Branch Out

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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.

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.

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.”

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.

To help protect plant species from the impacts of climate change, scientists from the Australian Institute of Botanical Science and UNSW created a cutting-edge data framework for predicting seed germination using a thermogradient plate.

Throughout human history, the gifting and trading of plants has been a way for people to connect. Discover the story behind the Instagram-famous 'friendship plant' that used to be impossible to find, and how you can grow one at home.

Orchids are found on every continent, except Antarctica, growing everywhere from hot swamps to cold mountain tops. Unfortunately, a large proportion of Aussie native orchids are threatened or endangered. From isolating the fungi needed to germinate their seeds to studying their pollinators - discover how scientists like Jessica Wait at the Australian Institute of Botanical Science are using science to help save orchids from extinction.

During the era of the Dutch golden age in 1637, it's said that one tulip bulb could of bought you a beautiful house on the canal in Amsterdam. Discover how the obsession with these unique flowers allegedly caused the first and most famous market bubble crashes.

From the 'great pacific garbage patch' to 'wet wipe island' - pollution is out of control. But in 2021, Gary Moran went viral for not needing to put out his red council bin for 3 years and 4 months. Discover his simple hacks to reduce your household waste as we feature an episode from the Plants Grow Here podcast by Daniel Fuller.

Microscopic hairs of a leaf clinging to a murder suspect's jacket is all a forensic botanist needs to crack the case. Discover how two high-profile kidnapping-murder cases in America and Australia were solved using forensic botany and how the field has continued to evolve. You'll also learn the truth behind why the world's most famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, knows so much about poisonous plants.

#WitchTok videos are clocking up billions of views. Discover why witchcraft is on the rise and the important role plants and nature have to play in its resurgence amongst young people in this magical episode featuring Christina Oakley-Harrington - a modern witch and founder of Treadwells, a famous London bookstore dedicated to the occult.

Learn how photosynthesis was uncovered by scientists, how this amazing set of biochemical reactions might help find aliens, and meet a cunning species of bacteria that's evolved with stolen photosynthesizing technology.

Imagine trying to put together a puzzle with over 900 million pieces without the picture on the box... That's how PhD candidate Stephanie Chen describes her world-first research assembling the complete genome of the iconic waratah species.

From M. Night Shyamalan to the Bible - this debut episode of our Fast Flora Facts edition of Branch Out covers all sorts of amazing bite-sized facts, stories and research about the biggest group in the plant kingdom - trees.

We're back and shaking things up this year so you can discover the surprising world of plants with WEEKLY episodes. Hit subscribe to get the first 'fast flora facts' episode on June 3 and join the new Branch Out community on reddit (r/branchoutpodcast) to share your feedback and connect with other listeners.

Science communication is a lot like story telling. In this episode of Branch Out, hear from Laura Skates, Renee Cawthorne and Dr Karl about the importance of talking on behalf of plants.

Extreme plants call for extreme botany. This week on Branch Out, we're exploring the dangerous world of cliff faces, low rainfall and challenging temperatures. We chat to horticulturalist Madeline Arnott-Bryce about succulents, and Dr Russell Barrett about plants that grow in the Kimberley region in WA.

We know a lot of our listeners, like us, are stuck in lockdown - so we've got a special delivery for you! A bonus episode of Branch Out to celebrate National Tree Day. Tune in to hear a casual chat with Andy Leigh, Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney who is studying the effects of climate change on trees and the ecosystems they exist in.

The theme for NAIDOC week this year is Heal Country. But what does it mean?On this episode of Branch Out, we chat to Clarence Slockee, from Gardening Australia.Clarence is a proud Bundjalung man, with a deep connection to the land and sea. His career has spanned performing, education, television and landscaping - just to name a few.He talks us through his relationship with the environment, and what Heal Country means to him.Find out more about NAIDOC week on the NAIDOC week website, naidoc.org.auAnd, you can find our NAIDOC week resources on the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney's website.

This week we've got some special guests on Branch Out – students, recent graduates and trainees who are just starting out in their careers as plant scientists. Rose Kerr chats to them about how they got started, and where they see plant science being needed in the future.A big thank you to everyone who participated in this episode; Adam Pigott, Piret May, Ryan P. O'Donnell, Ruby E. Stevens, Melanie O'Donovan, Philippa Alvarez, Yasmin Assar, Justin Collette and Lyndle Hardstaff.

Our new host, Rose Kerr, sits down with Andrea Westerband, a field ecophysiologist, to find out what photosynthesis has to do with economics.Plants have to be careful where they “spend” water and nutrients during photosynthesis. Scientists like Andrea are trying to find out why and when they do this, in order to understand how plants will react to changes in climate. Even more curiously, some clues are hidden in the soil!This episode was recorded in collaboration with Pint of Science Australia, which runs from May 17th to May 28th, showcasing science through podcasts, events, talks, games and more. Check out their website for more information.

You are invited to join us for the global launch of the Australian Institute of Botanical Science. It's on the 25th of March at 7pm (AEST) and you can tune in here.Looking for some fresh plant science while you wait for new episodes of Branch Out? Watch our exciting new video series, What the Flora!? here.Branch Out will be returning in 2021 with new episodes to be released in the coming months.

Prepare to blush as we explore the unusual, ingenious and sometimes even deceptive ways plants are gettin' it on for the survival of their species. Plant sex is real, it’s happening all around us and it’s not just up to the birds and the bees. Our flowering flora have honed a whole range of different reproduction processes over hundreds of millions of years to pass on their genes - and some of them, are just down right amazing. In this slightly raunchy episode of Branch Out you'll also hear about the incredible scientific efforts to make sure some of our most endangered plants, like orchids, can keep gettin' it on.

Plants have developed an array of deadly defences and chemical compounds can turn an innocent looking ornamental into a deadly assassin. Different toxins affect different parts of our body too, causing everything from kidney failure, heart failure, brain damage and even death. It's why humans have used poisonous plants in weapons to kill prey and even commit murder. But most of the time, our run in with poisonous plants is a mistake with thousands of accidental poisoning illnesses and deaths each year all around the world because it's often very hard to tell the difference between something that’s poisonous, and something that’s not.

When we hear 'pandemic' we immediately think of COVID-19. But there's a deadly plant disease pandemic called 'myrtle rust' tearing through Australia that arrived long before COVID-19. It's spreading fast and attacking plants in the Myrtaceae family such as our iconic eucalypts. In this episode you'll discover the cutting-edge science that is our best bet for saving our species. It's the same science that will could save us from COVID-19 - DNA research.

We're in the middle of once-in-a-century pandemic and coming into peak flu-season in the southern hemisphere. Medicine is on our minds and surprisingly, many developed in the last century were derived from naturally occurring molecules found in plants, bacteria, and fungi. In this episode you'll discover some of mother nature's miracles, the latest in cutting-edge medicinal cannabis research and traditional Chinese herbal medicine - treating everything from dementia to endometriosis. You'll also learn how to grow a couple of plants at home that can help relieve cold and flu symptoms.

Australia is a no doubt a sunburnt country and the unique landscape shares a long and important relationship with fire. But even the most fire-adapted plants were devastated by the intense summer bushfires. While new growth is emerging and cutting-edge science is saving species - there's still a long road to recovery for the flora that went up in flames.

Did you know aspirin was derived from salicin found in the bark of several varieties of Willow tree? Plants are the source of so many amazing past and new inventions we need in our lives. In this episode you'll discover how scientists are utilising the waste material from banana plants to create biodegradable food packaging to combat the plastic pollution problem. You'll also learn how researchers are potentially turning cashew nut shells into more environmentally friendly sunscreen.

Even though Australia is new to the wine-making world stage it has produced really iconic drops and inventions such as cask wine and screw caps for bottles. But how did grape vines get here? Discover the art, history and science of wine-making and how it all started down under.

Australian plants have been used by Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years and now people all over the world are finding a connection to country through cooking with bush foods. Unfortunately, some of these plants are endangered and scientists are collecting and banking seeds to protect their future both on our forks and in the wild.

Climate change is the defining issue of our time and 47% of Australia's vegetation could be impacted by an increase in mean annual temperature by 2070. Three passionate scientists share how they are trying to understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on flora and our future. You'll discover how complex climate models are created, the power of harnessing digital plant data and how DNA research can create resilient habitats.

The world's most painful stinging trees call Australia home. Tiny silica hairs on attractive heart shaped leaves deliver a painful toxin that feels like a hot acid burn and being electrocuted all at once. In severe cases, this can lead to shock, and even death. Explore this amazing example of plant defence as a range of scientists share their stinging experience and what they’re doing to protect the future of these surprisingly important rainforest plants.

Get ready to pick Persoonias from emu poo as Branch Out features an episode from ABC’s dedicated nature program - Off Track. Persoonias are an endangered group of plants that need complex processes to germinate. Could the mystery lynchpin to save them be found in an emu's guts? Go Off Track and join Presenter Ann Jones to find out!

Longer space missions and sustaining human life on other planets depends on space horticulture. So grab your spacesuit and get ready to lift off with NASA astronaut Dr Gregory Chamitoff and scientists from the Australian PlantBank and CSIRO to explore the future of plants in space.

The largest herbarium imaging project in the southern hemisphere is underway at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney with over 1.43 million botanical specimens becoming high-definition digital images. Discover how the images will protect the valuable collection and help researchers around the world make new discoveries to advance science and conservation.

Do you need a brain to sense the world around you, remember or learn? Apparently not. Dive into the marvellous work of evolutionary ecologist Dr Monica Gagliano whose pioneering experiments are proving plants are learning behaviour in ways we never thought possible. But that doesn't mean our brains aren't special. Cognitive neuroscientist Dr Muireann Irish beautifully articulates how some of the complex processes such as memory work in our brain and what is still a mystery. One thing is for certain – this episode will inspire you, challenge your brain-centred worldview and leave you with even more questions.

This is your golden ticket into the sweet and serious side of chocolate making. After all, chocolate doesn’t grow on trees! Well, it's only part of the story. Discover how plant diseases are threatening the future supply of chocolate with Professor David Guest, a plant pathologist from the University of Sydney. You’ll also learn about what it takes to make this delicious treat from bean to bar inside the bustling kitchen of ‘the chocolate artisan’.

Discover over 60,000 years of culture, plant uses and personal stories from Aboriginal people in Sydney, Australia. On the land the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is located the traditional owners are the Cadigal people and they have a unique affinity with Sydney’s harbour and lands. You'll also hear from a proud Dharawal elder and his daughter who are keeping their unique Sydney culture alive through storytelling, advocacy, art and research.

Mistletoe is in love potions, ancient medicines to ward off epilepsy and ulcers and even a Justin Bieber Christmas song. They actually lodge themselves on other plants to steal nutrients and the bizarre adaptation started in Australia – the true home of mistletoe with about 90 different sap-sucking species. Discover why so many people throughout the ages are fascinated by the mystery and magic of these paradoxical parasites.

Who do you think spends the least amount of time outdoors: Chickens, inmates or kids? Unfortunately, it's kids. Cat Stevens already posed the question 'where do the children play?' in the 60's and the situation has continued to get worse - leading to all sorts of physical and mental problems. However, there's a growing movement to combat this epidemic at various forest schools and kindergartens around the world, including one right here in the heart of Sydney.

Bees predate the dinosaurs and they've been doing some crazy and complex things inside the hive. From using a 'waggle dance' to communicate where food is, to making 'bee bread' using pollen. It's a short and sweet life for most, but be warned, there are a couple of gruesome ways to die... Worldwide we are experiencing a decline in pollinator numbers, which means more than just losing our honey. European honey bees and over 1500 native Australian bees support our food crops and native plants, such as 'snotty gobbles'. If they go extinct, we could go with them.

How was a cow paddock in Western Sydney transformed into the biggest botanic garden in Australia? And what's the difference between a park and a botanic garden anyway? Join the legendary Graham Ross and the Garden's Curator John Siemon as they share the incredible story of the Australian Botanic Garden and its best features.

Check out what's coming up in the next season of Branch Out. Hit subscribe to make sure the fortnightly episodes appear in your podcast app.

What makes a plant a killer? Join Greg Bourke, one of Australia's foremost experts on carnivorous plants, and discover the different tactics these murderous munchers use to lure, trap and trick their prey. You'll also hear from Jimmy Turner, the creator and visionary behind the current Plants with Bite exhibition at The Calyx inside the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. See the sticky, sneaky, freaky and free floral display for yourself. If you dare...

You might think the National Herbarium of NSW is where we keep our finest coriander, mint and basil. Actually, this vital facility at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney contains 1.43 million plant specimens used for scientific research, and some are almost 250 years old! Walk through the corridors of this 165-year-old building and discover this historical hub and heart of plant sciences.

Some communities can't access green space, depriving them of the physical, mental and social benefits that nature brings. This was a sad reality for Norbert and his social housing neighbours in Surry Hills, Sydney before the Community Greening Program. Since 2000, the outreach horticulture program has established 765 community and youth-led gardens - transforming the lives of almost 160,000 people like Norbert across NSW. In the lead up to R U OK Day, explore how this popular program is changing the health and wellbeing of communities one garden at a time.

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. Barbara has described and reclassified about 80 species and helped introduce DNA research to the Gardens' science programs - creating a golden age of new understanding in biology. The episode also features the next generation of botanical detectives with Macquarie University students teaching children as young as five how to extract DNA from a banana at a Science Week event.

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. Despite only being able to agree on one song for their lengthy road trips, the pair of Botanists frequently venture into the Australian wilderness for up to five weeks to document Australian flora. 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...

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. Go deep into the Australian PlantBank labs and discover how scientists are experimenting with storing plant material in agar jelly, special freezers and liquid nitrogen to build this vital insurance policy for plants, and us. Thank you to the Australian PlantBank sponsors HSBC and TransGrid as well as the Arcadia Fund for supporting this vital scientific work.

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. Dr Cathy Offord is researching ways to ensure this curious and critically endangered conifer can survive the threat of fire and disease using a range of interesting experiments at the Australian PlantBank. But let's not forget - the Wollemi Pine also has some fascinating survival tricks up its bark, such as the ability to grow up to 150 trunks and self-fertilise!