9 Minutes of Wonder

Samarkand and the marvelous observatory: did you ever think a place of serious science could look so magnificent?

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 bring the place to life:
Observatory of Ulugh Beg, Samarkand (the first picture shows what the huge sextant looks like today; scroll down to see a very partial reconstruction and the model of how it may have looked when it was in use)
The clever prince Ulugh Beg built — and used — an ingenious observatory in the 15th century (Astronomy Magazine online)
Registan Square (see some photos of Samarkand's old buildings and read about the old city's central square)
 
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

The wonders of travel: spend 9 minutes in the surprising city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan

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/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Sea otters: because near-extinction stories are wonderful (and the otters are so darned cute)

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 Interior)
Sea otters crack open oysters and clams (YouTube video, Oregon Zoo)
The "extinct" sea otter swims back to life (Life Magazine, 20 June 1938 — click on page 30)
Lost and Found Nature: Searching for the southern sea otter
History of sea otters (Sea Otter Foundation & Trust)
 
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0Baby sea otter clip from https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/search?q=sea%20otter, recordist(s): Mimi DeGruy
 

Ketchup: you’ll never think about this ubiquitous American condiment in the same way again

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 facts that go well with everything (Mental Floss)
The fascinating medicinal origins of ketchup (Tasting Table)
A bottle to beckon with (Heinz ad)
Woman is shocked when she compares ingredients in American ketchup vs. Canadian ketchup (Yahoo! Life)
 
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Swarms of locusts — awe-full and awful

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 the Days of the Locust (New York Times)
Everything But the Fenceposts: The Great Plains Grasshopper Plague of 1874–1877 (Thomas C. Cox)
Adding to Economic Woes, Locusts Devastate Crops from South to Central Asia
 
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Olympic athleticism: how can anyone possibly do that? (part 2)

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/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Olympic athleticism: how can anyone possibly do that? (part 1)

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. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Wyatt the wonder kitten: all good people love kittens, and Wyatt is a kitten hero to wonder at!

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/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Spin the Globe to Samar Island: because the world is a wonder-inducing planet with a very interesting moon

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 Moon
 
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0

Cicadas of 2024: wow are these insects cool (yes!), only appearing once every 13 or 17 years

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 read)
Illinois cicada info
Music: Jens East — Daybreak (ft. Henk) www.soundcloud.com/jenseastLicence: Creative Commons Attribution V4.0