Botanic Gardens of Sydney

Branch Out

Science EN ↓ 58 episodes

From catching killers to making medicine - discover the surprising world of plants with your host, Vanessa Fuchs, as you hear from passionate experts from around the world protecting flora and our future.

Author

Botanic Gardens of Sydney

Episodes

Growing communities with gardens 06.09.2018 16:36

Some communities can't access green space, depriving them of the physical, mental and social benefits that nature brings. Discover how the Community Greening program is changing the health and wellbeing of communities one garden at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Detective botany & DNA with Barbara Briggs 23.08.2018 17:31

Dr Barbara Briggs is one of Australia’s leading botanists and police used her skills in the 1960’s to assist a kidnapping-murder case. But over the course of her 59 years of research at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, she’s been part of an even bigger investigation: EVOLUTION. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Botany, bryophytes and a bizarre discovery 10.08.2018 16:38

They're among the first types of land plants to appear on Earth about 470 million years ago, but bryophtes are easy to overlook - unless you're Matt or Trevor. On a field trip to the very tip of Far North Queensland, they came across a curious new species growing in a highly unusual place... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Plants No Future 25.07.2018 16:01

There's a back-up plan for plants going extinct in the wild - it's called seedbanking. Scientists from the Australian PlantBank spend weeks in the field tracking down native plant material from all over the country to bring back to the incredible facility in Western Sydney, so they don’t disappear forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Plants No Past: Protecting Our Prehistoric Pine 11.07.2018 18:27

The Wollemi Pine was thought to be extinct for 60 million years until it was accidentally discovered by David Noble in 1994 during a weekend bushwalk, 150km from Sydney. Our living fossil captures the imagination and attention of the world because it offers a window into the past, but now scientists are focused on protecting its future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

No Plants No Animals 27.06.2018 15:43

Discover how the remarkable digestive ability of the endangered Southern Cassowary keeps itself, rainforests, and us alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Plants No Food 13.06.2018 11:14

Put on your detective hat and lab coat and enter the strange and microscopic world of deadly plant diseases threatening our food crops and native flora. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Plants No Medicine 30.05.2018 10:18

Explore the deadly and life-saving chemicals found in plants. From tea tree oil to morphine, we use nearly 15,000 different plant species for medicinal purposes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices