3 episodes
Biodiverse Objects Oxford University
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- Education
This series of three epic (length-wise ;-)) podcasts takes a close look at some fascinating and surprising objects in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. It is a kind of fringe-event to go hand in hand with the major redisplay happening at the Museum in 2022.
Each podcast is a journey of discovery through the nooks and crannies of the Museum, talking to researchers and experts on the way.
We will seek out the rarely seen or heard-about enigmatic objects in the Museum and their stories – scientific, historical and personal. These objects can be specimens, natural objects, artefacts, tools, or even museum interna such as conservation fluids. What they all have in common is that they speak to us about ecology and biodiversity. Both terms are linked – without constantly evolving ecological relationships there is no biodiversity. Is there such a thing as “biodiverse objects”?
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Biodiversity on the rocks: joining the dots between animate and inanimate
This podcast explores some of the countless relationships between biology, biodiversity, and geology, past and present. The third and final podcast in our Biodiverse Objects series explores some of the countless relationships between biology, biodiversity, and geology, past and present. How have geological processes on a large and small scale influenced life from the beginnings and how are they continuing to affect biodiversity today? We are also looking into - and listening into! - the physics of patterns. From black smokers to music chiming with a nautilus shell, from obsessions with basalt to deep-sea ooze and the beginning of life on Earth. Finally, a look at the coevolution of life and landscapes will conclude our meander to join the dots between animate and (so-called!) inanimate matter.
About Biodiverse Objects
This series of three epic (length-wise ;-)) podcasts takes a close look at some fascinating and surprising objects in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. It is a kind of fringe-event to go hand in hand with the major redisplay happening at the Museum in 2022. Each podcast is a journey of discovery through the nooks and crannies of the Museum, talking to researchers and experts on the way.
We will seek out the rarely seen or heard-about enigmatic objects in the Museum and their stories – scientific, historical and personal. These objects can be specimens, natural objects, artefacts, tools, or even museum interna such as conservation fluids. What they all have in common is that they speak to us about ecology and biodiversity. Both terms are linked – without constantly evolving ecological relationships there is no biodiversity. Is there such a thing as “biodiverse objects”? -
Extinction and the Museum: skeletons and other remains in our cupboards
In this podcast, we look at extinction and the role of collections and museums. The second podcast in our Biodiverse Objects series is about extinction and the role of collections and museums. This ranges from the good - researching causes for extinction and preserving evidence, to the bad – contributing to extinction or damaging populations and environments through over-collecting, to the ugly – the legacy of regarding and displaying extinction as “deserved” in the “survival of the fittest. We will also explore “the spirit of conservation” – methods of preserving animal remains.
About Biodiverse Objects
This series of three epic (length-wise ;-)) podcasts takes a close look at some fascinating and surprising objects in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. It is a kind of fringe-event to go hand in hand with the major redisplay happening at the Museum in 2022. Each podcast is a journey of discovery through the nooks and crannies of the Museum, talking to researchers and experts on the way.
We will seek out the rarely seen or heard-about enigmatic objects in the Museum and their stories – scientific, historical and personal. These objects can be specimens, natural objects, artefacts, tools, or even museum interna such as conservation fluids. What they all have in common is that they speak to us about ecology and biodiversity. Both terms are linked – without constantly evolving ecological relationships there is no biodiversity. Is there such a thing as “biodiverse objects”? -
On display: nature’s dramas, nature’s dioramas
A journey from 3D dioramas from the 19th century that contain taxidermy animals to today’s virtual reality reconstructions of ancient or hidden worlds. In the first podcast in our Biodiverse Objects series, we take a close look at stunning 2D depictions of insect and plant ecosystems from the early 18th century and embark on some early 19th century time-travelling through fossils - forensic fossils that bear the marks of their ecosystems which are there for us to decode. A personal highlight is exploring miniature dramas captured in many million-year-old amber.
About Biodiverse Objects
This series of three epic (length-wise ;-)) podcasts takes a close look at some fascinating and surprising objects in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. It is a kind of fringe-event to go hand in hand with the major redisplay happening at the Museum in 2022. Each podcast is a journey of discovery through the nooks and crannies of the Museum, talking to researchers and experts on the way.
We will seek out the rarely seen or heard-about enigmatic objects in the Museum and their stories – scientific, historical and personal. These objects can be specimens, natural objects, artefacts, tools, or even museum interna such as conservation fluids. What they all have in common is that they speak to us about ecology and biodiversity. Both terms are linked – without constantly evolving ecological relationships there is no biodiversity. Is there such a thing as “biodiverse objects”?