ABISSI podcast wins at Italian Podcast Awards 2024 - "Science" category

The podcast "Abyss. Diary from the depths of the Pacific," by science journalist Francesca Buoninconti and Federiciano microbiologist Donato Giovannelli, won first place in the "Science" category at the Italian Podcast Awards - The Pod 2024, the prize for the best Italian podcasts.

Produced by Rai Radio3 and available on RaiPlay Sound, "Abissi. Diary from the Bottom of the Pacific" does what no podcast has done before: it chronicles the descent into the depths of the Pacific Ocean aboard the Alvin, the U.S. Navy submarine used to study hydrothermal vents and explore the Titanic in the 1980s.

"Abyss," in eight episodes, chronicles one of the stages of the ERC CoEvolve project, funded by the European Research Council and directed by microbiologist Donato Giovannelli, a professor at Federico II University. The podcast, written and performed by Francesca Buoninconti and Donato Giovannelli, takes listeners on a fascinating journey into the depths of the Pacific, a journey that has the poetry of a Jules Verne book, in which science mixes with adventure and human endeavor. An imaginative and emotionally charged podcast recounting the expedition, which lasted 35 days in all , aboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA) operated research vessel Atlantis, and the many dives with the submersible Alvin, along with the unforeseen events, the human experience and the successes of the expedition.

"We are at 2,415 meters. Around us it's just black, just darkness. The descent continues at about 35 meters per minute. Right now we should be landing 200 meters from our work zone, just off the ocean ridge." So begins the first episode of the series that takes us to discover an extraordinary and little-known place aboard the Alvin, which hosted Professor Giovannelli and his team for more than 20 dives. So the sounds and tales of the microbiologist on a mission mingle with the narrative voice of Francesca Buoninconti, Radio3 Science journalist who conceived the podcast. Radio3 Scienza curator Marco Motta's direction, Riccardo Amorese's original music , and Alfredo Morana's sound design helped create an immersive experience capable of capturing and engaging the audience.

A total of 864 podcasts were entered in this 3rd edition of Il Pod - Italian Podcast Awards. Among them, 136 finalists were selected, divided by the 18 thematic categories in competition. Selecting the finalists and winners was a jury of 21 experts from the podcast world accompanied by the winners of past editions.

"When I first interviewed Donato Giovannelli on Radio3, he was in Svalbard, and it was immediately clear to me that I was looking at a compelling science story, with a scientist who was eager to tell it and tell his story," recalls Francesca Buoninconti.

"We met again on the eve of his departure for Costa Rica, for the mission aboard the Alvin: that was a must-do. Our brains are made for listening and remembering stories: that story had to be told, and the podcast was the ideal medium to bring out the human endeavor, as well as the scientific one. Two days later I called him back to tell him to bring a microphone with him: Abyss would become reality. "Abyss is a beautiful example of the power of orality, that ancestral ability to create worlds invisible to the eyes of the listener," Marco Motta points out."Francesca Buoninconti and Donato Giovannelli, with the musical complicity of Riccardo Amorese, have succeeded in the admirable feat of taking us to the depths of the Pacific and showing us where new Earth's crust is born and life forms that defy our imagination thrive. And at the same time to tell what it means to build new knowledge day by day, what we have been trying to do for more than two decades at Radio3 Science. With its unique human and scientific story, Abissi writes a new chapter in the adventure that began in 2019 with Labanof, Radio3's first original podcast."

"With Abyss, it was a unique opportunity to tell the science behind the ERC CoEvolve project funded by the European Research Council: we wanted to tell the story of the mission by laying bare what it means to explore, work and study the depths of our planet. I am really happy with the award that comes completely unexpected," comments Donato Giovannelli, "and confirms that stories that give a human face back to science are not only needed but also appreciated by the public. I can't wait to be able to tell the next adventure."

For more information on "Abyss. Diary from the Bottom of the Pacific" and the CoEvolve project, you can visit the official website of RaiPlay Sound and the CoEvolve project along with the website of Donato Giovannelli's research group.

*In May ABISSI was also nominated at the New York Radio Awards reaching the finals in the Documentary category.

**The scientific expedition with the Alvin was funded by the National Science Foundation and CoEvolve is one of the guest projects on board.

Donato Giovannelli is full professor of microbiology at the University of Naples Federico II, head of the ERC CoEvolve project and coordinator of the new graduate course in Biology of Extreme Environments. She works on coevolution between geospheres and the biosphere and with her team is collecting samples and studying some of the most remote places on the planet.

Francesca Buoninconti is a naturalist and science journalist. Today she is on the editorial staff and microphone of Radio3 Scienza, Rai Radio3's science daily, and contributes to several TV programs. She writes about nature and climate for various newspapers and publishing houses, and is the author of two essays translated into four languages.

Marco Motta works at Rai Radio 3, where he is author and host of the programs Radio3 Science and Expat. He teaches in the main masters in science communication, and has collaborated with Radio Svizzera Italiana, Radio Colonia, the Armenise-Harvard Foundation, and Le Scienze magazine.

References

● The POD - Italian Podcast Awards 2024.

● Nominations and winners on YouTube

● You can listen to "Abyss. Diary from the Deeps of the Pacific" on RaiPlay Sound at the link: https://www.raiplaysound.it/programmi/abissidiariodaifondalidelpacifico

● More information about Prof. Giovannelli's research group is available at: https://www.donatogiovannelli.com

● You can read more about the ERC CoEvolve project at: https://www.coevolve.eu

● ABISSI's original music created by Riccardo Amorrese is available on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/intl-it/album/1w9dK2BDT9PjXesICwMjKZ. And on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCui4XDar52Td_o3202c99BQ