Animal Science

For many of the domesticated animals we live with, it’s pretty easy to see how they might be related to their wild ancestors — but where did cattle come from? Later, farmer and author Beth Hoffman joins the program to talk about her podcast, At the Iowa Farm Table.

Federal funding cuts are hitting several areas here in Iowa. This hour, we learn about two of them.

In her travels around the world, Goodall implores humans to care for their evolutionary relatives.

Kanzi, a bonobo with a famously incredible understanding of language, passed away at age 44. Then, ways Iowans can contribute to scientific research.

Kanzi taught scientists and visitors about bonobos, language and being human.

Jane Goodall is the foremost expert on chimpanzees and has spent the last 40 years advocating for the protection of their habitat and the natural world as a whole.

The USDA National Centers for Animal Health in Ames is at the forefront of livestock research, foreign disease diagnostics and vaccine regulation in the U.S. It’s also feeling the impact of dozens of layoffs associated with the Trump administration’s purge of federal workers.

Biologist and primatologist Frans de Waal passed away last month at the age of 75, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking animal research.

Host Charity Nebbe and wildlife biologist Jim Pease observe the prairie chicken mating dance and discuss the species' precarious situation in Iowa on this encore episode.

Urban ecology is the focus of this year's annual Errington Lecture at Iowa State University. Dr. Amanda Rodewald will present “A Bird’s Eye View: Understanding Predator Prey Interactions in the City” Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. on the ISU campus.