- Playing
- Encyclopedia of Life
- From
- Pat Maxwell
The Book of Life: That book in heaven with the list of names? Well, biologists on earth have started their own version. It's a website called the Encyclopedia of Life, and it hopes to eventually catalog every living species, from bacteria to blue whales. Scientists say it's badly needed. That's because, believe it or not, we've only labeled one tenth of earth's millions of creatures. And often, at best, we have only a sketchy understanding of their connection to each other...
Also in the June 2011 - Isla Earth Radio Series series
Tailpipe Carbon Recycling
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Imagine a conventional, gas-powered car, with no carbon emissions. I mean, absolutely zero. In the cartoon world, the only way to do that was a banana up the tailpipe. But ...
The Car Wash
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
That classic American pastime, washing the family car, might soon get washed down the drain. Some communities struggling with water pollution, and especially those in the ...
Lava Flows are for the Birds
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Raising endangered birds...on a volcano? It has benefits -- or, so says Alan Lieberman, head of the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center, perched on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano.
Zoo on Ice
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
A frozen zoo...for all animals? Well, no one’s making the Panamanian golden frog shiver in its terrarium. Instead, this is a unique way that the San Diego zoo helps ...
Off the Grid
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
We've all heard of individuals who go, "off the grid." You know, the folks who install solar panels or have their children ride stationary bicycles in order to power some ...
Water Rights
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Water conservationists might learn a thing or two from the oil industry. That’s right! Groundwater experts at the University of Oregon say that millions of water wells around ...
“Good Onya, Oz”
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Think you know how to conserve water? Not like Australia, mate, it's in its worst drought on record. Some toddlers Down Under don't even know what rain looks like.
Is That a Mouse in Your Pocket?
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
The Pacific pocket mouse loves the beach! Surf and sun make fabulous real estate for humans, and, these mice. And therein, lies the rub!
Fish Fix
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
Some projects seem simple only to reveal a huge complication later on. I was hemming pants and cut one leg shorter than the other -- yeah, you get the picture! On a larger ...
Emission-Free Ride
(01:30)
From: Pat Maxwell
If your friends call you an “early adopter," you’ll want to take note of MIT student Ben Gulak’s way-cool emission-free vehicle. It looks like a cross between a motorcycle ...
Piece Description
The Book of Life: That book in heaven with the list of names? Well, biologists on earth have started their own version. It's a website called the Encyclopedia of Life, and it hopes to eventually catalog every living species, from bacteria to blue whales. Scientists say it's badly needed. That's because, believe it or not, we've only labeled one tenth of earth's millions of creatures. And often, at best, we have only a sketchy understanding of their connection to each other...
Additional Credits
Isla Earth is produced by the Catalina Island Conservancy with support from its Fund for a Sustainable Planet.




