Richard Conniff

Richard Conniff on his article for Smithsonian: “The New Age of Discovery,” about the remote forests of Suriname, where scientists are discovering about 18,000 new species each year.

National Geographic contributor Richard Conniff joins us to talk about his article, “Why Fur Is Back in Fashion,” which explores the modern fur industry.

The United States imports nearly 90 percent of its seafood, and according to a new study, nearly a third of imported seafood is caught illegally. Journalist Richard Conniff talks about illegal catches, mislabeled fish, seafood trafficking, and what is being done about the problem.

During the early 1800s, when the word “scientist” had yet to be coined, a fever for novel animals and plants swept Europe and led dozens of crazed amateurs to the most alien places on earth in search of specimens. You know the names of some of these adventurers; one would become a president of the United States. But even those whose names have been forgotten by most of us lived lives of great adventure, and sometimes great foolishness.