Branch Out Botanic Gardens of Sydney

From a series of heists in Mexico, to law enforcement agents infiltrating a smuggling ring in South Korea... Get ready to explore the explosive illegal trade of succulents and cacti and learn why scientists are scrambling to discover new and rare species before poachers find them. In this episode you'll hear from Jared Margulies, an assistant professor of political ecology at the University of Alabama and the author of The Cactus Hunters. Jared ventured across seven countries and four continents to uncover a complex world where conservation and criminology crossover, discovering that sometimes, the smuggler and the conservationist are the same person. 
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Go behind the scenes with Senior Horticulturist Terra-Nova Sadowski at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney to discover what it takes to curate and care for the incredible display of over 20,000 plants inside The Calyx. The latest immersive horticulture display is called Love Your Nature. It celebrates and showcases the colourful, diverse, and fascinating world of plant reproduction and diversity. You'll learn about prehistoric plants that use clones, spores, and seeds to reproduce, and flowering plants that employ colours, shapes, and scents to attract animals. The Calyx is open daily from 10am to 4pm.
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Discover how the creator of the machete-wielding philodendron turned this harmless houseplant into armed greenery in this 'fast flora facts' edition of Branch Out.
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Branch Out host Vanessa Fuchs went to the Pint of Science event at the Keg & Brew in Surry Hills, Sydney to hear an awesome presentation from Dr Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez - a researcher from Western Sydney University known as the “tree detective.”
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An experiment in the 90's by two Russian artists revealed that people from various countries around the world all like the same kind of painting. Discover why and what the results of a new study using twins says about our love for nature.
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