This week we examine one of nature's most humble creations: crabs. Turns out when you look closely at these little scuttlers, things get surprisingly existential — about how to come into being, how to survive chaos, and how to live. We even examine the possibility of evolutionary destiny.
This ep is a two-parter, a double-decker crab cake of sorts. Served up on a bed of lettuce and beautiful weirdness. The first layer comes from producer Rachael Cusick, and is a story she told live on stage at <a href="http://www.popupmagazine.com">Pop-Up Magazine</a> (http://www.popupmagazine.com) as a part of their Fall of 2022 tour. It chronicles a cross-species love story between artist <a href="http://maryakers.com/">Mary Akers</a> (http://maryakers.com/) and an overlooked pet store companion, a  creature that even <a href="https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/ctudge.cfm">Chris Tudge</a> (https://zpr.io/MyUNwPAaqewg) — the scientist dedicated to this creature, you could say — could not get a ring on. The second layer is cooked up by Lulu, who tries to understand why crabs keep evolving (according to recent work by <a href="https://oeb.harvard.edu/people/joanna-wolfe">Jo Wolfe</a> (https://zpr.io/2GftY9RjbLkF), <a href="https://case.fiu.edu/about/directory/profiles/bracken-grissom-heather.html">Heather Bracken-Grissom</a> (https://zpr.io/HhvMVfnThp5P) and <a href="https://mcz.harvard.edu/people/javier-luque">Javier Luque</a> (https://zpr.io/s8CwvGFHcSM7)).
Crack a leg and see what we mean.
Special thanks to the entire team at Pop Up Magazine, Randi Rotjan, Jen Pechenik, Renae Brodie, Samantha Edmonds, whose <a href="https://theoutline.com/post/8116/hermit-crabs-breeding-captivity">story</a> (<a class="in-cell-link" href="https://zpr.io/ELQS4VkJGaSa" target="_blank">https://zpr.io/ELQS4VkJGaSa</a>) from The Outline introduced us to Mary, 
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by - Rachael Cusick and Lulu Millerwith help from - Annie McEwenProduced by - Becca Bressler with help from Ekedi Fausther-KeeysOriginal music and sound design contributed by - Ghost Girl, Jeremy Bloom with mixing help from - Arianne WackFact-checking by - Diane Kellyand Edited by  - Haley Howle and Pat WaltersCITATIONS:
Articles:If you want more details about hermit crab breeding, head over to Mary’s blog to read more: <a href="http://maryakers.com/inthecrabitat/">http://maryakers.com/inthecrabitat/</a>Or check out the Land Hermit Crab Owners Society: <a href="https://lhcos.org/">https://lhcos.org/</a> 
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