Galápagos | Radiolab Podcast

From the Radiolab podcast: Is it inevitable that even our most sacred natural landscapes will eventually get swallowed up by humans? And how far are we willing to go to return a place to what it was before we got there? This episode is about the Galápagos archipelago off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, which inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection. Nearly 200 years later, the Galápagos are undergoing rapid changes that continue to pose — and perhaps answer — critical questions about the fragility and resilience of life on Earth. First aired in 2014, producer Tim Howard tells us three stories. The first is about a scheme to use "Judas" goats to help save a species of tortoise only found in the Galápagos from extinction. The second tells the tale of Lonesome George, the last of his tortoise species, and explores how far we're willing to go to restore a place and a creature to its "wild state." And the final story is about how Darwin's finches are fighting back against an invasive species of botfly. Episode Segments: 0:00 Intro 0:41 The Tortoise and the Judas Goat 24:50 Resurrecting Lonesome George 41:08 Invasive Species 🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: https://bit.ly/3trXDLe 🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3I9KI53 🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: https://bit.ly/3sX8f4P 👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment! Follow Radiolab: Instagram —   / radiolab   Twitter —   / radiolab   Facebook —   / radiolab   Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/... Check out this podcast video extra! In 2012 Lonesome George died, but that's not the end of his story. Tim takes us to New Jersey to see what's become of George:    • The Afterlife of Lonesome George the Tortoise   Guests in this episode include: Linda Cayot, science advisor for Galápagos Conservancy; Mathias Espinosa, naturalist guide in the Galápago; Karl Campbell from Island Conservation; Josh Donlan, from a NGO that was involved in Project Isabela; James Gibbs, professor of conservation biology at the State University of New York; Holly Doremus, an environmental law professor at the Berkeley School of Law in California; Gisella Caccone, a senior research scientist at Yale University; Heinke Jäger, a restoration ecologist at the Charles Darwin Foundation; Charlotte Causton, a researcher at the Charles Darwin Foundation; Sonia Kleindorfer, a professor in animal behavior at Flinders University, South Australia; Arnaud Chimeron, an ornithologist from the University of Vienna; and researcher Piedad Lincango. Photo illustration Anna Rascouët-Paz. Video by Kim Nowacki.