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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Read more from Akanni Akinyemi, including how Africa will shape the future of the planet’s population.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is part three of The Soul of Music—Overheard’s four-part series focusing on music, exploration, and Black history. Our guest this week is Grammy-nominated trumpeter Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, formerly known as Christian Scott. Chief Xian sits down with National Geographic Explorer and archaeologist Justin Dunnavant to discuss Xian’s childhood in New Orleans, how he created a new instrument, and what he calls stretch music. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? Learn more about Chief Xian at his website https://www.chiefadjuah.com/. And you can follow him on Instagram @christianscottofficial.  You can also download his stretch music app, an interactive music player, in the Google Play store or Apple App store.  Also, be sure to follow Justin online to stay updated with his latest adventures: www.justindunnavant.com or on social media @archfieldnotes.  Also explore:  Interested in learning more about global Black history and heritage? Follow Justin Dunnavant as he explores Loíza, the ancestral heart and soul of the Afro-Puerto Rican community, in Hulu’s Your Attention Please: Initiative 29. Listen to episode 3 of the Into the Depths podcast which includes Justin as a guest. Want to travel to New Orleans? Check out Nat Geo’s travel guide for tips on how to make the most of your trip.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is part two of The Soul of Music—Overheard’s four-part series focusing on music, exploration, and Black history. Our guest this week is Sampa The Great, a Zambian-born rapper, singer, and songwriter. Sampa spent most of her childhood living in Botswana, and her music career took off in Australia; but when the pandemic hit, Sampa returned home to Zambia where she recorded her album As Above, So Below. This album sees Sampa shedding her mask and getting personal. Sampa is joined by Nat Geo Explorer and wildlife biologist Danielle Lee to discuss inspiration through history, the power of language, and mental health therapy through nature. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? Learn more about Sampa The Great at her website sampathegreat.com. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @Sampa_the_Great. Learn more about Danielle Lee at her website about.me/DNLee. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @DNLee5. Also explore:  Listen to an in-depth interview with Danielle Lee in the Overheard episode “The Wonders of Urban Wildlife.” Zambia is home to the impressive Victoria Falls. Learn how you can visit the waterfall in this Nat Geo article.  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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is part one of The Soul of Music—Overheard’s four-part series focusing on music, exploration, and Black history. Our guest this week is two-time Grammy award winner Rhiannon Giddens, a singer, songwriter, and banjo and fiddle player. A self-described “armchair historian,” Rhiannon chats with Nat Geo Explorer and spoken-word poet Alyea Pierce about the origins of the banjo, her new opera Omar, and how she finds inspiration through history.  For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? Learn more about Rhiannon and her music, opera, and children’s book at her website, rhiannongiddens.com. And you can follow her on Twitter @RhiannonGiddens.  You can follow National Geographic Explorer Alyea Pierce at her instagram @alyeaspierce.  Also explore:  Listen to the National Geographic podcast Into the Depths to hear more of Alyea’s poetry and follow Explorer Tara Roberts on a journey to document sunken slave ships in the Atlantic.  Learn about how music is used to heal the sick in Appalachia in this Nat Geo article. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National Geographic turns 135 in 2023. In February 2023, to celebrate exploration and commemorate Black History Month, National Geographic’s flagship podcast, Overheard, will feature musicians and National Geographic Explorers in conversation on music and exploration. This is just one of many celebrations planned for this milestone anniversary.  Hosted by Overheard producer Khari Douglas, these four episodes (every Tuesday in February) will feature world-famous musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Sampa the Great, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), and Meklit Hadero (also a Nat Geo explorer) in conversation with Nat Geo Explorers Alyea Pierce, Danielle Lee, Justin Dunnavant, and Jahawi Bertolli. The Explorers and artists will discuss how nature, history, and culture influence their work, what music inspires their adventures, and how they address some of the world’s most pressing and complicated issues through art and exploration.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The future is bright for origami, the centuries-old art of paper folding. In recent decades, scientists, engineers, and designers have pushed origami beyond its traditional roots and applied its patterns to fascinating technologies like foldable kayaks and tiny robots that can fit into a pill capsule. We’ll fold cranes with National Geographic writer Maya Wei-Haas, who will share the latest advancements with origami and what the future holds for this art form in science. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? We’ve just touched the surface of origami science. To go deeper, read Maya’s story in the February issue of National Geographic magazine. She talks about more applications of origami, including origami in space.  Did you know that origami could be the key to making better face masks? Origami’s unique folds may be able to make face masks fit better. Check out our article exploring this possibility.  Also explore Plus, grab some origami and head to the ocean. Origami folds could be the key to perfecting a super delicate robot that can catch deep-sea animals, study them, and release them unharmed. If you like what you hear and you want to support more content like this, please rate and review us in your podcast app and consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1619 Project was a New York Times Magazine endeavor that explored the ways the legacy of slavery still shapes American society. The story exploded into cultural consciousness in 2019, and has since become a book, a podcast, and now, a documentary series. For the project’s creators, that meant great success, but it also meant facing pushback and surprises. We talk to journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones about how politics affected The 1619 Project and what it means to be in the middle of this social reckoning. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? The 1619 Project documentary examines how the legacy of slavery has influenced music, capitalism, and democracy itself. It premieres January 26 on Hulu.  Also explore: Take a look at the original New York Times Magazine 1619 Project. It features articles, photo essays, and more that discuss how black Americans created democracy in the country, how segregation leads to traffic jams, and more. Check out the audio series that The New York Times produced. It explores topics like Black land ownership and health disparities.  National Geographic also has extensive coverage of these issues, including the long and complicated legacy of Black landownership in the U.S., COVID's disproportionate death toll, and how Black Americans see racism infecting the U.S. health-care system. If you like what you hear and you want to support more content like this, please rate and review us in your podcast app and consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cameras that drop miles beneath the ocean surface. Handmade art that reveals the secrets of archeological sites and extinct animals. For 135 years, National Geographic has pioneered new ways of exploring and illuminating our world—and now you can meet a few of the people who make it possible. Join Nathan Lump, National Geographic’s editor in chief, and Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of the National Geographic Society, for a tour of the cutting-edge Exploration Technology Lab and a look inside the studio where original, scientifically accurate art comes to life. Then, play along with a fun trivia game based on sounds from the National Geographic Soundbank recorded by explorers around the world. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? Learn more about the people in this episode, including editor in chief Nathan Lump, National Geographic Society CEO Jill Tiefenthaler, and senior graphics editor Fernando Baptista.  See how the National Geographic Exploration Technology Lab is illuminating Earth’s largest, yet least explored habitat: the deep ocean. Also explore: Want to hear more about how Nat Geo creates all-new tech for Explorers and photographers? Meet photo engineer Tom O’Brien, the real-life MacGyver in Nat Geo’s basement, in a previous episode of Overheard. See the first issue of National Geographic from 1888, which cost 50 cents and had zero photographs—those wouldn’t appear for another 17 years. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last summer, Disney Cruise Line released its fifth and most technologically advanced cruise ship yet: Disney Wish. We’ll meet Laura Cabo, a creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, who shares the excitement and challenges in designing a cruise ship that’s nearly as long as the Eiffel Tower, and how Imagineers turn visions into reality. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? The documentary Chad made with Laura and other Disney Imagineers is called Making the Wish: Disney’s Newest Cruise Ship. It will be available on Disney+ February 17.  And while you’re there, check out the documentary series The Imagineering Story about other Imagineers all over the world. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Nat Geo Explorer Gibbs Kuguru was in college, he found himself trying to choose between two terrifying futures: going free diving with sharks off the coast of South Africa or, even scarier, studying for the MCAT. Since then, he’s become devoted to sharks. His genetic research has shown they can do remarkable things, like change color to become more effective predators. And he’s also become a staunch advocate for shark species as they grow more vulnerable to overfishing and the effects of climate change. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? If you want more on Gibbs’s journey and his research, check out our story about him online. Plus, we’ve also got an article about how great whites change their color to sneak up on prey. Also explore You can watch Gibbs in the National Geographic documentary Camo Sharks. He and other scientists try to catch sharks in the middle of their color changes. And if you just can’t get enough of sharks, we’ve got a whole bunch of SharkFest stories for you, including how drones are changing how we observe and think about sharks. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For 17 years, nurse Karen Barry’s office at National Geographic headquarters has served as an important stop for journalists, photographers, and explorers in need of vaccines and medical advice before they set out on expeditions all over the globe. We’ll head down to the medical office to listen to her stories of helping explorers out in the field—and we’ll hear from one of her most frequent “customers,” Dangerous Encounters host Brady Barr, who over the years has dealt with multiple animal bites, parasites, and even a lost finger. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more?  Here are some more tips from Nurse Karen Barry for staying safe while traveling,  The snake that bit Brady Barr is an amazing creature. The reticulated python is the longest snake species in the world. They are commonly measured at 20 feet long, longer than a giraffe is tall.  When isolated, female reticulated pythons are able to give virgin birth, a phenomenon biologists call parthenogenesis. Also explore: Pythons aren’t venomous, but the venom of other snakes, as well as ants, treefrogs, cone snails, and many other creatures might just hold the key to the next medical breakthrough. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, raewynngrant.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices