176. Psammophile: A Beach Bum Like No Other

Get your pails and shovels ready! Kyle and Emily are digging into the history and usage of the word psammophile, and building a castle fit for beach grasses, kangaroo rats, and microbiologists alike.

Before they start talking about all the sand-lovers out there, our hosts chat about other kinds of “lovers” like cinemaphiles, philanthropists, and philosophers. But, before long, Emily and Kyle are combing the sand for plants and animals who find their natural habitat at the beach or in the desert. It turns out that living in sand isn’t so easy… but life, uh, finds a way!

Last but not least our hosts also turn their attention to human psammophiles. Emily learns that the world of sand collection holds a lot more than meets the eye, especially if you’ve got a microscope and an active imagination. And Kyle reveals the secrets of some visually striking beach sand.