Throughout human history, bloodsuckers have sparked fear, but there's a reason so many animals rely on the blood of other species. Epidemiologist and National Geographic Explorer Ryan Carney reveals the incredible stories of bats, mosquitoes and more of nature’s vampires. We go on assignment to find out how these animals inspire his sci-fi approach to understanding infectious diseases, and we explore how Al and citizen science are helping to unlock a new era of human health.
ABOUT RYAN CARNEY
Ryan Carney is a 2017 National Geographic Emerging Explorer and an associate professor of digital science at the University of South Florida. From his previous days fronting a punk band on Warped Tour to interning at Google, Carney blends his diverse backgrounds in art, music, science and technology to help inspire the next generation of STEAM students in and out of the classroom. Carney's research has been published in Nature and featured in The New York Times and popular science books, and his art and science have appeared in museums and National Geographic magazine. Carney has bachelor's degrees in art and honors biology from University of California Berkeley, a Master of Business Administration and Masters of Public Health from Yale University, and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Brown University.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE
National Geographic Live brings explorers from the field to your city, live on stage. Hear behind-the-scenes stories straight from National Geographic's photographers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers, accompanied by iconic National Geographic footage and unforgettable imagery. The 2026/2027 Seattle Speaker Series begins in November 2026 with 6-show subscriptions on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
The National Geographic Live Seattle Speaker Series is presented by the Seattle Symphony. The orchestra will not perform on these programs.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and National Geographic Explorer Muhammed Muheisen pursues his photography with the belief that a single image can change the world. His work takes an unflinching but hopeful look at lives impacted by war. From children’s games to balloon salesmen, Muhammed’s images capture the kindness and resilience of humanity in difficult situations as he consistently bears witness to the power of visual stories.
ABOUT MUHAMMED MUHEISEN
Muhammed Muheisen is a photographer and the founder and chairman of the Dutch nonprofit organization Everyday Refugees Foundation, as well as a Global Ambassador for Canon. He has received numerous accolades for his work, including two Pulitzer Prizes and a 2023 National Geographic Wayfinder Award. He was featured in the 2024 National Geographic Disney+ series Photographer.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE
National Geographic Live brings explorers from the field to your city, live on stage. Hear behind-the-scenes stories straight from National Geographic's photographers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers, accompanied by iconic National Geographic footage and unforgettable imagery. The 2026/2027 Seattle Speaker Series begins in November 2026 with 6-show subscriptions on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
The National Geographic Live Seattle Speaker Series is presented by the Seattle Symphony. The orchestra will not perform on these programs.
The world is alive with sound, and acoustic biologist and National Geographic Explorer Ben Mirin makes sure we never miss a beat. From the sweet songs of morning birds to the chatter of howling lemurs to the conversation of whales, we’ll go on assignment on an auditory adventure. We’ll tune in to wildlife symphonies, discover what those voices tell us about our planet and transform that science into music.
ABOUT BEN MIRIN
Ben Mirin is the founding director of the Creative Conservation Lab (CCL) in partnership with Cornell University and UNC Chapel Hill. By training, Mirin is an acoustic biologist, storyteller and artist who studies sound in nature and biocultural conservation. He also composes music from his sound recordings and performs live as a “wildlife DJ.” Mirin completed his Ph.D. in 2024 at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where he studied birdsong and the wildlife trade in Indonesia. Through science, music and media, he combines his passions to engage new audiences in a more inclusive and sustainable future for all life on earth. Mirin is the creator and host of the digital and television series WILD BEATS on National Geographic Kids and Nat Geo Wild. He is also a 2016 National Geographic Explorer, Certified Educator and Speaker with National Geographic Expeditions.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE
National Geographic Live brings explorers from the field to your city, live on stage. Hear behind-the-scenes stories straight from National Geographic's photographers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers, accompanied by iconic National Geographic footage and unforgettable imagery. The 2026/2027 Seattle Speaker Series begins in November 2026 with 6-show subscriptions on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
The National Geographic Live Seattle Speaker Series is presented by the Seattle Symphony. The orchestra will not perform on these programs.
Even thousands of years after its demise, the Roman Empire captivates us, and the ancient city of Pompeii is the place to understand it all. Volcanic ash created an unparalleled glimpse into the lives of ancient people who lived, worked and played in this coastal city. We go on assignment with archaeologist Caitie Barrett to the latest dig sites to uncover new stories that still lie buried in this special place.
ABOUT CAITIE BARRETT
Caitie Barrett is an archaeologist who studies everyday life and cross-cultural interactions in the ancient Mediterranean. She teaches at Cornell University as Associate Professor of Classics. She also co-directs an archaeological excavation at Pompeii: the Casa della Regina Carolina (CRC) Project, which explores the ways that Roman houses shaped their inhabitants’ lived experiences. Her areas of specialization include Mediterranean and Egyptian archaeology, household archaeology, the archaeology of religion and ritual, and interactions between Egypt and the Greco-Roman world in antiquity. In addition to her current fieldwork at Pompeii, she has also excavated and surveyed a range of Bronze Age through early modern sites in Egypt, Greece and the United States.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE
National Geographic Live brings explorers from the field to your city, live on stage. Hear behind-the-scenes stories straight from National Geographic's photographers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers, accompanied by iconic National Geographic footage and unforgettable imagery. The 2026/2027 Seattle Speaker Series begins in November 2026 with 6-show subscriptions on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
The National Geographic Live Seattle Speaker Series is presented by the Seattle Symphony. The orchestra will not perform on these programs.
Bright colors and captivating calls are just the start with some of Earth’s most amazing species. Frogs can turn nearly invisible, leap more than 20 times their body length and defend themselves with poison. We go on assignment with conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer Jonathan Kolby to discover all kinds of incredible abilities and springy biodiversity.
ABOUT JONATHAN KOLBY
Jonathan Kolby became involved in wildlife conservation at the age of 15, when he volunteered on his first expedition to document biodiversity in Southeast Asia. He has since been involved in 20 field expeditions spanning the globe, from Honduras to Madagascar to Hong Kong. In 2007, Kolby was awarded a National Geographic Young Explorers Grant to study chytrid fungus and amphibian declines in Honduras. After completing this project, Kolby decided to dedicate himself to combatting global amphibian declines and extinction. He recently established the Honduras Amphibian Research & Conservation Center to specifically prevent amphibian extinctions in Honduras. Kolby completed his Ph.D. at James Cook University in Australia, where he studied the global spread of amphibian chytrid fungus and ranavirus. Kolby has published over a dozen scientific papers, written blog posts for National Geographic and the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group, and currently runs a citizen science project on iNaturalist called "Saving Salamanders with Citizen Science" to help monitor for the emergence of salamander chytrid fungus in the United States. To make science more accessible to the general public, Kolby actively uses photography and social media to help raise awareness about wildlife conservation issues. He also manages a YouTube channel featuring videos and short films produced for the Honduras Amphibian Research & Conservation Center.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE
National Geographic Live brings explorers from the field to your city, live on stage. Hear behind-the-scenes stories straight from National Geographic's photographers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers, accompanied by iconic National Geographic footage and unforgettable imagery. The 2026/2027 Seattle Speaker Series begins in November 2026 with 6-show subscriptions on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
The National Geographic Live Seattle Speaker Series is presented by the Seattle Symphony. The orchestra will not perform on these programs.
Iconic dinosaurs such as Triceratops, Stegosaurus, T. rex and others ruled Earth for 180 million years. Then a doomsday asteroid reshaped the world. We go on assignment with paleontologist and National Geographic Explorer Tyler Lyson to witness the collapse of the dinosaur dynasty. Then we follow the birds and mammals that survived the apocalypse and adapted to thrive, a story revealed in one of the most extraordinary fossil finds in recent memory.
ABOUT TYLER LYSON
Tyler Lyson is curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, where he is responsible for the fossil reptiles collection. His research focuses on the early origin and evolution of reptiles, particularly turtles, as well as the driver(s) and tempo of the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction and subsequent ecosystem recovery. He is working on projects in the Denver Basin in Colorado, Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana, and Karoo Basin in South Africa. Lyson received his Ph.D. and M.A. in geology and paleontology from Yale University, and his B.A. from Swarthmore College. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History before joining the Denver Museum in 2014.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE
National Geographic Live brings explorers from the field to your city, live on stage. Hear behind-the-scenes stories straight from National Geographic's photographers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers, accompanied by iconic National Geographic footage and unforgettable imagery. The 2026/2027 Seattle Speaker Series begins in November 2026 with 6-show subscriptions on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
The National Geographic Live Seattle Speaker Series is presented by the Seattle Symphony. The orchestra will not perform on these programs.
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