© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

This Upside Down Cave Is a Microscopic Warzone

Season 1 Episode 9 | 5m 57s

Below the Chihuahuan Desert in southeastern New Mexico, lies an extensive system of limestone caves, among them the famed Carlsbad Cavern, home to one of North America's largest underground chambers. But there is more to this subterranean world than gigantic geological formations. It is also ground zero for a microbial war that’s been raging for thousands of years, right beneath our feet.

Aired: 03/24/24
Extras
An intimate portrayal of three families confronting the unique challenges of Alzheimer’s.
A four-part investigation into insect declines, exploring their diversity and ecological importance.
See how the Philippines' tense race for president in 2022 became the nation's fight for its soul.
The dynamic story of funk music, from early roots to the explosion of '70s urban funk to influences.
The story of how public libraries came to be free and open for all Americans—and remain so.
The Nonnatus team oversee the care of a man living inside an iron lung.
After the drought, the rains finally come. But can Katavi survive the flooding?
Dr. M. Sanjayan investigates the largest river restoration ever attempted in the United States.
Historian Simon Schama examines the Holocaust, 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz.
A look inside Alaska Native villages fighting for survival against climate change.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Untold Earth Season 2
  • Untold Earth Season 1
Discover how The Atchafalaya Basin protects Louisiana's coast from hurricanes.
Meet Pando, an ancient tree in Utah that has grown into one of Earth's largest living wonders.
How are truffles key to the survival of the forest ecosystem at large?
What does it mean to preserve a place that is defined by it's impermanence?
What does one of Earth's harshest environments teach us about planet survival?
At 87º Celcius, the Grand Prismatic Spring is a beacon of microbial life and discovery.
At 50 million years old, the origins of Devils Tower or Bears Lodge remains a mystery.
An ancient and modern mystery, what about bioluminescence inspires such obsession?
Over half a million years old, the story of Mono Lake is one of survival.
At 450 million years old, moss may hold the key to surviving our rapidly warming planet.