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:

What Science Tells Us About Living Longer Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

Scientists are hard at work trying to understand what causes aging and how to help people stay healthy for longer. Biologist Matt Kaeberlein breaks down the science of longevity and tells us how he’s using a robot to test 100,000 aging interventions a year on microscopic worms and a long-term study on the aging of pet dogs. Then we’ll leave the lab to visit Willie Mae Avery, the oldest person in Washington, D.C., to hear what it’s like to live such a long life.

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

Want More?

Matt Kaeberlein is just one of many researchers working hard to find ways to help people live healthier, longer. To learn more about the cutting-edge science about the biology and psychology of aging, take a look at our magazine feature.

Also Explore

We’ve also included a link to the story of how the 4,000-year-old Epic of Gilgamesh was rediscovered and deciphered.

Like Gilgamesh, Chris Hemsworth is on a mission to live better for longer. With the help of top scientists, he takes on six epic challenges to test mind and body to the max. Limitless With Chris Hemsworth is now streaming on Disney+.

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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Presenting: ESPN's "Pink Card" Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

Today we bring you a high-stakes story from ESPN’s 30 for 30 Podcasts—a tale of women’s rights, history, and soccer. As Iranian women took to the streets in fall 2022 to fight gender inequality, they also targeted sports. Iranian women have been banned from attending games in stadiums for more than four decades. In ESPN’s series Pink Card, creator, host, and executive producer Shima Oliaee follows Iranian women who dare to defy the ban, from protesting at the gates to sneaking into soccer games under disguise. They risk their lives to take back their stadium—and their joy in the game.

Listen to all four episodes of Pink Card from 30 for 30 Podcasts. And find more stories from the edges of our big, weird, beautiful world with Overheard at National Geographic.

For their widespread protests united by chants of "Woman, life, freedom," the women of Iran are Time magazine's heroes of the year.

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 People Behind the Photography Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

National Geographic photographers seldom do their work alone, especially those who journey out to far-flung places. This week, we’re shining a light on local collaborators—people whose names don’t show up in the credit line for a photo but who are key to helping our photographers get the breathtaking shots you see with our stories. We’ll hear about their extraordinary adventures—which include fighting off an alligator to save a camera—and how they’ve helped photographers navigate and understand cultures that aren’t their own.

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

Want more?

Want to meet more photographers and their collaborators? Take a look at Jen Tse’s article on the subject to read about other amazing collaborators in the field.

Wondering why Malia Byrtus was out dealing with alligators? Florida has some amazing plants and animals. Check out writer Douglas Main’s story on Florida’s wildlife corridor to learn more about the quest to protect them.

Plus, Daniella Zalcman’s reporting on Indigenous people in North America paid off in her project, Signs of Your Identity. Learn more about the legacy of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools in her article.

Also explore

John Stanmeyer has an amazing treasure trove of photography, covering Indonesia and beyond. Check it out at stanmeyer.com.

And you can follow me on Instagram @jordansalama19.

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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There’s a Bear in My Backyard Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

Sure, we love bears when they show up in books or cartoons. But what if one is outside our window? Human-bear encounters are becoming far more frequent as development continues to spread and people and bears seek similar resources of food, water, and shelter. National Geographic Explorer and large-carnivore ecologist Rae Wynn-Grant dispels a few myths about bear behavior, describes what it’s like to cuddle a bear cub, and offers tips on what to do if you find a bear in your backyard—or bump into one in the wild.

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

Want more?

If you haven’t seen the viral Instagram video of Rae Wynn-Grant cuddling with bear cubs for science, you can watch that here.

And you can keep up with her adventures with more species, like ring-tailed lemurs and African lions, on her website, r aewynngrant.com.

Or you can also listen to her podcast, Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, where you can hear her interview fellow conservationists about their work, from studying hyenas in Kenya to coyotes in California.

Also explore:

Read Christine Dell’Amore’s piece about how bears and other wild animals have adapted to urban areas across the U.S.

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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Playback: The Real-Life MacGyver in Nat Geo's Basement Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

In the basement of National Geographic’s headquarters, there’s a lab holding a secret tech weapon: Tom O’Brien. As Nat Geo’s photo engineer, O’Brien adapts new technologies to capture sights and sounds previously never seen or heard before. In this episode, originally published in June 2021, O’Brien leads us on a tour of his lab as he designs and builds an underwater camera and shows us some of his favorite gadgets—including a camera lens that flew over Machu Picchu in a blimp, a remote camera he designed for the film Free Solo, and a piece of gear known simply as the “funky bird train.”

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

Want more?

See National Geographic's Pictures of the Year and our five picks for Photographers of the Year. To capture one of the year's best pictures—an encounter with elephants in Gabon—O'Brien outfitted a photographer with 1,100 pounds of custom gear.

Our photographers capture millions of individual frames per year. In a previous episode of Overheard, Nat Geo's deputy director of photography breaks down the process to select only the best images.

See photographs mentioned in this episode, including wolves captured by a gnaw-proof camera, sage grouse as seen by the funky bird train, and a cheetah running in super slow motion. Want to see what goes on in Nat Geo’s photo engineering lab? Follow Tom O’Brien on Instagram @mechanicalphoto. And learn more about Tom’s predecessor, Kenji Yamaguchi, who held the job for more than 30 years.

Also explore:

Learn more about Jacques Cousteau, who pioneered scuba gear, brought the oceans to life, and jolted people into environmental activism.

And hear more about beavers and how they shape the world on a previous Overheard episode, “March of the Beaver.”

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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Pictures of the Year Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

Every year, National Geographic rolls the year into a collection of photos for its “Pictures of the Year” issue. It’s a mysterious process, and we’re about to share it with you. We’ll see what baby carriages are like in Greenland, witness the moment SpaceX burst into a cypress swamp, and make a new four-legged friend as deputy director of photography Sadie Quarrier shares with us the choice photos for this year.

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

Want more?

Interested in learning more about Kiliii Yüyan? We’ve got an article for you that explores how he became the photographer he is today.

Also explore

To see Mac Stone’s photos, take a look at his website, macstonephoto.com. He specializes in photographing swamps, the Everglades, and Florida Bay.

Plus, Katie Orlinsky’s photos go far beyond tapirs. See some more of the photos she’s taken around the world at katieorlinskyphoto.com.

For subscribers

See how we summed up 2022 in the “Pictures of the Year.” It hits newsstands in December.

Fuel your curiosity with a free one-month trial subscription to Nat Geo Digital. You’ll have unlimited access on any device, anywhere, ad-free with our app that lets you download stories to read off-line. Explore every page ever published with a century of digital archives at your fingertips. Check it all out for free at natgeo.com/exploremore.

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Who Inspired Wakanda's Warrior Women? Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

The fictional, fearsome, and all-female Dora Milaje in the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were inspired by a real group of African warriors: the Agojie. Nat Geo contributing writer Rachel Jones shares the history of the Agojie and discusses the way that movies and pop culture can shape our understanding of the world.

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

Want more?

Learn more and check out photos of the Agojie in Rachel Jones’s article.

Also, in 2019 Rachel traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to find out how they were combating the Ebola epidemic.

Read her pieces on a new tool that some hope could uncover the lost ancestry of enslaved African Americans and on Albert José Jones, who founded the first African American scuba club and led the way for Black divers to explore the ocean—and their own history.

Also explore:

Watch the Dora Milaje kick butt in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in theaters this Friday, November 11th.

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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Wayfinding Through the Human Genome Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

National Geographic Explorer Keolu Fox grew up hearing stories about his ancestors, Polynesian navigators, and the men who in the late 1970s led the first Hōkūleʻa voyage to Tahiti. As the first Native Hawaiian with a Ph.D. in genomic sciences, Fox tells us how genetic data can help reveal powerful narratives about the history of Indigenous people and their achievements, and empower communities to use data to improve public health and preserve their culture.

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

Want more?

Less than one percent of genome studies include Indigenous people. Watch Keolu Fox’s Ted Talk on why genetic research needs to be more diverse.

Also, check out his essay in Scientific American on what genomic research could potentially reveal about the history and accomplishments of Indigenous people.

Also explore:

If you are working on an idea that promotes Indigenous futurism and environmental health, Keolu is collaborating with Footprint Coalition Science Engine to encourage people to apply for grants to help execute their projects.

For subscribers:

You can read our magazine profile on Keolu and how he hopes to find clues that lead to new medicines, better health care, and even land reclamation.

Read about how the Polynesian Voyaging Society is trying to keep the art of Polynesian wayfinding alive by sailing around the world on traditional voyaging canoes—and you can also get to know the Hōkūleʻa’s first female captain, National Geographic Explorer Lehua Kamalu.

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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Presenting: Greeking Out by National Geographic Kids Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

National Geographic Kids' Greeking Out is a kid-friendly retelling of some of the best stories from Greek mythology.

This episode, "Akhenaten The Heretic King," is all about King Tut's father and how he attempted to reset Egyptian religion and politics.

You can listen to more episodes of Greeking Out on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

We'll be back next week with a regular episode of Overheard.

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The Hole Where King Tut’s Heart Used to Be Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

One hundred years since the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, archaeologists are still puzzling over the mysteries of his mummy. Why was he covered in “black goo” and buried without a heart? And how did his tomb remain hidden for so long? To answer these questions, we head to the National Geographic Museum’s King Tut exhibit with Archaeologist in Residence Fred Hiebert to hear his take on what happened to Egypt’s boy king and hear from mummy expert Salima Ikram about how recent excavations of the tomb are helping scientists get closer to the answers.

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

Want more?

King Tut’s tomb is one of the most significant archaeological sites ever discovered, but it was almost never found. To learn more about the discovery, take a look at our magazine cover story about the discovery.

Want to see National Geographic’s King Tut exhibit for yourself? Information and tickets can be found on the museum website.

Also explore:

Egyptologist Salima Ikram is one of the leading experts in mummification. Her website is a treasure trove of information.

Fred Hiebert once spent two nights in King Tut’s tomb with researchers searching for the mummy of Nefertiti. That story can be found here.

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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