#283 - Kristin Ohlson on SWEET IN TOOTH AND CLAW

Portland-based writer and author Kristin Ohlson chats with Trey Elling about SWEET IN TOOTH AND CLAW: STORIES OF GENEROSITY AND COOPERATION IN THE NATURAL WORLD. Topics include: Harvesting trees while keeping a forest healthy (1:14) Dead salmon's contribution to the forest network (5:17) Bees sometimes cheating mutualism with pollenating flowers (7:03) Relaxed selection versus natural selection (9:10) How viral infections helped with human evolution (13:57) Humans emit a lot of bacteria and...fungi? (16:15) The spread of germs can be beneficial (17:33) The effect of sugary junk food on the gut microbiome (20:13) How an area in Nevada transformed from desert into wetland (21:52) Regenerative agriculture (28:42) Coral snot and island bid poop as other examples of mutualism (35:31) Whether cities' attempts to build nature into concrete jungles has paid off (40:01)