About this episode
The episode explores the mysteries surrounding the life cycle of European eels and the scientific efforts to understand them.
More than a century ago, all that people knew about European eels was that they lived in the rivers and streams for decades — until they swam out to the ocean and never returned. Eventually, tiny eels would show up and the cycle would start again. Where did the adult eels go? Where did the baby eels come from? Did they even reproduce at all or just spontaneously emerge into being? Science now has some — but not all — of the answers to these questions. Today on the show, Regina G. Barber talks to fish physiologist Arjan Palstra about this mystery and how close scientists are to solving it. If you liked this episode, check out our episode on the Pacific lamprey . Interested in more science mysteries? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org . Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
People in this episode
Host: Regina G. Barber
Guest: Arjan Palstra
Topics covered
- eels
- mysteries of science
- fish physiology
- reproduction
- ocean
- European eels
Keywords
- eels
- European eels
- fish physiology
- mystery
- ocean
- reproduction
- science
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NPR
Books & works: Pacific lamprey
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