Wild Thing is a podcast about the relationship between science and society. It is hosted by Laura Krantz and produced by Foxtopus Ink.[1] In 2006 Krantz learned that she was related to anthropologist Grover Krantz, who had spent much of his career writing about and hunting for Sasquatch, after she read an article in the Washington Post.[2] At the time, Krantz was working at National Public Radio and thought that she needed to dig deeper.[2] Through her reporting she came to understand that the search for Sasquatch spoke to important questions about human evolution, conspiracy theories, and the human connection to the natural world.[3] The second season of Wild Thing concerns the search for extraterrestrial life. The third season explores the future (and past) of nuclear power.
Episodes
Season 1: Sasquatch, Science and Society
#
Title
Original Air Date
1
Grover
Oct 2, 2018
2
Distant Relatives or Kissing Cousins
Oct 9, 2018
3
The Evidence
Oct 16, 2018
4
Eyewitness
Oct 30, 2018
5
A-C-T-G Spells B-G-F-T
Nov 6, 2018
6
Bump in the Night
Nov 13, 2018
7
Taboo
Nov 20, 2018
8
$a$quatch
Nov 27, 2018
9
Why We want to Believe
Dec 9, 2018
Season 2: Space Invaders
#
Title
Original Air Date
1
Out of This Word
Sep 17, 2020
2
What is Life?
Sep 24, 2020
3
Doing the Math
Oct 1, 2020
4
Roswell
Oct 8, 2020
5
Independence Day
Oct 15, 2020
6
Hear No Aliens, See No Aliens
Oct 22, 2020
7
E.T. Phone Home
Oct 29, 2020
8
Popular Science (Fiction)
Nov 5, 2020
9
You Gotta Have Faith
Nov 12, 2020
10
The Truth is Out There
Nov 19, 2020
Season 3: Going Nuclear
#
Title
Original Air Date
1
Close to Home
May 17, 2022
2
Out of Little Things
May 24, 2022
3
A New (clear) Hope
May 31, 2022
4
Chain Reaction
Jun 7, 2022
5
Trust Issues
Jun 14, 2022
6
You Look Radiant
Jun 21, 2022
7
Half-Life
Jun 28, 2022
8
Risky Business
Jul 5, 2022
9
An Atomic Future
Jul 12, 2022
In addition to the main episodes, both seasons also include bonus interviews. Season one includes conversations with well known cryptozoologist Bob Gimlin, director William Dear, Sasquatch hunter Peter Byrne and Bigfoot erotica author Virginia Wade.[4][1] In season two Krantz speaks with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, science YouTuber Joe Scott, as well as astronomers involved with searching for life on Venus and Mars.
Critical reception
Wild Thing garnered largely positive press from around the country. The Atlantic[5] announced Wild Thing as one of the best podcasts of 2018, largely owing to its gentle handling of a topic that many people view with skepticism. Emily Todd VanDerWeff of Vox wrote: "It’s smart, well produced, well written, and intelligently structured."[6]The Los Angeles Times called Wild Thing "Serial for Sasquatches."[2]Mashable named it the most "binge-worth podcasts of 2018"[7]The Atlantic named season 2 one of the best podcasts of 2020.[8] The show was also featured in Rolling Stone, Outside Magazine, and Scientific American.[9][10][11]
References
^"Foxtopus Ink". Foxtopus Ink. Archived from the original on 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
^McQuade, Laura Jane Standley, Eric (2018-12-23). "The 50 Best Podcasts of 2018". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2019-11-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^McQuade, Laura Jane Standley, Eric (2020-12-26). "The 50 Best Podcasts of 2020". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2021-04-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Marks, Brenna Ehrlich, Andrea; Ehrlich, Brenna; Marks, Andrea (2020-11-13). "7 Podcasts to Stream This November". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2021-04-13.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
