The Shape of the World

On Landscape, Identity, and Belonging (Ep. 47)

As the founder and principal at site design group ltd., a Chicago-based urban design and landscape architecture firm, Ernest (“Ernie”) Wong has spent over three decades t

One Man, 3,750 Birds (Ep. 46)

Ornithologist Doug Stotz is a key player in the Field Museum of Natural History’s strenuous effort to safeguard threatened landscapes, galvanize community stewards, and a

Canines in the City (Ep. 45)

Each of the largest cities on earth plays host to hundreds of thousands of dogs. Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, founder of the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College and the autho

Back in the Swim of Things (Ep. 44)

Over the past 30 years, the quality of water in rivers has improved tremendously in many major cities around the world. So much so that what once seemed impossible has no

Nighthawk: The Voice of Twilight (Ep. 43)

We often notice more of the visual world than we do the auditory world, yet many of our experiences are defined by sound. Edward Warden, the president of the Chicago Orni

How to Make a Myth, and Then Debunk It (Ep. 42)

Samara Greenwood, a PhD candidate in the field of History and Philosophy of Science, explores the women who revolutioned the field of primatology and...

Where Did All the Rivers Go? (Ep. 41)

The Executive Director of Seven Canyons Trust, Ronnie Pessetto, is attempting to peel back the layers of concrete that cover many of the creeks in Salt Lake City, Utah. T

Friendship, Bushtits, and the Vastness of Everything (Ep. 40)

Jill Riddell speaks with her colleague, the cartoonist and author Sophie Lucido Johnson, about comedy, community, and the social science of friendship. In her new book...

The Warm Glow of Helping (Update)

As a child, Peggy Mason was a biology prodigy. Today, as a neurobiologist, Peggy is still working with mammals, but instead of preserving their skins, she’s studying whet

How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Change the World (Update)

Structural geologist Marcia Bjornerud was raised by free-thinking parents who instilled in her a love of books and nature. She’s published many professional papers (read

Is the Earth Alive? (Ep. 39)

Ferris Jabr, author of Becoming Earth, claims that it is: that Earth is a vast interconnected living system and we humans (and all other living things) don’t just live...

Zoned Out: Race, Property, and Ownership in America (Ep. 38)

Dr. Adrienne Brown reads cities the way professors read novels: carefully, and with lots of attention to what’s written between the lines...

Existential Risk: A User’s Guide (Ep. 37)

Daniel Holz studies black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmology, all while also running the Existential Risk Laboratory...

The Secret Lives of Fireflies (Ep. 36)

Biologist Sara Lewis doesn’t just study fireflies—for her, fireflies are a living reminder that the world is pure magic. In this episode...

Cities and Wildlife: Frenemies or Friends? (Ep. 35)

Biologist Dr. Seth Magle wants to rethink what a city is – and who it’s for. As part of an alliance with 50 cities around the globe, Seth and other wildlife researchers h

Can a Tiny Organism Transform Human Relations? (Ep. 34)

Artist Laurie Palmer believes they can. In her book, The Lichen Museum, Laurie explores what we can gain from learning to see life the way a lichen does.

Season Six Coming Soon

Season SIX Will Launch This Friday, May 9th New episodes, new guests, and new insights about nature and our built environments coming soon with season 6 of Shape of the

Can Listening Be a Political and Moral Act? (Ep. 33)

Biologist David George Haskell says this collective inattention is a huge loss for each of us. It's like leaving money on the table because paying attention to the living

What Should We Fix First? (Ep. 32)

Margaret Renkl's new book "Graceland at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South is mix of graceful observations and practical solutions.

Who Trashed My River? (Ep. 31)

The organization Nick Wesley co-founded, Urban Rivers, is creating The Wild Mile, the first-ever floating eco-park of its scale in the world.