Today on the program, we'll speak to the author of a new book, The Origin of Feces, about why waste matters.  Plus, we'll learn about the earliest use of pottery for cooking; we'll hear the heart-breaking tale of the fate of a whale entangled in fishing gear; and we'll find out how the Gila monster can survive a summer without water. But first, life at low temperatures.

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Today on the program, we look into a project called Apps for Apes that uses iPads to provide mental stimulation for bored orangutans, and which is teaching researchers about the brains of our ape cousins.  Plus, we'll find out how early humans cracked the craniums of hunted and scavenged animals for some real brain food; we'll learn how dogs and humans evolved together; and we'll hear how longhorn beetles can survive an Arctic winter. But first, ancient water runs deep.

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Today, the animal world amazes, inspires, frightens and delights us.  First up: new insights into small dinosaurs from a big bone, and experiments on elephants educate us about dinosaur exercise.  Plus, a look at how a hairy tongue helps bats lap liquid, how an insect eye has inspired a new kind of compound camera, how a tiny worm can devour a whole whale carcass, and how our brains help us see faster than the eye can follow.

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OK, Imagine a dinosaur.  Nope, you're wrong.  That's pretty much the lesson from a our guest today who's written a new book which examines why much of the popular image of dinosaurs is outdated, and hasn't kept up with the latest scientific understanding of these magnificent beasts.  Plus we'll hear how a single humpback whale might have changed the feeding habits of hundreds of others;  we'll learn how a Canadian scientist is trying to figure out  whether antimatter falls up or down; and we'll find out if the moon can have its own moon.  But first, Jaws - the very early years.

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How did our ancestors live and can we learn lessons from them on how we should live today?  Well, a guest on today's program says we don't know, and probably not, and warns us against putting too much faith in a Paleofantasy.  Plus, we'll learn why voles can't vomit and rats can't retch; we'll hear how mother squirrels give a boost to their babies when population booms; we'll learn how to create E.coli bacteria that can cook up some gas; and we'll hear about a gamma ray burst that burst into the record books.

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