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  • S3 Ep3: The Society of Cells: Brainbow Mapping with Jeff Lichtman
    2025/07/08
    Neuroscientist and Harvard Professor Jeff Lichtman walks Jerry through his astonishing work mapping the human brain. In 2024, with the help of Google Research, Jeff’s team developed the most detailed map of a human brain sample ever created, producing 1,400 TB of data from a sample the size of a pinhead.

    Jeff also talks about how he and Harvard biologist Dr Joshua Sanes pioneered the Brainbow process, a breakthrough that allows scientists to easily identify individual neurons in the brain by colour.

    He goes on to explain how our experiences allow us to build neural maps, or wiring diagrams, onto our brains. These maps encode our memories and learned experiences, so that we can act without thinking, like riding a bicycle.

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    From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
    Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
    So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
    What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
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    31 分
  • S3 Ep2: Introducing Geographical Storyteller Louise E Jefferson with Iris Taylor
    2025/06/24
    In this episode, Jerry visits the Library of Congress in Washington DC to meet senior librarian Iris Taylor, who has nearly five decades of experience in the map department.

    Iris shows Jerry a series of beautiful pictorial maps, created in the 1940s by the pioneering geographical storyteller Louise E. Jefferson. In particular, she highlights a map of ‘Americans of Negro Lineage’ from 1946. This map showcases notable African-Americans from throughout history, including figures like Harriet Tubman - who helped establish the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves - and the poet Langston Hughes.

    Louise was one of the first female African-American cartographers. Her work was long neglected, and Iris is working to bring it back to light.

    To see a high-definition image of the map as it is discussed, go to: www.oculi-mundi.com/podcast

    In this conversation, Iris reflects on her discovery of the Jefferson maps, and the profound impact they have had on her. She also talks about her own personal journey as a librarian at the largest and most comprehensive map collection in the world.

    From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
    Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
    So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
    What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘the eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps in detail as you listen.
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    31 分
  • S3 Ep1: One World, One Ocean…One Climate with Elizabeth Hogan
    2025/06/10
    Welcome to What’s Your Map? In this episode, Jerry speaks to Elizabeth Hogan, a marine biologist, Programme Director at the National Geographic Society, and a passionate advocate for marine conservation.

    Having spent over 15 years dedicated to protecting marine ecosystems, Elizabeth shares her experience while discussing a unique map that reorients our understanding of the world's geography.. She explains how this ocean-centric map from the Environmental Systems Research Institute illustrates the reality of our planet's interconnected bodies of water: that we have one global ocean rather than distinct, isolated seas.

    Elizabeth also reveals the significance of ocean currents, which are prominent on the map. She explains how they link distant regions, affecting everything from the migration patterns of marine species to the transportation of plastic waste, and the lives of coastal communities.

    To see a high-definition image of the map as it is discussed, go to: www.oculi-mundi.com/podcast

    From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
    Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
    So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
    What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.

    It's a Whistledown production, produced by Emily Uchida Finch.

    Cover image Copyright © 2025 Esri and its data contributors. All rights reserved.
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    33 分
  • S3: Season 3 launching June 11th!
    2025/05/27
    From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.

    Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton, as in each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.

    So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?

    What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
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    3 分
  • S2 Ep6: Mapping Songlines with Margo Neale
    2025/04/08
    Every society has myths and legends that are passed down through the generations, some of which can be read in features of the landscape. In this episode, Professor Margo Neale guides Jerry around the story of the Seven Sisters: a songline from Australia. She delves into the intricate symbolism of her map, revealing that it charts not just physical spaces, but also spiritual and ancestral connections within Australian Indigenous culture.

    Margo Neale recently retired as the Head of the National Museum of Australia's Indigenous Knowledges Curatorial Centre, and an Adjunct Professor of the Australian National University's Centre for Indigenous History.

    She and Jerry discuss Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters), a painting created by the Indigenous Australian artists Tjungkara Ken, Yaritji Young, Maringka Tunkin, Freda Brady and Sandra Ken. These artists are part of Tjala Arts, a studio based in Amata, South Australia. Seven Sisters is a dynamic representation of the journey of the Seven Sisters, mythical figures pursued by a lustful sorcerer. Each symbol and colour represents different facets of their journey, teaching us about kinship, gender relations, survival, and cultural values—a narrative deeply embedded in the landscape.

    To see a high-definition image of the map as it is discussed, go to: www.oculi-mundi.com/podcast


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    From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.

    Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it. If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?


    What’s Your Map?
    is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.





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    31 分
  • S2 Ep5: Venice to Japanggu: Fra Mauro's World Map with Mike Yamashita
    2025/03/26
    Mike Yamashita is a distinguished photographer with over 40 years of experience working for National Geographic. Among his stunning collections of works that capture landscapes, peoples, and animals, Mike filmed two documentaries about Marco Polo for National Geographic in 2004 and 2022.

    In this episode of What's Your Map, Mike and Jerry explore Fra Mauro’s legendary world map from 1450. Measuring two metres across, this astonishing record of ancient trade routes, territories, ships, and cities was painted on vellum in vivid colours over a ten year period. One of the most important sources of information for the map was Marco Polo’s book.

    Michael recounts his voyages in the footsteps of Marco Polo, from the original copy of the map in Venice through war-torn regions into Asia. He also reflects on his own remarkable journey as a photographer, including his family’s recent history as Japanese-Americans during the Second World War.

    To see a high-definition image of the map as it is discussed, go to: www.oculi-mundi.com/podcast

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    From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.

    Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it. If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?

    What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.



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    33 分
  • S2 Ep4: The Wonder of the Stars with Heidi B. Hammel
    2025/03/12
    Have you ever seen a shooting star? Did you know that there are different stars in the sky during winter and summer? In this episode, Dr Heidi Hammel takes Jerry on a jaunt around the constellations, and talks to him about the cutting edge of space exploration.

    Heidi is an interdisciplinary scientist at NASA and Vice President of Science at the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). In her role at AURA, Heidi works with some of the world’s most famous telescopes such as Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). She studies planetary systems and the origins of life, seeking signs of life on other planets. Heidi and her colleagues also watch the skies for possible interplanetary collisions, keeping our Earth safe.

    The Norton’s Star Atlas is over 100 years old. Containing 16 maps of different slices of the sky, it was created by the British schoolmaster, Arthur Philip Norton - and ignited a young Heidi’s passion for astronomy. Heidi deciphers Map 5 of the atlas for Jerry, picking out familiar constellations, and explaining how even such an old map can still be used to navigate the stars.

    She also talks about leading the Hubble team that studied the impact of a comet on Jupiter in 1994, the development of telescope technology, and how she and her colleagues predict extinction level threats. And now… look up!

    To see a high-definition image of the map as it is discussed, go to: www.oculi-mundi.com/podcast

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    From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.

    Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it. If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?

    What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.

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    33 分
  • S2 Ep3: Riches and Rivalries: the Evolution of European Cartography with Matthew Edney
    2025/02/26
    Matthew Edney, Osher Professor at the University of Maine and Director of the History of Cartography project, takes Jerry to 16th century Amsterdam, where silver from the New World is flowing copiously, and maps have been elevated from the scientific designs to sumptuous works of art.

    Joan Blaeu’s vibrant 1662 world map shows the world in twin hemispheres, surrounded by celestial Roman gods, the four seasons, beasts and birds. It is the centrepiece of his family’s master work: the Atlas Maior, or Grand Atlas. Comprising 11 or 12 volumes, over 4,600 pages and 594 maps, this atlas illustrates the high point of Dutch cartographic publishing.
    But what motivated the Blaeu family to make such an atlas? Who were their competitors? And why do people make maps at all? Matthew and Jerry discuss this evolution of European cartography in the early Modern period, against the backdrop of the ‘discovery’ of the New World, and the sheer consumerism that came with it.

    Matthew also touches on the different theories around map-making in contemporary times; and why cartography “needs to die”. We hear about his work as the director and co-editor of The History of Cartography Project, and the lack of diversity in the field of cartography.


    To see a high-definition image of the map as it is discussed, go to: www.oculi-mundi.com/podcast

    Assistant Producer: Daniel Pearce
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    From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.

    Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it. If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?

    What’s Your Map?
    is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.


    続きを読む 一部表示
    31 分