Ozarks At Large

Dr. Peter Ungar, an anthropologist at the University of Arkansas, discusses how he looks at teeth to determine the diets of our ancestors and how what we and other animals eat today affects our pearly whites. He is also the author of Teeth: A Very Short Introduction published by Oxford University Press.

Several groups worked through the weekend to gather signatures for their respective ballot initiatives before the deadline to submit petitions today. Governor Beebe prepares to make his final foreign trade mission during his term in office, and Blanchard Springs Caverns in Stone County is the only cave owned and operated by the U.S. Forest Service that remains open despite a cave closure order aimed at preventing the spread of White Nose Syndrome.

Ahead on Ozarks, as many prepare for Fourth of July in backyards or fields of fireworks, the ticks are waiting: a new tick-borne illness has been discovered in the South. And The Cate Brothers release a new album, more than thirty years after it was originally recorded.

The Oklahoma Department of Health has confirmed the state's first death due to Heartland virus—a new tick-borne illness discovered in the mid-South. So far no cases have been documented in Arkansas. Jacqueline Froelich spoke with an Oklahoma epidemiologist to find out the status of the virus and how to avoid be bitten.