Stories about the animalness of animals, the irreducible ways in which they are not human.
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Act One
Food Chain In A New York Apartment
Paul Tough visits Catherine Chalmers. She raises small animals and insects in her apartment, feeds them to each other, and photographs them eating each other. (20 minutes)
Act Two
More Animals Eating Other Animals
An original radio drama called "Kathleen on the Carpet," in which animals talk and hold their own "animal court." It's a comedy by David Sedaris, starring our own radio theater company, the Pinetree Gang. (14 minutes)
Act Three
The Moment When Humans Stopped Being Animals
Anthropologists agree that humans stopped being animals when they started walking upright, on two legs. But scientists don't agree on why our ancestors did this. Ten years ago, Scott Carrier decided to do his own research on the subject. Scott is the author of Running After Antelope. (13 minutes)
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Act Two: Mom, Dad, Bats
A story by Bia Lowe.
Act Three: The Homesick Explorer
This American Life contributor Sarah Vowell tells the story of a mapmaker named Charles Preuss who charted the Western Territories with two of American history's legendary explorers—John Charles Fremont and Kit Carson.
Act Four: Golden Rule
Sarah Vowell puts her foot down.
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