Podcast "Rukkirääk" started its second season

"Rukkirääk" is a podcast with a 20-minute nature-themed programme on the last Tuesday of every month. In the first programme of the second season, the focus is on the popularisation of science.

In the podcast's "Rukkirääk" episodes, guests discuss nature, work experiences, adventures and the work of the University of Tartu Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden. The name is inspired by a peculiar bird - the corncrake, one of the most famous birds for its squawking. It is thought that our everyday word for "to speak" (or to talk) evolved from a word that originally meant to talk or make other sharp noises.

The „Rukkirääk“ was launched in February 2022. By the end of last year, a total of 241 minutes of meaningful broadcasts had been recorded, the equivalent of a four-hour hike in the woods. A total of 658 minutes of episodes were listened to, the equivalent of a nearly 11-hour car journey from Tartu to Warsaw.

The most popular episode turned out to be the first one, "I'm in the business of transferring insects from one box to another", with zoologist Mati Martin as guest. On the Spotify streaming platform, "Rukkirääk" is a top 1 podcast for 20 listeners.

In the first episode of the second season, we talk about the popularisation of science and the need for it. The guests Mare Vahtre, coordinator of the Estonian Research Council Teame+, and Ana Valdmann, director of the University of Tartu's School of Science, discuss who has the right to popularise science and what are the ways to reach the common man. At the end of each programme, it is customary to ask a quiz question to be answered at the beginning of the next programme.

Podcast can be listened to on Anchor.FM, Spotify, Apple Podcasts ja Google Podcasts. Podcast is in Estonian.