Overheard at National Geographic

Come dive into one of the curiously delightful conversations overheard at National Geographic’s headquarters, as we follow explorers, photographers, and scientists to the edges of our big, weird, beautiful world. Hosted by Peter Gwin and Amy Briggs.

Latest Episodes:

How Anne Frank’s Diary Survived May 02, 2023

Show notes

Most people have heard the name Anne Frank, and many have read her diary, which details her and her family’s time spent in hiding during the German occupation of Amsterdam in World War II. Less known are Miep and Jan Gies, two people who helped shelter the Frank family and preserved Anne Frank’s diary after she was captured. In this episode, Alison Leslie Gold, who co-authored Miep’s memoir, shares their history and what we can take away from their stories. And we’ll hear from the co-creators and star of the National Geographic limited series A Small Light about how anyone can step up and be a hero.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

Want more?

The first episode of A Small Light is streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu. New episodes premiere Mondays on National Geographic and stream the next day.

Learn more about the book Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies and Alison Leslie Gold. Gold also wrote Memories of Anne Frank about Anne Frank’s childhood friend Hannah Goslar and A Special Fateabout Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Lithuanian Jews during the Holocaust.

Also explore:

How did the Holocaust—which murdered six million Jews and stripped millions more of their livelihoods, their families, and even their names—happen in plain sight? Learn more about the history and how Jews continue to fight anti-Semitism.

Visit natgeo.com/JewishAmerican for more National Geographic stories throughout Jewish American Heritage Month.

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The Dark Reality Behind India’s Festival Elephants Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Asian elephants have been captured and tamed by people in Southern Asia for thousands of years as war machines, beasts of burden, and part of religious festivals. It’s a practice that continues to this day, but some activists are beginning to rethink its impact on this endangered species.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

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Check out even more coverage on elephants this month, including Secrets of the Elephants, a four-part National Geographic series streaming April 22 on Disney+. Visit NatGeo.com/elephants to learn more.

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In addition to a film Sangita Iyer has also written a book, Gods in Shackles: What Elephants Can Teach Us About Empathy, Resilience, and Freedom. You can check it out as well as her other work at the website of her organization, the Voices for Asian Elephants Society.

More information about Jyothy Karat and her films and photography can be found on her website.

If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today.

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What Will it Take to Save the Savanna Elephant? Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

As the CEO of WildlifeDirect, Paula Kahumbu has dedicated her life to saving space for wildlife to thrive in Africa and building healthy relationships between humans and wild elephants. Paula got her start in wildlife conservation by measuring Kenya’s stockpile of elephant tusks confiscated from poachers—12 tons in all. And it turns out poachers aren’t the only threat to this endangered species.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

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To learn more about Paula Kahumbu and her work introducing the next generation of Kenyans to wildlife, listen to our previous episode, “Kenya’s Wildlife Warriors.”

If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today.

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The Woman Who Knows What Elephants Are Saying Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

For almost 50 years, National Geographic Explorer Joyce Poole has been carefully watching the elephants of Kenya’s Amboseli National Park. Over that time she’s gotten to know them by name and has started decoding their sounds, smells, and body language to figure out just what the world’s largest land animal is talking about.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

Want More?

Check out even more coverage on elephants this month, including Secrets of the Elephants, a four-part National Geographic series streaming April 22 on Disney+. Visit NatGeo.com/elephants to learn more.

Also explore:

Joyce Poole has a lot more to say about elephants. To learn more about her work and to hear more of the sounds she collected in the field, take a look at her website, Elephant Voices

If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today.

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Exploring Ramadan and Earthlike Exoplanets Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

Follow a day in the life of an astronomer searching for planets beyond our solar system as she explains how she observes Ramadan and celebrates her family’s traditions. Astronomer, astrophysicist, and National Geographic Explorer Munazza Alam is the daughter of a Pakistani father and Indian mother, and a postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Earth & Planets Laboratory in Washington, D.C., focusing on exoplanets. She also shares insights from co-hosting Nat Geo’s How We Explore podcast, which introduces kids to the work of National Geographic Explorers around the world.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

Want more?

Follow Munazza's work on her website.

Find out why Ramadan is the most sacred month in Islamic culture, discover five unique traditions Muslims bring to Ramadan celebrations, and learn why these five sites are among the holiest in all of Islam.

Also explore:

Learn about some of the ways Muslims around the world celebrate the end of Ramadan in this Nat Geo article.

Visit the world’s most exquisite mosques and discover the incredible historic, cultural, and religious insight they provide.

And see how American Muslims celebrate Islam’s holiest holiday in Eid al-Fitr celebrations across the United States.

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From the Frontlines to the Shorelines Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

National Geographic photographer David Guttenfelder is no stranger to dangerous situations. After graduating from college, he left his life in rural Iowa to cover the 1994 Rwandan genocide, an experience that kicked off a decades-long career of reporting on war, conflict, and major news events all around the world. But when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down travel to most countries, he took an assignment close to his roots—paddling the treacherously unpredictable waters between the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. He describes what it was like visiting historic lighthouses and sea caves, and shares some surprising lessons he took away from that experience.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

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For more on the Apostle Islands and their history, read writer Stephanie Pearson’s piece and see the stunning images David Guttenfelder captured while kayaking out there.

Guttenfelder is also one of the few Westerners who has spent an extensive amount of time in North Korea. The photos he took there show a side of the country people rarely get to see.

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He’s also been covering the war in Ukraine. You can check out some of his photographs from the front lines in this story for The New Yorker.

You can follow David Guttenfelder on Instagram @dguttenfelder.

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Can You Picture That? This Photographer Can and Does Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

Photographer Mark Thiessen, who’s worked on staff at National Geographic for over 30 years, likens his job to a Swiss army knife—versatile enough to tackle many kinds of assignments. Even when the subject is challenging, he approaches each assignment with a lot of curiosity and creativity, whether it’s shooting smoke jumpers who leap out of planes to fight wildfires or making “rain” in the studio to take a unique portrait of an Explorer. And as a special treat, Thiessen will take us up a flight of stairs from the photo studio to show us one of his favorite hobbies: beekeeping.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

Want more?

Follow Mark on Instagram at @Thiessenphoto.

See what it takes to put out a wildfire in this Nat Geo article, and follow smokejumpers out of a plane in this article.

Hear more of Mark on the Overheard episode “An Accidental Case of the Blues,” about the discovery of the first blue pigment since Thomas Jefferson was president.

Also explore:

Did you know that people steal bee hives? Find out why in the Overheard episode “Honeybee Chop Shop.”

Want to take better photos at home? Nat Geo staff photographer Becky Hale explains how.

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Scenes from Nigeria's Baby Boom Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

With 224 million people, Nigeria is Africa's most populous country. By 2050, it could crack the global top three with some 375 million people. In the second of our two-part series on the global population passing eight billion, National Geographic photographer Yagazie Emezi describes scenes she captured in Lagos, Africa’s biggest city—including intimate close-ups of a family raising four children in a one-room apartment and women receiving prenatal care. Plus, a Nigerian demographer explains how the country's soaring birth rate could make it an economic powerhouse, but only if the country finds new ways to invest in its youthful population.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

Want more?

See Yagazie Emezi’s photos—and other scenes from a world with 8 billion people—in the April issue of National Geographic.

For a previous National Geographic assignment, Yagazie photographed the women stepping up to remake Rwanda. Follow her on Instagram @yagazieemezi.

Also explore:

With a get-rich spirit that fuels the continent’s largest economy, see why Lagos has become Africa’s boom town.

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What Women in China Want Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

There are more than 8 billion humans on Earth, according to the United Nations. And for decades, China has had more people than any other country. But now, China’s population is declining. As soon as this year, it could lose its place as the most populous nation in the world. National Geographic photographer Justin Jin shares what he observed in this pivotal moment for China; he captured scenes where many young women are choosing not to have children, and instead are spending their money on doggie daycare and on karaoke nights with friends and male escorts. As we head into Women’s History Month, we’ll explore why Chinese women are taking a different path, despite the government campaigns pushing them to get married and have children.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard

Want more?

See Justin Jin’s photos—and other scenes from a world with 8 billion people—in the April issue of National Geographic.

Earth's growing population belies vastly different types of demographic change taking shape around the globe. Here’s why demographers don’t agree on what will happen next.

Also explore:

Follow Justin on Instagram @Justin.Jin.

Learn about Chinese propaganda targeting women—and how more women are pushing back—in Leta Hong Fincher’s books Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China and Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China.

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The Soul of Music: Meklit Hadero tells stories of migration Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

This episode is part four of The Soul of Music—Overheard’s four-part series focusing on music, exploration, and Black history. Our guest this week is Meklit Hadero, a Nat Geo Explorer and Ethio-jazz musician. Meklit is the creative force behind the transmedia storytelling project Movement, which explores the intersection of migration and music. She and fellow Explorer and music producer Jahawi Bertolli talk about migration, the ancient instruments known as rock gongs, and how their music is inspired by nature.

For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.

Want more?

Learn more about Meklit Hadero and the Movement project at her website meklitmusic.com. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @meklitmusic.

Learn more about Jahawi Bertolli and his First Rock project on his website jahawi.com. You can follow him on Instagram @jahawibertolli.

Check out the Overheard episode “Ancient Orchestra” to learn more about Jahawi and the sound of rock gongs.

And keep listening to songs featured in The Soul of Music as well as a few bonus tracks in this Spotify playlist.

Also explore:

Follow FREEK and his music on instagram @freektv.

The “star sounds” you heard were provided by Jon Jenkins, co-investigator for data analysis for the Kepler Mission. Learn more about the Kepler Mission and star sonification on their webpage.

Learn more about ethio-jazz pioneer Mulatu Astake in this Nat Geo article.

Thinking about traveling to Ethiopia? This Nat Geo travel guide can help you plan your trip.

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