WNYC Studios Presents Season Two of TERRESTRIALS

Hosted by Radiolab’s Lulu Miller

Seven episode season brings the joy and wonder of RADIOLAB to a podcast for families with stories about the strangeness of nature right here on Earth 

Launches Thursday, September 19

Listen to the audio trailer here

(New York NY – September 5, 2024) – On Thursday, September 19, Radiolab from WNYC Studios will premiere the second season of “Terrestrials,” a podcast series for kids and families that explores why the natural world is stranger than we think.

Created and hosted by Radiolab co-host Lulu Miller, “Terrestrials” tells stories about creatures, plants, and other natural phenomena using original songs, humor and a heavy dose of wonder.  Season Two features a fresh crop of stories about some of our most overlooked neighbors here on Earth, including tree stumps, squirrels, lichen, bees and Greenland sharks, the world’s oldest living vertebrate.  The episodes take listeners from the jungles of Bangladesh, the heights of the Himalayas, the deepest parts of the ocean and beyond to encounter the seemingly fantastical. Braiding together different kinds of knowledge (scientific, musical, traditional ecological, artistic and more), “Terrestrials”  unearths new insights and astonishing scientific revelations, leaving our planet feeling new and mysterious again. 

This season, “Terrestrials” welcomes entomologist Dr. Sammy Ramsey  as the show’s official Bug Correspondent.  The show’s “Songbud,” composer Alan Goffinski, returns with new songs featuring guest performances from Laura Jane Grace, Tasha, Timbre and Mike Kinsella of American Football. Over the course of the season, Miller talks to poets, painters, NASA scientists, Indigenous bee hunters, 11-year old skaters, arctic biologists, and more, including “The Badgers” – a panel of kids who badger experts with their pressing questions. 

“We were overjoyed to see the response from listeners to the first season of ‘Terrestrials:’ from parents saying it became their go-to podcast for family drives, to kids sending in art, dance videos and questions inspired by the episodes, and teachers telling us about using the podcast in the classroom,” shared host Lulu Miller. “In this second season, we are back with wilder stories and even catchier songs. We’ll be taking listeners to the extremes of the Earth– the Arctic, the depths of the ocean, inside the crater of an active volcano, and beyond– to encounter overlooked creatures that hold mind-boggling scientific discoveries.”

“In today’s world where parents are constantly concerned about screen time, ‘Terrestrials’ is a breath of fresh air. It’s a journey that sparks curiosity about our planet and beyond,” shared Kenya Young, Senior Vice President, Programming and WNYC Studios. “The show makes science and nature accessible and exciting for young minds. It’s storytelling that engages the imagination and inspires the next generation of scientists and explorers. We’re thrilled to bring more of these stories to kids and families, and to work with amazing educational and science partners in finding creative ways to share the wonders of our world.”

“Terrestrials” was produced in consultation with an advisory committee of educators, authors, and a very candid group of kids aged 8-12. “Terrestrials” is pleased to offer educators free teaching materials that align with national standards for grades K-8, developed with PBS Learning Media. Resources for kids, families and educators, including links to teaching materials at PBS Learning Media, are available by visiting. 

“Terrestrials” is available for streaming at “Radiolab for Kids” or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Episode descriptions are as follows:

September 19: The Stumpisode: The Wild World of Tree Stumps

As inert as they may seem, tree stumps are a hub of life and interrelationships. Dr. Amanda Thomson, a lover of tree stumps, will take us on a tour of some of the world’s most fantastic stumps. We travel to Illinois to meet a stump that changed the sky, to West Virginia to meet a stump that birthed a city, and to Wales to meet a stump that confirmed a tall tale of the ancient past. You’ll emerge from this episode with a new understanding of how the dead can sustain the living.

September 26: The Snowball: Extreme Squirrels in the Arctic

Is it possible to become new? Could a mammal like us regrow its brain? A chance encounter with a schoolyard squirrel leads middle-schooler Aanya down a rabbit hole (or squirrel burrow) to learn about the arctic ground squirrel that can do this. Lulu Miller travels to Alaska to hold one of these squirrels in her hands as it shivers awake from a braindead slumber and regrows its brain in just three hours. Biologists Kelly Drew and Brian Barnes explain why this humble squirrel holds huge potential for treating brain injury, disease, and even helping astronauts hibernate on the long journey to Mars.

October 3: The Crystal Ball: Giant Honeybees Who Predict the Future

Most of us have heard of colony collapse disorder– the mysterious illness that devastated honeybee populations in North America. In this gripping episode, entomologist Dr. Sammy Ramsey heads deep into the jungle of Bangladesh to hunt for the largely overlooked honeybees of Central Asia which he believes hold the key to protecting North American bees. When his Western technology fails him, indigenous honeybee hunter Babulal Munda steps in to decode the airborne dancing of giant honeybees and lead Sammy to a hive that holds crucial secrets to protecting our bees against future collapse. An adventure of an episode with a twist ending!

October 9: An Ocean in Space

On October 10, NASA will launch a spacecraft to explore what could be a vast ocean beneath the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa. As part of the mission, NASA asked US Poet Laureate Ada Limón to write a poem that would serve as a message from planet Earth to be engraved on the outside of the spaceship. On this special episode — to be released on October 9th, the day before the launch — the “Terrestrials” team turned to kids from all across the country for their questions about the mission, the poem, and Jupiter’s ocean world. The kids ask their questions directly to NASA scientist Dr. Cynthia Phillips and Poet Laureate Ada Limón and the result is a humorous and deep investigation of why poetry belongs in space and why there might be life on this faraway moon.

October 17: The Sea Troll: An Everlasting Shark?

The Greenland shark is a deepsea dweller that has long been overlooked by scientists because of its less-than-glamorous appearance and poisonous flesh. However, among Greenlanders, a rumor swirled that the shark could live for centuries. With the help of his young daughter, scientist Dr. Jon Steffanson sets out to find out if the rumor is true. (Spoiler, it is! The Greenland shark is now believed to be the longest-living vertebrate on the planet). Journalist Jonny Moens sets out to find out how the shark does it, and introduces us to scientist Steven Austad who has a good guess as to the shark’s bittersweet secret to longevity. 

October 24: The Bullseye: Treasure Hunt to Recursive Islands

Alan Goffinski, composer and “Terrestrials” Songbud, takes us on a wild journey into the secret bullseyes hiding all over planet Earth. “Recursive Islands” occur when there is an island on a lake on an island (on a lake on an island on a lake on an island… etc.). We follow Josh Calder, a geographer on a quest to find these things and we learn from ecologist Elba Montes why recursive islands are hotbeds of evolution, breeding species found nowhere else on Earth. 

October 31: The Fuzzy Ruckus: The Power of Lichen

Artist Ashley Eliza Williams, who suffered from extreme shyness as a kid, found comfort in the forest. There, she eventually discovered lichen and began painting portraits of their wild and colorful shapes. She learned that lichen is a composite organism, a mixture of two species (algae and fungi) working together to live. It was an idea that initially challenged evolutionary theory – why would two species collaborate instead of compete? It challenged Ashley’s belief that solitude was the best way for her to heal. We also hear from chef Prashanta Khanal about how the collaboration inside lichen allows for the survival of animals and people like his Nepalese ancestors. 

Stay tuned for more information about a very special New Year’s Day surprise from “Terrestrials.”

This season’s Advisory Committee includes:

• Dominique Shabazz: social worker, educator, middle child expert, Social Justice for Children’s Advocate
• Ana Luz Porzecanski: Director of Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History
• Princess Daazhraii Johnson: Producer of Molly of Denali + more
• Tara Welty: Publishing Executive at Scholastic
• Liza Steinberg-Demby: Vice President of Creative Strategy and Editorial at Nickelodeon
• Andy J Pizza: New York Times bestselling Kids Book Author +Podcaster
• Anil Lewis: Executive Director for Blindness Initiatives, National Federation of the Blind
• Liza Demby: Emmy Award-winning creative leader in Kids and Family Media
• Sophie Miller: New York Times bestselling author and mixed-media artist

Support for “Terrestrials” is provided by the Simons Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Kalliopeia Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation.

ABOUT RADIOLAB

Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you through science, legal history, and into the home of someone halfway across the world. The show is known for innovative sound design, smashing information into music. It is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser. Founded in 2002, Radiolab has been named one of “10 non-fiction podcasts that changed everything,” “revolutionary” and a pioneer in narrative sound design (Vulture) and has received two Peabody Awards. Radiolab was ranked among the top 50 U.S. podcasts by Edison Research in 2024.

ABOUT WNYC STUDIOS

WNYC Studios is the premier producer of on-demand and broadcast audio, and home to some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and popular podcasts, including Radiolab, On the Media, The New Yorker Radio Hour, The United States of Anxiety, Death, Sex & Money, Dolly Parton’s America, and La Brega: Stories of the Puerto Rican Experience. WNYC Studios is leading the new golden age in audio with podcasts and national radio programs that inform, inspire, and delight millions of curious and highly engaged listeners across digital, mobile, and broadcast platforms. Programs include personal narratives, deep journalism, revealing interviews, and smart entertainment as varied and intimate as the human voice itself. For more information, visit wnyc studios.org.