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PODCAST

9 Minutes of Wonder

Hi, I’m Betsy Hedberg. This podcast helps you find wonder in this captivating world and its inhabitants — taking you out of the daily-life grind for at least a few minutes. We explore real-life examples of how things we often take for granted, or never even think about at all, are actually fascinating if we pay attention to them. Each episode is around 9 minutes or less, but I hope these few minutes will affect how you experience the other minutes and hours of your day. A sense of wonder and awe

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All Episodes

07:21

Samarkand and the marvelous observatory

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/10/28

Samarkand is a city of gorgeous tiled architecture, but in a way the most interesting site is the observatory of Ulugh Beg. You can only see the remaining sextant now, although a small bit of the observatory building has been reconstructed to help visitors imagine its earlier splendor. The astronomical discoveries made here are awe-inspiring enough, but the architecture must have been dazzling even to people who had no idea what the building was for. Have a look at the photos on these sites to

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07:03

The wonders of travel: Tashkent, Uzbekistan

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/10/15

Visiting new places inspires wonder by giving us fresh perspectives on daily life (among other reasons). Join me for a few minutes in Tashkent and learn some things that may surprise you about this city that you probably don’t know much about. Uzbekistan’s secret underground - in pictures Uzbekistan Travel Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

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09:16

Sea otters

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/09/29

I wrote my fourth-grade animal report about sea otters — so you know I love them! I hope you'll love them too after learning about their magnificent fur (which almost led to their extinction) and their inspiring comeback, as well as some other reasons they're important and interesting. After listening, search "sea otter photos and videos," or use some of the links below, to see how cute they are.Oregon Encyclopedia: Sea Otter 12 facts about sea otters for Sea Otter Awareness Week (US Dept. of the

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09:32

Ketchup

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/09/02

Even mundane things in your kitchen can inspire wonder — or at least be interesting — if you pay attention. If you've never wondered about the history of ketchup, or why it's called ketchup, or what ketchup was like in the olden days, now's your chance to wonder.Edit: I made a mistake when I talked about the "mystery" EZ Squirt ketchup. It apparently didn't have all those colors together. Rather, the mystery was which color you would get. That does make more sense! A few resources: 11 ketchup

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09:56

Swarms of locusts — awe-full and awful

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/08/18

A horror show in August! Not all awe-inspiring phenomena are uplifting — this one surely isn't, but it does inspire a sense of wonder in what nature can do. Learn about some historical and more recent swarms. (I don't mention this in the show, but the word "awful" originally meant "arousing or inspiring awe." I think both meanings fit this topic well.) A few resources: On the Banks of Plum Creek (Laura Ingalls Wilder) The Locust Plague of 1915 Photograph Album (Library of Congress) Looking Back at

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06:59

Olympic athleticism (part 2)

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/08/05

Here's more on the awe-inspiring Olympics, including two additional sports and the exciting conclusion of my personal badminton story.Ancient Olympic pentathlon (Wikipedia) Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

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09:51

Olympic athleticism (part 1)

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/08/04

Have you been watching the Paris Summer Olympics? There's no question the athletes inspire awe and wonder — especially in those of us who are not particularly coordinated! In this Part 1 of 2, I talk about the Olympics in general and a couple sports I find particularly amazing, plus share a story or two of my own athletic mishaps. Meet the nations that have never won an Olympic medal (and two that just did) (New York Times) What makes an elite badminton player? Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft

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09:50

Wyatt the wonder kitten (at the Kitkat Playroom)

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/07/21

We all love inspiring stories about overcoming challenges. Here's one about Wyatt, a beautiful and very happy little orange kitten with many medical challenges. (edit: at one point I say "mother kitten" — but you know I meant "mother cat"!) Kitkat Playroom website Kitkat Playroom YouTube channel, including livestream Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

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09:11

Spin the globe: Samar Island and beyond

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/07/02

What better way to pass time while waiting for the dentist than spinning the Google Earth globe and seeing where you land? In this first spin-the-globe episode, I've landed on Samar Island in the Philippines. Let's see where we end up from there...Philippine flying lemur (colugo) Philippine eagle (a critically endangered species) How did all these arches form? Erosion and weathering — Arches National Park Fairy Bridge (Xianren Bridge) Natural arch found on the Moon Water and ices on the

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09:20

Cicadas of 2024

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/06/20

The 17-year cicadas emerged once again this year in northern Illinois (while a 13-year brood emerged to the south), and I traveled to see and hear them. "Ick, insects?" I know, they are pretty big, with buzzing wings and large red eyes. But why not spend nine minutes hearing about them anyway — and see if you can sense some of the wonder in this regular, but infrequent, natural phenomenon. Illinois Cicada Watch (Facebook group) Insectophilia (insects in Japanese culture, with the Haiku I

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09:18

The ruins of Rome

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/06/07

Here's my take on why the ruins of ancient Rome are so awe-inspiring. Then think about ancient (or at least relatively old) sites near your home — is a road trip in order?A couple videos on the topic: The Ancient City of Rome (travel video) Virtual Rome: What Did Ancient Rome Look Like? Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

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08:44

Peanuts

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/05/21

Peanuts are not really nuts, but they're much more interesting than you might think. Even if you don't eat them, you can appreciate how far they've spread in the world and how they've even inspired some gross banana-flavored candies!A few of my sources: Peanuts and power in the Andes Where are the peanuts? (the David Williams quote) A brief history of peanut butter (Smithsonian) Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

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08:39

The northern lights

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/05/11

Wow, pink and purple skies! I hope you've had a chance to see it this weekend, or at least sometime in the past or future. Let's talk about these magnificent lights. A few resources: What causes the northern lights? Northern lights: what they are and how to see them 10 awesome aurora facts (from the Australian government) Fire in the sky: the southern lights in Indigenous oral traditions Hubble captures vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere (NASA) Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk)

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09:30

Eclipse!

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/05/06

Did you see the recent total solar eclipse? Eclipses are really incredible! Find out why in this episode. A few notes: In the episode I mention Horatio Cushman. I should have read more about him before speaking, but you can read about him here if you like. He was not Choctaw, but he lived in the same area and wrote a major history of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez, published in 1899. The Archilochus quote comes from this page. I found the audio clip of the eclipse here (really a video):

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09:45

Seeds and the Global Seed Vault

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/05/06

We take seeds for granted, yet they're all around us and are obviously essential to life. We'll discuss seeds and visit the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard (where you can take your own virtual tour). A few resources of interest: Who controls the world's food supply? Inside the Doomsday Vault (the Time Magazine article I quote) Global Seed Vault Global Seed Vault Virtual Tour Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

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08:56

Islands way up north (Jan Mayen and Svalbard)

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/05/05

These islands are so far removed from most of our lives — and I find them fascinating. Find out why in this nine-minute trip north of the Arctic Circle. Notes: See today's weather forecast for Jan Mayen. Here's a site about Jan Mayen, with the Lord Dufferin quote. And here's another page about Jan Mayen. Learn about the Global Seed Vault. Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk): www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

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08:46

Deep water

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/05/01

Deep water is awe-inspiring, in a spooky sort of way. Join me to explore some wonders of the depths. Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk): www.soundcloud.com/jenseast Licence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

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01:12

Welcome to 9 Minutes of Wonder (Trailer)

9 Minutes of Wonder ·

2024/04/14

This podcast promotes a state of wonder about this captivating world and its inhabitants. We explore real-life examples of how things we often take for granted — or never even think about at all — are actually fascinating if we pay attention to them. Each episode is around nine minutes or less, but I hope these few minutes will affect how you experience the other minutes and hours of your day. A sense of wonder and awe is good for us, as we already intuitively know and as science is increasingly

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