Human Elements

Science and Nature Series / 4 Seasons

The world of science is full of facts and figures, but behind the study are the people. In the end, it becomes a question not of how they do science — but why?

Watch Latest: S4 E8

6m 51s

Climate Therapy

S4 E8 / 6m 51s

Seattle therapist Andrew Bryant hears his clients talk about how climate change affects their daily lives—lingering wildfire smoke, health concerns, anxiety about the future. But he’s not the only therapist with climate anxiety on the brain — Bryant has brought together other minds to reckon with the long-term psychological impact of a changing planet.

Lynx on a Scorched Landscape

S4 E7 / 8m 25s

Megafires intensified by climate change and decades of fire suppression are altering the landscapes of Okanogan County. Carmen Vanbianchi, research director of the nonprofit Home Range Wildlife Research, studies how a scorched landscape and changes in habitat could impact their survival of the severely endangered Canada lynx.

Stewarding the Land

S4 E6 / 7m

Stephanie Leon Riedl, environmental strategist for the Sts’ailes First Nation, cultivates a forest garden on her Native land. Riedl hopes that this food forest can provide healing for her community and pass on the lessons of stewardship of the land to future generations.

Hunting for Community

S4 E5 / 8m 3s

Darnell Sam, Salmon Chief for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, speaks about how his cultural relationship with first foods and being a steward of the environment are intertwined. As Sam bow-hunts for elk, he reflects on the changing landscape around him.

Human Composting

S4 E4 / 6m 21s

At Recompose, a Washington funeral home, Katrina Spade offers an alternative to traditional burial and cremation — human composting. Recompose uses wood chips, alfalfa and straw to break down the body into a material much like typical garden soil. The process takes 1/8 the energy output of conventional burial or cremation, and saves one metric ton of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

Reviving Clam Gardens

S4 E3 / 7m 14s

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is reviving culturally and ecologically important clam gardens on their coastline to create habitat for native clams. Alana Quintasket, a member of the Tribal Senate, works alongside her community to build these habitats and make the community’s coastline more resilient to climate change and encourage healthy ecosystems for marine life.

The Seed Vault

S4 E2 / 7m 4s

The Miller Seed Vault contains one million seeds from over 150 rare plant species in Washington. But the survival of many of these species is in jeopardy as a result of habitat loss, industrialization, invasive species and climate change. Rare Care Program Manager Wendy Gibble and her team hope to identify and conserve Washington’s rarest plants and help them survive.

Butterfly Adaptation

S4 E1 / 6m 32s

Can butterflies evolve to adapt to climate change? Dr. Gwen Shlichta studies cabbage white butterflies to monitor their feeding patterns at controlled temperatures. This data, compared to Dr. Shlichta’s data from 25 years ago, can be used to predict how other organisms may adapt to climate change in the future.

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