Greek myths tell tales of Amazons, fearsome women warriors who were the equals of men. Now archaeological discoveries and modern DNA analysis are uncovering reality: these women warriors existed. National Geographic History magazine Executive Editor Amy Briggs and historian Adrienne Mayor introduce us to the horse-riding, arrow-flinging women who fought like ... Show More
Jul 2023
Trapped in the icy waters of the Northwest Passage
For centuries, the Northwest Passage, the long-sought sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through northern Canada, was a holy grail of Arctic exploration. Even now, sailing through it isn’t guaranteed. Mark Synnott, a National Geographic Explorer, writer, and adv ... Show More
34m 16s
Jul 2023
Playback: Modern Lives, Ancient Caves
There’s a lost continent waiting to be explored, and it’s right below our feet. We’ll dig into the deep human relationship to the underground—and why we understand it from an instinctive point of view, but not so much from a physical one. (Hint: We’re afraid of the dark.) In an e ... Show More
28m 39s
Jun 2023
Playback: This Indigenous Practice Fights Fire with Fire
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous ... Show More
29m 8s
Jul 2019
The Amazons Pt. 1: The Tragedy of Men
For years, the tribe of warrior women known as the Amazons lived in isolation on an island far from the worlds of men, until Hercules and Jason and the Argonauts beached upon their shores. From that moment on, a friendship was forged between Hercules and the Amazon Queen Hippolyt ... Show More
52m 9s
Dec 2019
Best of 2019: The Amazons Pt. 1
Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: For years, the tribe of warrior women known as “the Amazons” lived in isolation on an island far from men, until Hercules and Jason and the Argonauts beached upon their shores. From that moment on, a friendship was for ... Show More
52m 9s
Feb 2023
A Brazilian Journalist on Life in the Amazon
The Amazon lives in our imaginations, in literature, and throughout swathes of travel writing. But what is it like to live there? Lale chats with journalist Eliane Brum who's built a house from recycled wood in Altamira, a town on the northern fringes of the Amazon, to find out m ... Show More
27m 13s
Jul 2019
The Amazons Pt. 2: Blood Debt
In the wake of Queen Hippolyta’s death and Antiope’s abduction by Theseus, the Amazon Queens’ youngest sister, Penthesilea, was left to rule the nation of warrior women. Consumed with rage at the injustices done to her sisters, Penthesilea grew into a bitter leader and planned to ... Show More
54m 48s
Sep 2022
How nomads changed the world
Nomads have altered the shape of human history in many ways, but as societies that didn’t tend to leave a written record, their stories are often overlooked. Anthony Sattin seeks to rectify that, sharing stories of significant travelling communities with David Musgrove. (Ad) An ... Show More
40m 59s