Unfolding Maps

What can we learn from the tribes in the rainforest of New Guinea? What are the greatest dangers facing humanity and the earth today, and how can they be overcome? These are some of the many questions we address in this conversation with a leading scientist that has been voted one of the world's top ten intellectuals by various British and American magazines and who researches and writes on just about everything that makes up human existence – think "universal genius": Jared Diamond.He studied physiology at Harvard and Cambridge and became a leading expert on the gallbladder. He is also an ornithologist, anthropologist, sociologist, evolutionary biologist, ecologist, and environmental historian with expertise in archaeology, genetics, and human disease epidemiology. He is also a professor of geography in Los Angeles.And then he is also one of the most successful authors of popular science nonfiction. His works have been translated into some forty languages, and for the world bestseller "Guns, Germs, and Steel. The Fates of Human Societies" he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1998. His other books include "Collapse. How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed", "The World until Yesterday" and his most recent work "Upheaval – How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change".For all that, Jared Diamond is not only a master of lab work and literature research, but he is and has been on the road himself all over the world (over thirty times in New Guinea alone), he is fluent in over a dozen languages ... So: more than enough material for a wide-ranging conversation about a unique scientific career – and about the world we live in.

In this very special episode, we welcome a real survival icon: Bear Grylls has become known worldwide as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure.Trained from a young age in martial arts, Bear went on to spend three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces, as part of the 21 SAS Regiment. It was here that he perfected many of the survival skills that his fans all over the world enjoy, as he pits himself against the worst of Mother Nature.Bear originally starred in Discovery's hit TV series “Man vs. Wild” across seven seasons, before hosting the NBC & National Geographic Channel series “Running Wild with Bear Grylls”. This show has seen him take global stars such as Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, President Obama & Prime Minister Modi of India on adventures into the wild.Bear has also hosted over six seasons of the BAFTA award-winning Channel 4 series “The Island with Bear Grylls”, as well as the Emmy Award-nominated series Hostile Planet for National Geographic and "You Vs Wild" for Netflix.He has authored 20 books, including the #1 best-selling autobiography “Mud, Sweat & Tears” and the current sequel, “Never give up”.In this episode, Bear and Erik talk about Bear’s very first adventures, the ups and downs of being famous and what being out in the wild can teach us. 

Chris Burkard, born in 1986, is many things: he is an adventurer, photographer, creative director, speaker, author, father, husband, surfer, certified yoga instructor ... and first and foremost, a storyteller. He travels much of the year to explore the most remote places on earth, capturing stories there to inspire people to rethink their relationship with nature. In this way, he seeks to advocate for the preservation of wild places all over the world. Initially, he was one of the most sought-after surf photographers in the world: his assignments took him to tropical paradises from the Caribbean to the South Pacific. Later, he specialised particularly in photographing cold places. Today, he is one of the most successful and popular adventure and outdoor photographers – he has 3.7 million followers on Instagram alone. In this Episode, he talks about how his career unfolded, what draws him to cold and rather inhospitable places, how we can travel “well” – and much more!