This episode of Gastropd explores the “soundtrack” of farming. Co-hosts Cynthia Graber (@cagraber) and Nicola Twilley (@nicollatwilley) help us decode the meaning behind each sound…and teach us how we can use that information to improve the food system of the future. You’ll learn about Mozart, Darwin, plants that “can hear themselves being eaten” and how drones are being used to “eavesdrop” on sick chickens.

One of the best features of this episode is the “playlist” of sounds the Gastropod team uploaded.

 

“As promised, we’ve uploaded all the odd sounds we played during the episode, so that you too can scare your houseplants with the sounds of caterpillars munching on leaves! From Heidi Appel, we have the infamous caterpillars themselves, the treehopper, and the sound of the wind. Richard Mankin’s entire audio library is online, but check out the sounds of a German cockroach scurrying, an old house borer, a rice weevil, and its larvae at 17 and 18 days old…”

 

If you’re new to Gastropod (@Gastropodcast), be prepared for an exquisite and tasteful experience learning about the world of food through the lens of science and history. Gastropod features excellent visual curation, superb writing in the form of episode notes and a fine podcast (it’s a good length). Gastropod has been on hiatus since the end of May, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting its return.

Wonky and wonderful!

 

Related Links:

Gastropod on gastropods

Menus reveal the history of Los Angeles

Picnics in art history