The Shape of the World

Latest Episodes
Can a Tiny Organism Transform Human Relations?
Artist Laurie Palmer believes they can. In her book, The Lichen Museum, Laurie explores what we can gain from learning to see life the way a lichen does.
Season Six Coming Soon
Season SIX Will Launch This Friday, May 9th New episodes, new guests, and new insights about nature and our built environments coming soon with season 6 ofShape of the World. And more on how we can
Episode 33: Can Listening Be a Political and Moral Act?
Biologist David George Haskell says this collective inattention is a huge loss for each of us. It's like leaving money on the table because paying attention to the living world is a source of beauty,
Episode 32: What Should We Fix First?
Margaret Renkl's new book "Graceland at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South is mix of graceful observations and practical solutions.
Episode 31: Who Trashed My River?
The organization Nick Wesley co-founded, Urban Rivers, is creating The Wild Mile, the first-ever floating eco-park of its scale in the world.
Episode 30: Privilege & Inequality in Animals
Guest Jenn Smith says that human concepts of intergenerational wealth and inequality occur also in the behaviors of animals.
Episode 29: Disruption & Resilience
When Jane Watson encountered a ruined meadow of seagrass in the ocean, instead of getting furious, she grew curious.
Season Five Coming Soon
Season Five Will Launch July 2022 New episodes, new guests, new insights about nature and our built environments are coming soon. And more on how we can live together--with nature, with cities and wi
Episode 28: The Wild Card
Sarah Cowles encourages radically rethinking the synthetic landscapes found in cities. When welcoming nature to our human cities, do we aim for an...
Episode 27: The World Is Not Static
Dr. Caitlin Rankins research shows that a long-held theory about why an ancient civilization passed out of existence was wrong. Cahokia Mounds in...