This Green Earth

Craig Stanford explores the growing extinction crisis facing reptiles and amphibians, sharing insights from his latest book, Cold-Blooded Murder, and why these often-overlooked species matter more than ever. (00:49) Then science writer Margie Patlak reveals the surprising intelligence, complex behaviors, and hidden lives of insects, highlighting the discoveries that are changing how we see the world's smallest creatures. (26:55)

Craig Stanford explores the growing extinction crisis facing reptiles and amphibians, sharing stories from decades of field research and his latest book, Cold-Blooded Murder: Reptiles and Amphibians on the Brink of Extinction.

Science writer Margie Patlak discusses her book Insect Safari: Exploring the Wondrous World of Everyday Bugs , revealing the surprising intelligence, complex behaviors, and hidden lives of the tiny creatures we often overlook. We explore groundbreaking research revealing that insects are far more intelligent, social, and complex than we've long believed.

Earth science educator and geologist Christa Sadler discusses the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument's remarkable biodiversity. Then, Jackie Grant, Executive Director of Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, explains her organization’s work and the outcome of a recent effort to overturn the monument’s management plan.

Earth sciences educator and geologist Christa Sadler provides a geological overview of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Executive Director of Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, Dr. Jackie Grant discusses her organization's work and the outcome of a recent attempt by Utah delegation to utilize the Congressional Review Act to overturn the monument's management plan.

Leigh Ann Henion, author of "Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark," celebrates the natural world after sunset. Then, Robert Voss, Curator for the Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History, sheds light on a commonly misunderstood marsupial, the opossum.

Author and Curator for the Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History, Robert Voss, joins the program to discuss his book, Opossums: An Adaptive Radiation of New World Marsupials.

New York Times bestselling author Leigh Ann Henion sheds light on the wonders of the dark in her new book, Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens and Other Marvels of the Dark.

Dr. Jack Schmidt is a leading river scientist and Professor of Watershed Sciences at Utah State University, where he directs the Center for Colorado River Studies. Schmidt explains why Lake Powell and Lake Mead have reached a critical point and what comes next for the river. (01:15) Then, what happens when Lake Powell disappears? Eric Balken, executive director of the Glen Canyon Institute, explains how native vegetation, wildlife, beavers, and flowing streams are reclaiming landscapes that spent decades underwater. (29:50)