What's Your Map?

• S3 Ep3: The Society of Cells: Brainbow Mapping with Jeff Lichtman

  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. - 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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• S3 Ep2: Introducing Geographical Storyteller Louise E Jefferson with Iris Taylor

  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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• S3 Ep1: One World, One Ocean…One Climate with Elizabeth Hogan

  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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• S3: Season 3 launching June 11th!

  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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• S2 Ep6: Mapping Songlines with Margo Neale

  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  - 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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