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Jackson's Chameleon

"The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy" - Are there universal laws of biology?

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The City of Tucson changes policy on recycling glass; taking a nature hike along Cienega Creek; and a reminder of the positive difference you can make in your own backyard.
Jelani Cobb

Jelani Cobb: "Whose Vote Counts?"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Chris Dashiell recommends standout shorts from the "What's Up Docs?" online film festival; and the uncertain future of the Chiricahua Leopard Frog.
Oak Flat, east of Superior, Arizona. A company proposes to build one of the world's largest underground copper mines at this location.

Lauren Redniss on "Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The hidden history of Tucson's Barnum Hill; living with dementia during the pandemic; and a short story read by Aurelie Sheehan.
In 1856, William Henry Perkin, an 18-year old chemistry student at the time, was trying to synthesize malaria drug, when accidentally developed a purple dye. This dye is believed to be one of the first steps of chemistry taking over the world.

What living in a world made from chemicals means for "The Sensitives".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Jes Baker on making self-love a part of the pandemic; and a Summer 2020 insect update from "The King of Sting", Justin O. Schmidt.
Big Sky Country

"The 89-90 Trip" reaches its destination.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Exploring the historic hospitality of the Harvey Houses in Arizona; and Clive D.L. Wynne explores the emotional lives of canines in his book "Dog is Love".
A Sonoran Desert bee (genus Melissodes) identified by The Tucson Bee Collaborative, photographed by Bruce D. Taubert.

How to ID a Bee.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A closer look at how Tucson neighborhoods voted in the last local election; The 89-90 Trip: Day Three begins in Panguitch, Utah; and "Tilly the Trickster" at the Live Theatre Workshop.
A participant in the 2019 All Souls Procession in Tucson.

Stories from the 2019 All Souls Procession

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A daughter takes her father north on U.S. Highway 89, celebrating his 90th birthday by revisiting the memories of a lifetime; and Clive D.L. Wynne talks about his book "Dog is Love".
Art that celebrates the classic architecture featured during Architecture Week and Modernism Week in Tucson.

Exploring the future through the past: Tucson's Sunshine Mile.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: A preview of Film Fest Tucson 2019, and how one woman's dream of helping wildlife is making a big difference in the Sonoran Desert.
Archie is a big brown bat, and has been taken care of by Bob & Debbie Beucher since being rescued more than sixteen years ago.

It's always bat night at the Mission Garden.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Climbing Mt. Lemmon in the bootprints of Sara Plummer Lemmon; and food writer Jane Stern's love affair with American diners.
A statue stands in front of the Holocaust History Center in Tucson.

"Never again, para nadie."

Also on Arizona Spotlight: New state law that may provide justice for greater numbers of Indigenous women and girls; A reaction to the Trump administration changing the Endangered Species Act; and a very short story from Aurelie Sheehan.
Two Gila Topminnows.

500 Gila Topminnows make a splash at The Mission Garden

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Author Kimi Eisele on "The Lightest Object in the Universe"; singer Natalie Douglas returns to Tucson with the songs of Nat King Cole; and "A Love Letter to the Library" about MegaMania.
Archie is a big brown bat, and has been taken care of by Bob & Debbie Beucher since being rescued more than sixteen years ago.

Bat night at the Mission Garden

Also: A new facility in Nogales, Sonora to help migrants following the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy; and strangers find common ground with "One Small Step".
Sara Plummer Lemmon, age 44, a few months before she climbed to the summit of the Santa Catalina Mountains. / Photo by Wynne Brown. Original at the University and Jepson Herbaria Archives, University of California, Berkeley.

Walking in the footsteps of Sara Plummer Lemmon

The story of a botanist and artist who had a mountain named after her.
"New Mexico I-10 mile marker 16 Eastbound. A freshly painted shrine for Rafael and Luis, the Virgin watches me through the plexiglas from her post between the crosses marking the passage of these two travelers, the paint is so fresh the dirt is still blue. It’s good to know you are loved." - Jesse Sensibar

Signs of life and death along southwestern highways

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Tucson restaurant history, becoming a goat, and looking back at Dr. Martin Luther King's visits to Tucson.
Radiant Gesture (2013) Joanna Frueh, photographed by Frances Murray, from "Unapologetic Beauty"

Discovering "Unapologetic Beauty"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: An artist finds her dream job in the wilderness; and, part 2 of a discussion on "The Insect Apocalypse".
Author, poet and regular NPR commentator Kwame Alexander.

Kwame Alexander's Love Affair with Words

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Charles J. Babbitt's new guide for birding in Arizona; and, what's happening to planet Earth's insects?

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