Timeout Radio

Do you like solving mysteries, helping animals, and science? Listen to this episode to learn about veterinary toxicology—the science of poisons and their effects on animals. Because animals can’t tell us what they’ve eaten, trying to figure out the toxin that is making them sick can be a real mystery. Dr. Bob Poppenga tells us how veterinary toxicologists put clues together to solve puzzles that protect human and animal health. The expression, "my dog ate my homework", refers to a lame excuse that a student gives for not turning in their homework. Find out if your dog can get sick from eating your homework, and why dogs should also stay away from chocolate, grapes, and raisins. Then visit Illinois—the Prairie State—home to an emerald green river, Twinkies, the tallest man ever, and Superman.

Find out how sports reporting grew from covering horse racing for the social elite in the early 1800s, to entire newspaper sections, magazines, TV channels, and websites dedicated to sports. Learn about the range of careers in sports journalism, such as play-by-play reporting, game recaps, analysis, and investigative journalism. Owen Yancher, sports writer and former Sports Editor at The Davis Enterprise tells us about his career as a sports journalist and swimming coach and how his job changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit North Carolina where the Wright brothers took off on their historic airplane flight and where Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run. Find out why North Carolina is nicknamed the Tar Heel State and how the Great Smoky Mountains National Park earned its name.

Yolo Causeway east of Davis takes you over the wetlands of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, where a quarter-million migrating Mexican free-tailed bats roost each summer. At sunset, you can see this large bat colony flying miles up into the air to catch insects for food on the bypass. Meet Yolo Basin Foundation's bat expert, Corky Quirk, who helps injured and orphaned bats return to the wild and leads nature walks through the Yolo Bypass. Hear why these amazing mammals are incredibly important to the ecosystem and agriculture, as we dispel myths and fears surrounding bats around COVID-19. Visit San Antonio, Texas, home to the Alamo, the birthplace of chili, and the world's largest bat colony in Bracken Cave.

Picking through garbage doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but there are lots of cool things we can learn about our society by studying trash. Garbology means the science of trash. Studying patterns of what people throw away tells us a lot about human society, and what environmental and social issues communities face. Find out how a plastic bottle from a California beach can end up floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for years, adding to microplastic pollution. We talk to Emily Castles, a student at Davis High about Davis Cans for Change, an organization aimed at educating the public and encouraging reducing, reusing and recycling. Our place of the week, Copenhagen, is the most efficient city in the world with garbage and recycling. Only 4% percent of Copenhagen's waste ends up in landfills. In comparison, 70% of waste in the U.S. ends up in landfills!