Welcome to Pulse Picks, where you can find more in-depth content on some of your favorite subjects. Based on a listener survey and an analysis of the past year's searches on the Pulse of the Planet web site, we found that you've been asking for a variety of topics; some we would have expected, and some surprised us!
 Singing Up the Sun: Cherry Festival, Karánou, CreteAlthough the legacy of its distant past is a powerful drawing card, the real magic of Crete is in its vibrant culture – as is evidenced by a visit to a cherry harvest celebration held in the northwestern region of the island. ...more |
 Unraveling Silk: Primordial Magic Bursa, Turkey It was one of the cities on the Silk Road, the fabled route which brought the finest cloth in the world from the East to West. ...more |
 When the Sun Stands Still: Celebrating December This month, we offer some sound memories of global holidays past, which coincide with the start of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere. ...more |
 Offering Thanks: Japan, Thailand, and the United States This month we look at a few celebrations around the world, all of which occur in November. ...more |
 The Pantanal: Earthly Paradise "Welcome to Paradise!" A pair of binoculars dangling from his neck, ornithologist Reggie Donatelli stands on the lawn of the Fazenda Rio Negro and invites me to survey the surroundings. ...more |
 Cajun Mardi Gras: "Tickling Society" It's 5 a.m., too early in the morning to think about revelry, and yet here are dozens of people gathering at a ranch just outside of Elton, Louisiana. ...more |
A Few of Your Favorite Things
Based on our survey and the past year’s searches on the Pulse website, you’re interested in holidays and festivals like Los Posadas, and the food and drink that we consume during these times. You’re interested in the remote places that most of us simply can’t visit, like the Gobi Desert. You asked for more information about animals, especially birds and large predators, like lions and tigers and bears. Surprisingly to us, many of you asked about artificial voice simulators. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of interest in global warming. You asked about the Iroquois, and other indigenous people, as well as about dinosaurs, naked mole rats, cicadas, penguins, Nile Perch, moon rings, swarming bees, and many other topics. To give us more input for future topics, go to the Feedback Loop on the Science Diaries page and let us know what you’d like to hear more about.
