Month: December 2000
Pulse of the Planet Daily Audio
Hawaiian New Year’s – Share
As the last day of the year approaches, one Pulse of the Planet listener remembers New Year’s as a time of Japanese traditions, Portuguese soup and Chinese firecrackers.
December 28, 2000Wassail
An ancient Anglo-Saxon tradition called “Wassail” lives on in Pennsylvania, where a group of friends celebrate this week by drinking to the health of apple trees.
December 27, 2000Kwanzaa – Celebration
People in Santa Cruz, California, are gathering this week for their third annual festival of Kwanzaa, a celebration of African-American culture and community.
December 26, 2000Kwanzaa – Traditions
This week, millions of people around the world celebrate Kwanzaa, a relatively new holiday with roots in the ancient harvest festivals of Africa.
December 25, 2000Kalas
In Lindsborg, Kansas, folks still mark this time of year with traditions their ancestors brought from Sweden.
December 22, 2000Ramadan – Gordang Sambilan
This week marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. In Sumatra, they’re celebrating with the music of sacred drums.
December 21, 2000Sumatran Ramadan: Mandailing
In the Indonesian states of Sumatra, a traditional percussion embsemble can only be heard at certain special times, and right now is one of them.
December 20, 2000Astrobiology – Europa
One of Jupiter’s moons may have a liquid ocean, and NASA hopes to send “hydrobots” there to explore for life.
December 19, 2000Astrobiology – UV Rays
The sun’s ultraviolet radiation can be harmful, but it’s been an important force in the evolution of life on Earth.
December 18, 2000Astrobiology – Lab
At a NASA lab in California, scientists are exploring outer space by looking through microscopes.
December 15, 2000Astrobiology – Moving to Mars
If human beings ever live on Mars, the first colonists on the Red Planet will likely be farmers.
December 14, 2000Astrobiology – Genesis
The first life forms to arrive on Earth may have “hitchhiked” here on a meteor from Mars.
December 13, 2000Melting Polar Ice Cap: Future
The North Pole is melting, and scientists tell us it will effect everything from polar bears to international politics.
December 12, 2000Melting Polar: Antarctica
Global warming seems to be melting the North Pole, but the earth’s rising temperature is expected to have a very different effect on the South Pole.
December 11, 2000Melting Polar Ice Cap: Intro
The Arctic icecap appears to be melting, and some scientists say that within a century, the North Pole will be an open sea during the summer months.
December 8, 2000Firebug: Organic Alarm
Scientists are developing a new kind of smoke alarm for using body parts from the firebug – a beetle that is naturally drawn to fire.
December 7, 2000Firebug
When fire sweeps through a forest, most creatures flee, but there’s one insect that actually seeks out forest fires, and for a good reason.
December 6, 2000Listener Initiative
Pulse of the Planet wants to know how you observe the changing seasons and special times of year. Give us a call at 1-877-PULSE99, and your story may be featured on Pulse.
December 5, 2000Thai Royal Birthday
Today is a special occasion for the people of Thailand — it’s the birthday of their beloved king, celebrated every year as a national holiday.
December 4, 2000Camera in a Pill – Future
A new camera-in-a-pill can transmit video images from inside your body. Scientists hope to make the device into a tiny “camera robot” that can be moved by remote control.
December 1, 2000Camera in a Pill: Testing
Scientists have invented a camera-in-a-pill. You swallow the pill and it transmits images from inside your body.