past and present, here , here , here , and here . There’s More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Rye Dorsey, and Edwin Ochoa . The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz Music by APM Music .…

1
Survey: Help Us Design Our Future Season 0:34

40 weeks ago0:34

0:34

We're over here making podcasts, and you're over there listening. Let's bridge that gap! We want to know more about you, like: why you're listening, what your favorite topics are, and what Smithsonian magazine can do to make "There's More to That" even better. Tell us what you think at smithsonianmag.com/podcastsurvey .…

1
The Wild Story of What Happened to Pablo Escobar’s Hungry, Hungry Hippos 29:31

41 weeks ago29:31

29:31

Four decades ago, Pablo Escobar brought to his Medellín hideaway four hippopotamuses, the centerpieces of a menagerie that included llamas, cheetahs, lions, tigers, ostriches and other exotic fauna. After Colombian police shot Escobar dead in December 1993, veterinarians removed the animals—except the hippos, which were deemed too dangerous to approach. The hippos fled to the nearby Magdalena River and multiplied. Today, the descendants of Escobar’s hippos are believed to number nearly 200. Their uncontrolled growth threatens the region’s fragile waterways. Smithsonian contributor Joshua Hammer joins us to recount this strange history and explain why Colombian conservationists have embarked upon an unusual program to sterilize these hippos in the wild via “invasive surgical castration,” a procedure that is, as he has written for Smithsonian magazine, “medically complicated, expensive and sometimes dangerous for hippos as well as for the people performing it.” Then, ecologist Rebecca Lewison tells us how her long-term study of hippo populations in Africa offers hints of how these creatures will continue to alter the Colombian ecosystem—and what authorities can do about it. Let us know what you think of our show, and how we can make it better, by completing our There's More to That listener survey here . Read Josh Hammer's Smithsonian story about Escobar's hippos and their descendants here . Learn more about Rebecca Lewison and her work here . Find prior episodes of our show here . There’s More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly . From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Rye Dorsey, and Edwin Ochoa . The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales . Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson . Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz Music by APM Music .…

1
‘The Crime of the Century,’ a Century Later 35:06

43 weeks ago35:06