A Beautiful World®

A Beautiful World features inspirational stories in science, technology, ecology, arts, education and culture. The program is hosted by Heather McElhatton, who reports on stories and solid trends towards positive change. ABW illuminates the people, places, programs and communities striving to make our world a better place and delivers solutions-based stories about what’s working in the world.

ABW is broadcast on All Things Considered and at ABeautiful.world.

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Girl Rising a group that aims to educate girls across the world

A Beautiful World: Want to save the world? Educate girls

November 5, 2018 2:00 PM

By Heather McElhatton

A documentary film sparked a global movement to end poverty by educating the world's girls.

Mark Nepo is a best-selling author.

A Beautiful World: Resilience comes in the most mundane of places

October 22, 2018 3:00 PM

By Heather McElhatton

Best-selling author says going through life's hardest moments provide a natural opening to become connected to the people around us.

Marcia Bartusiak is an award-winning science author.

Marcia Bartusiak's new book 'Dispatches from Planet Three' is for armchair astronomers

September 24, 2018 1:00 PM

By Heather McElhatton

A new book out by award-winning author Marcia Bartuisak is a collection of cosmological essays.

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galactic Tick Day: The out-of-the-world holiday you have never heard of

June 18, 2018 12:00 PM

By Heather McElhatton

Galactic Tick Day happens every 1.7 years and celebrates the motion of the planets journey around the Milky Way. Not just Earth, but the solar system is ticking its way around the galaxy.

Helen Scales is the author of 'Eye of the Shoal'

Fish not just a menu option, says marine biologist and book author

June 4, 2018 6:00 PM

By Heather McElhatton

Helen Scales, a marine biologist, investigates the citizens of the sea in her newest book, "Eye of the Shoal: The Fishwatcher's Guide to Life, the Ocean and Everything."

Dame Daphne Sheldrick founded the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Kenya.

The empress of elephant orphans dies

May 7, 2018 3:11 PM

By Heather McElhatton

Dame Daphne Sheldrick, who founded the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya, more than 50 years ago, died peacefully at her home at the age of 83.

A Beautiful World: How animals think and feel

November 21, 2016 10:44 PM

Author Carl Safina discusses his new book, "Beyond Words, How Animals Think and Feel."

Earth, as seen from space.

Soothing stories from A Beautiful World

November 8, 2016 2:00 AM

By MPR News Staff

This election season has brought into the spotlight plenty of things that are wrong with the world. As Election Day brings the contentious contest to a close, take a listen to some of the things that are going right.

Domestic Violence Shelters Need Pets

June 20, 2016 7:55 PM

By Heather McElhatton

Over 3 million people are victims of domestic abuse in the USA and 25% of those people say the reason they stay or return to their abusers is out of fear for what will happen to their pets if they leave. Abusers often threaten pets in order to get caregivers to stay.

A Beautiful World: Volunteer truckers help save burning Canadian town

May 16, 2016 10:50 PM

By Heather McElhatton

Listen to how an informal group of Big Hearted Truckers stepped in, stepped up and saved the day. Ninety-thousand people were evacuated in mere hours, without one fatality.