On this edition of IEEE Spectrum Radio enjoy, from the comfort of your own home, the stories of scientists in the Amazon jungle, who are making use of high tech gadgets to track endangered species. Like, for example, the Amazonian manatee. Scientists are helping the Brazilian government protect this gentle creature by charting its territory with the help of GPS tracking devices and satellite communication.

But what if animals did not need to be tracked, and could simply tell us when something was wrong? Assistant Professor Dale Joachim set out to prove that ordinary cellphones are capable of helping owls do just that. His holistic approach to engineering might help animals alert us more effectively to changes in the environment, much like they have done for thousands of years.

While Bob Lucky explores the task of thinking great thoughts, Spectrum travels to Guadeloupe in order to find out why small islands are still facing problems exploiting their rich sources of renewable energy. Guadeloupe, which was powered mainly by diesel generators, is now taking full advantage of their geothermal and sugar cane energy sources. Why? Because they're subject to the same strict environmental laws as every other part of France.

This program was originally broadcast on IEEE Spectrum Radio.