Naturebang Podcast
Becky Ripley and Emily Knight make sense of what it means to be human by looking to the natural world... Science meets storytelling with a philosophical twist.
Episodes to download
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Underground Fungi and the Market Economy
Fri 2 Aug 2024
How do the underground trade deals between fungi and plants mirror our own market economy?
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Crafty Cuttlefish and Theory of Mind
Thu 1 Aug 2024
Can we know what others know? And how do we figure out if they're telling fibs?
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Burying Beetles and the Politics of Parenting
Wed 31 Jul 2024
How should we raise our kids? Is there such a thing as too much love?
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Dr Orangutan and the Evolution of Medicine
Tue 30 Jul 2024
What makes you sick? What makes you well again? And how do we tell the difference?
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Rainbowfish and the Mysteries of Memory
Mon 29 Jul 2024
Are fish memories as bad as we think they are? And are human memories as good as we think?
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Drunk Moose and the Drive to Get Loose
Fri 22 Sep 2023
What can a drunken moose, stuck in a tree, tell us about our drive to get intoxicated?
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Zebra Finches and Learning a Language
Thu 21 Sep 2023
How to birds learn to sing? How do we learn to talk? And what happens when it goes wrong?
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Buff Geese and Gym Rats
Wed 20 Sep 2023
How do animals maintain fitness? And do I really have to go to the gym?
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Killer Whales and the Mystery of the Menopause
Tue 19 Sep 2023
Why do we - and a few species of whale - have a menopause?
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Chuckling Chimps and the Evolution of Laughter
Mon 18 Sep 2023
What do the giggles and guffaws of the animal world tell us about our own use of laughter?
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Frozen Frogs and Preserved People
Fri 13 Jan 2023
Can we freeze ourselves and return to a future world, like a frozen wood frog over winter?
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Great Tits and Group Think
Thu 12 Jan 2023
What can we learn about culture and creativity from a forest full of great tits?
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Lazy Ants and the Power of Doing Nothing
Wed 11 Jan 2023
Should we be doing a whole lot more... nothing?
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Rivers and the Rights of Nature
Tue 10 Jan 2023
Does giving rights to rivers and forests change how we think about the world around us?
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Screaming Marmots and the Sound of Fear
Mon 9 Jan 2023
What are the evolutionary origins of the sounds that frighten us the most?
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Mongooses and the Magic of Trust
Fri 21 Jan 2022
How dwarf mongooses can help us figure out who to trust and how to make friends.
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Cuckoo Chicks and the Supernormal Stimulus
Thu 20 Jan 2022
Lessons from a cuckoo on why we want what we want, and why our desires can't be trusted.
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Cockatoos and the Power of the Beat
Wed 19 Jan 2022
What is it about our brains - and the brains of some birds - that makes us want to groove?
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Bull Elephants and the Importance of Dads
Tue 18 Jan 2022
A herd of elephants, a murder mystery, and a lesson on the importance of fatherhood.
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Octopuses and the Mind-Body Problem
Mon 17 Jan 2022
What can an octopus teach us about our relationship between the mind and the body?
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Dragon Lizards and the Gender Spectrum
Tue 8 Dec 2020
Animals can be male, female... or LOADS of other things. What are they? And what about us?
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Slime Mould and Problem Solving
Tue 1 Dec 2020
How can a brainless single-cell slime mould help to solve our most complex problems?
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Naked Mole Rats and Life Extension
Tue 24 Nov 2020
Why do naked mole rats live so long? And should we strive to live longer too?
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Ants and Social Distancing
Tue 17 Nov 2020
Can ants teach us anything about how to avoid a pandemic? Or how to survive one?
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Dog Poo and the Challenge of Navigation
Tue 10 Nov 2020
How do we navigate unfamiliar terrain? How do animals do it? And can dog poo help us out?
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Vole-love and Fidelity
Fri 21 Jun 2019
Lessons on love, and how to be faithful, from a rodent the size of a satsuma
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Parasites and Personality
Thu 20 Jun 2019
Who controls your thoughts and actions? You? Or the things that live inside you?
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The Portuguese Man O'War and the Individual
Wed 19 Jun 2019
Are we one or are we many? Examining individualism via a colonial jellyfish.
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Sea-Sponges and the Illusion of Self
Tue 18 Jun 2019
Breaking down the illusion of self, with help from the humble sea sponge
