Bright orange, smoldering lava lake? Check. Rumbling earthquakes? Check. So what to do? Repel into the crater and do some volcanology research! Nyiragongo is a picture-perfect volcano. It’s also one of the most dangerous, erupting in 2002 and active now. “Often things which are very dangerous are beautiful…and capture the imagination.” 

Click above to hear part 4 of Volcanic Mind Melt, featuring Christopher Jackson, chair of Sustainable Geosciences at the University of Manchester.

Volcanic Mind Melt:
Part 1: Thor Thordarson / Fagradalsfjall in Iceland
Part 2: Emma Bentley / Ancient Pompeii
Part 3: Jazmin Scarlett / La Soufriere in the Caribbean
Part 4: Christopher Jackson / Nyiragongo in Africa 

Podcast also available on PocketCasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and RSS.

2026 Webby Award Nominee
for our three part series on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Big Picture Science is an immersive radio show and podcast that reveals the unexpected connections in science.

Our Skeptic Check episodes take a critical look at extraordinary science claims and pseudoscience.

Don’t settle for a science snapshot. Get the big picture. 

Hosted By

Molly Bentley Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science  

Seth Shostak Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science
Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

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