About this episode
The episode explores the previously overlooked life in forest canopies and features insights from ecologists Korena Mafune and Nalini Nadkarni.
For much of history, tree canopies were pretty much completely ignored by science. It was as if researchers said collectively, "It's just going to be empty up there, and we've got our hands full studying the trees down here! So why bother?" But then around the mid-1980s, a few ecologists around the world got curious and started making their way up into the treetops using any means necessary (ropes, cranes, hot air dirigibles) to document all they could find. It didn't take long for them to realize not only was the forest canopy not empty, it was absolutely filled to the brim with life. You've heard of treehouses? How about tree gardens?! This week, we bring you a story we first released in 2022. We journey up into the sky and discover forests above the forest. We learn about the secret powers of these sky gardens from ecologist Korena Mafune, and we follow Nalini Nadkarni as she makes a ground-breaking discovery that changes how we understand what trees are capable of. P.S. This episode is a layer cake of arboreal surprises (including the reappearance of a certain retired host. LATERAL CUTS:From Tree to Shining Tree (https://zpr.io/4cHtDdYTuNxT): The episode that started this…
People in this episode
Host: Annie McEwen
Guests: Korena Mafune, Nalini Nadkarni
Topics covered
- forest ecology
- tree canopy
- biodiversity
- ecology
- scientific discovery
Keywords
- forest canopy
- ecology
- biodiversity
- tree gardens
- scientific discovery
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: WNYC Studios
Books & works: From Tree to Shining Tree, Inside the Fight to Save an Ancient Forest (and the Secrets it Holds)
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