Australian Museum launches new podcast, ‘Explore’

Author(s)

Farley Fitzgerald
Published

26 May 2022
Read time

2 minutes

26 May 2022, Sydney: The Australian Museum (AM), Sydney, has today launched Explore, a new podcast that takes listeners behind the scenes of Australia’s first museum.

The four-part series speaks to the central focus of the AM – protecting biodiversity, amplifying First Nations voices and communicating climate change solutions.

The first season of the podcast series draws on the AM’s vast pool of science and culture experts, from Australian Museum Research Institute Director Professor Kris Helgen on the discovery of a giant flying squirrel, to First Nations Director Laura McBride on the Stolen Generations, to lead FrogID scientist Dr Jodi Rowley on the east-cost frog die-off, to palaeontologist Dr Patrick Smith on the swamps and giant crocodiles that once existed in Australia’s Red Centre.

Dr Patrick Smith standing atop fossilised Early Cambrian (520 million year old) stromatolites at Ross River Gorge. Image: Dr Patrick Smith
© Australian Museum

Also featured is former Australian of the Year, AM Visiting Distinguished Fellow Professor Tim Flannery, Museums Victoria’s Dr Tim O’Hara and the team aboard the CSIRO vessel RV Investigator, and Sam Elsom, founder of Sea Forest – a world-first seaweed farm in Tasmania that is lowering methane and CO2 emissions in the cattle and sheep industries.

“Audiences all over the world are engaged in conversations about the impacts of climate change, the protection of our environment and the uncovering of the untold histories of colonisation,” AM Director and CEO Kim McKay AO said.

“The Australian Museum sits at the nexus of these issues, with our work pivoting around the AM’s extensive cultural and scientific collections – the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. This new podcast is an exciting way to engage audiences on how natural history museums work and the important role they play,” McKay said.

Litoria phyllochroa, Turramurra — Deceased frog (Litoria phyllochroa), 2021. Image: Dr Jodi Rowley
© Australian Museum

The podcast is a perfect complement to the AM’s exhibitions, events, magazine, online and education outreach offerings.

“The richness of Earth’s biodiversity is astounding,” says AMRI Director and AM Chief Scientist Professor Kris Helgen.

“The Australian Museum is working on conserving that biodiversity every day – we’re so excited to have another means to talk to a global audience about what we’re doing to protect our planet and offer more of what we have learnt about evolution, caring for Country and future-proofing our environment,” Helgen added.

Hosted by the Australian Museum Members’ magazine editor, Alice Gage, the show features an original soundscape by award-winning composer and vocalist Freya Berkout, interwoven with an array of field recordings and sound samples.

Wiradjuri woman, Elder, artist and advocate, Aunty Fay Moseley — Aunty Fay Moseley is a strong Wiradjuri woman, Elder, artist and advocate for the Stolen Generations. Image: James Alcock
© Australian Museum

Episode 1: Animal mysteries

"This has been a mystery to science for so long. It's actually so great to have something that we don't know the answer to.” Sara Judge

Discover the ancient creatures of the Red Centre with AM palaeontologist Dr Patrick Smith, join Dr Jodi Rowley and her team as they investigate a mass frog die-off along the East Coast, and learn the significance of one of the world's most mysterious creatures: the eel. Learn more.

Episode 2: Unsettled - Our untold history revealed

“He asked who I was. I told him I was Fay, and he said, 'I'm your dad.'” Aunty Fay Moseley

Hosted by Laura McBride – Wailwan and Kooma woman and the AM's Director, First Nations – this episode delves into the truth-telling exhibition Unsettled. Hear from Aunty Fay Moseley as she shares her experience as a Stolen Generation survivor and how this past is represented in her art. Learn more.

Episode 3: Reasons for hope in a climate emergency

"I really want to focus on solutions because the solutions are where the power lies to inspire young people, to change government, to get industry working." Professor Tim Flannery

In this episode, curator Dr Mariko Smith explores how First Nations Peoples' connection to Country provides a practical and sustainable outlook for the future, and environmentalists Sam Elsom, CEO of Sea Forest, and climate scientist Professor Tim Flannery, share the latest innovations to tackle climate change. Learn more.

Explore podcast episode 4: The discovery of new species

"No-one knows how many organisms are on the planet today." Professor Kris Helgen

In the final episode, join our scientists out in the field – from the deepest ocean trenches to the peaks of the Himalayas – to discover how new species are identified and what it means to add new branches to the Tree of Life. Learn more.