Jun
15

Sidedoor: Season 8 opens with a peek into the sex lives of Giant Pandas

Season 8 of Sidedoor, the Smithsonian’s flagship podcast, kicks off with a sex-education lesson on Giant Pandas. The premiere episode explores the unexpected challenge veterinarians at the National Zoo have faced for 50 years—why it is so hard for the Giant Pandas to make baby pandas. 

Every two weeks, the show will share behind-the-scenes stories from every corner of the Smithsonian that listeners cannot find anywhere else. Sidedoor will cover a range range of topics, from the importance of lawns in American society to the people working to preserve art and cultural heritage across the globe in times of crisis. This season also will include spooky ghost stories and special holiday-themed episodes exploring some famous year-end traditions.

Giant Panda graphic from Sidedoor 8.1

The Sex Lives of Giant Pandas

Whether it’s live on the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s panda cam or in front of a crowd, possibly no other animal’s sex life is as closely watched as the giant pandas’ is. And there’s a reason. These cuddly-looking black and white bears just can’t figure out how to mate. But, with a little help from science, the once-endangered giant panda is making a comeback. In honor of the 50th anniversary of giant pandas at Smithsonian’s National Zoo, we peep into the (not so secret) sex lives of pandas.

Guests

  • Pierre Comizzoli, panda sex expert and staff scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
  • Lisa Stevens, AKA “Panda Lady”; former senior curator of mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
  • Stephen Powers, panda fan

Listen Now

Sidedoor

Sidedoor launched in October 2016 and has been a hit with listeners ever since. With more than 10 million listens, Sidedoor is in the top 1% of podcasts as measured by average downloads. It has a 4.5-star rating from listeners and was named one of the top 50 podcasts by The Atlantic magazine in 2016 and 2017.

Sidedoor recently teamed up with the popular 99% Invisible podcast to explore the lesser-known history of the American Flag. The episode “Flag Days: Unfolding a Moment,” as well as the Sidedoor episode that inspired it, “Broad Stripes, Bright Stars, and White Lies,” are available to listen to now online and on your preferred listening platform. In addition, Sidedoor host, Lizzie, will appear on the popular daily NPR show 1A on June 23 at 10:20 am ET. to talk about the new season. 1A has more than four million weekly listeners and is heard on public radio stations around the country.

Sidedoor podcast is a collaboration between the Smithsonian and PRX, a public media pioneer that brings listeners iconic audio programming, including “This American Life,” “The Moth Radio Hour,” “Latino USA,” “Snap Judgment,” “The World,” “AirSpace” from the National Air and Space Museum, “Portraits” from the National Portrait Gallery, and the Radiotopia podcast network.

New episodes of Sidedoor are available every other Wednesday on Amazon Podcasts, everywhere podcasts are available, and streaming on si.edu/Sidedoor. To learn more about how episodes come together, follow @SidedoorPod on Twitter and Instagram, and sign up for the newsletter at si.edu/SideDoor.

Do you have a story that you think Sidedoor should tell? The team would love to know about it! Send your suggestions to sidedoor@si.edu.

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Posted: 15 June 2022
About the Author:

Jessica Sadeq has worked in the Central Office of Public Affairs since June 2007. She is the Marketing Manager for the Office of Communications and External Affairs.