Forrest Galante, host of “Extinct or Alive” on Animal Planet, explains how we search for — and find! — lost species in the open ocean. Then, you’ll learn about the two types of nostalgia and how they can influence your well-being.
Forrest Galante, host of “Extinct or Alive” on Animal Planet, helps us celebrate Shark Week by explaining how we search for — and find! — lost species in the open ocean. Then, you’ll learn about the two types of nostalgia (reflective nostalgia and restorative nostalgia) and how they can influence your well-being.
Get even more from Shark Week 2020 on Discovery’s Daily Bite Podcast: https://www.discovery.com/shark-week/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-daily-bite-podcast
More from Animal Planet’s “Extinct or Alive” and host Forrest Galante:
There are 2 different types of nostalgia by Ashley Hamer
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/finding-lost-shark-species-w-forrest-galante-and-the-2-types-of-nostalgia
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, special guest Forrest Galante, host of “Extinct or Alive” on Animal Planet, will explain how we search for lost species in the open ocean. Then, you’ll learn about the two types of nostalgia and how they can influence your well-being.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
I dunno about you, but I feel like it’d be pretty hard to find animals from species that are supposedly extinct — let alone ones that are in the ocean. That’s a kinda big place, after all. But that’s exactly what Forrest Galante did earlier this week on his Shark Week special, “Extinct or Alive: Land of the Lost Sharks.” And today he’s gonna help you understand just how he does what he does… underwater. It’s one thing to look for an animal on an island, or in a forest. But if you’re looking for something like a lost shark? We asked Forrest: what do you do, just throw a dart on a map and go dive there? Well… no. It’s a bit more strategic than that. Here’s Forrest.
[CLIP 4:30]
So yeah, Forrest and his colleagues start their search by studying previous observations and learning about the kind of ecosystem the species is likely to be found in. And tricks like fluoro diving can help, too. Sounds like a lot of rigorous academic work, right? Well, Forrest told us that’s not the only way to catch a fish. During the second leg of his Shark Week expedition, he and his team got some help from an unexpected source. This is a great story.
[CLIP 1:34]
Amazing, right? That's a great reminder that you don't have to be a scientist to make contributions to science. Again, that was wildlife biologist and conservationist Forrest Galante. You can see him looking for — and finding — even more species on his show, “Extinct or Alive,” on Animal Planet and Animal Planet GO. And you can find links to learn more in today’s show notes.
We're all familiar with the feeling of nostalgia: that bittersweet longing for a place and time from the past. But not all nostalgia is created equal. According to Harvard professor Svetlana Boym, there are two types — and the one you embrace can have a big influence on your well-being. Wanna learn more? Of course you do.
Although the word “nostalgia” wasn't coined until the 17th century, it has Greek roots. It's made up of the words nóstos [NAH-stoh-s], which means "return home," and álgos, or "longing." It's these two components that make up Boym's two nostalgia types: restorative and reflective. Restorative nostalgia deals with the “return home” portion. It makes you want to reconstruct and relive the way things were in the past. Reflective nostalgia is all about longing. It lets you simmer in those yearning feelings while accepting that the past is the past.
For example, if you were to listen to an old mix CD from your senior year of high school, you might think about the hopes you had as a teenager and marvel at how different your life turned out. That amused acceptance is a cornerstone of reflective nostalgia. On the contrary, if that music made you feel as though life was better then, when you didn't have to deal with all the complexities of adulthood, it might make you take action to change your life — maybe for the wrong reasons. That's restorative nostalgia, and it's the reason people do everything from calling old exes to reinstituting conservative religious governments.
Unfortunately, the past that restorative nostalgia urges you to recreate isn't real. You probably remember the good times while forgetting all the less pleasant things that came with them.
The good news is that whether nostalgia is reflective or restorative has less to do with the actual content of our memories than with our expectations about what those memories can do for us. It’s your attitude that makes all the difference. So the next time you're struck by a nostalgic memory, try to be content with the feeling it gives you, instead of pining for the way things could be.
ASHLEY: Before we wrap up, we want to give a special shout-out to a new podcast mini-series. Shark Week is almost over, but if you’re hungry for more shark content, then check out Discovery’s Daily Bite Podcast. It features marine biologist Luke Tipple doing exclusive interviews with the stars of Shark Week, learning from the top shark scientists on the planet and getting a behind-the-scenes take on what really happened when they were out on the ocean. To listen and learn more about the podcast, go to Discovery-dot-com-slash-DailyBitePodcast. We’ll also put a link in today’s show notes.
CODY: Awesome! And now, we’ll do a quick recap. Ashley, what’d we learn today?
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CODY: Today’s last story was written by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Curiosity Daily is produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Reflect on all the great times you’ve had with us here at Curiosity Daily. Then join us again tomorrow as we wrap up SHARK WEEK, to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!