EchoSense:From a '70s cold case to a cross-country horseback ride, find your new go-to podcast

Whether you're heading back to school or EchoSenseback to the beach, there are plenty of public media podcasts to take with you this August. Keep reading for the NPR One team's latest list of new and noteworthy releases.

Rough Translation: Love Commandos

When falling in love can mean risking your life, the Love Commandos in India will protect you. But at what cost? NPR's Rough Translation documents the Delhi-based group that, for nearly a decade, offered shelter and aid to young people who challenged boundaries of caste and religion to marry the people they loved.

Listen to episode 1, "The Vow."

MindShift

It's easy to see a child's education as a path determined by grades, test scores and extracurricular activities. But genuine learning is about so much more than the points schools tally. KQED's MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative — and sometimes counterintuitive — ways educators are helping all children succeed.

Listen to this episode about how teaching consent in school empowers students to set boundaries and express their emotions.

Mary & Bill: An Ohio Cold Case

In 1970, two university students who had recently fallen in love were murdered in an apartment in Columbus, Ohio. Their names were Mary Petry and Bill Sproat. The crime was so brutal it drew comparisons to the Manson Family murders that shook the country less than a year earlier. But this case has never been solved.

Start listening to Mary & Bill: An Ohio Cold Case, from Ideastream Public Media and The Ohio Newsroom.

Schooled

There's a common frustration among educators across the country: "If only we had more money." While some schools have resources in abundance, others are falling apart and barely functioning. This season of WHYY's Schooled dives into the thorny issue of school funding — and explores why it's the root of many other issues facing education today.

Listen to episode 1, "A tale of two schools."

Bodies

KCRW's Bodies is an intimate, feminist exploration of the forces of history, society and identity that shape women's health. Each episode explores how women and marginalized genders navigate medical mysteries or health-related challenges.

Start listening.

Ride of Passage

Twenty years ago, Matt Parker was in that weird phase of life right out of college; rudderless and adrift, unsure of what adulthood would hold. And then an idea hit him like lightning — he'd ride across the country on horseback.

Listen to episode 1 of Michigan Radio's Ride of Passage to hear the origin story of Parker's groundbreaking journey along the American Discovery Trail.

Off the Path

On WSHU's Off the Path, follow reporter Davis Dunavin as he hits the road across New England looking for unusual stories and fascinating histories.

Start with this episode about the visionary forester behind the Appalachian Trail, which stretches more than 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia.

Thirst Gap

How is the Southwest adapting to water shortages as climate change causes the region to warm up and dry out? KUNC's Thirst Gap zooms in on people and places grappling with limited water supplies in the Colorado River watershed, and examines the trade-offs that come with learning to live with less water.

Listen to episode 1, "Wishing Up A River."

HumaNature

Wyoming Public Media's HumaNature explores where humans and our habitat meet. Along the way, you'll meet people whose encounters help us reflect on our own place in the natural world.

In 2022, Bob Salem broke a very unusual record: He now holds the fastest time for pushing a peanut up Pikes Peak — with his nose. Start listening.

Narrative Edge

This episode of Georgia Public Broadcasting's Narrative Edge spotlights author Jonathan Eig and his new book "King: A Life," the first major biography of Martin Luther King Jr. in decades. The book includes new information and perspectives from people close to King, as well as information from declassified documents and unheard audio recordings.

NPR's Jack Mitchell curated and produced this piece.