The Portuguese Man O'War and the Individual

Are we one or are we many? Examining individualism via a colonial jellyfish.

• 14 mins

Parasites and Personality

Who controls your thoughts and actions? You? Or the things that live inside you?

• 14 mins

Vole-love and Fidelity

Lessons on love, and how to be faithful, from a rodent the size of a satsuma

• 14 mins

Dog Poo and the Challenge of Navigation

How do we navigate unfamiliar terrain? How do animals do it? And can dog poo help us out?

• 14 mins

Ants and Social Distancing

Can ants teach us anything about how to avoid a pandemic? Or how to survive one?

• 14 mins

Naked Mole Rats and Life Extension

Why do naked mole rats live so long? And should we strive to live longer too?

• 14 mins

Slime Mould and Problem Solving

How can a brainless single-cell slime mould help to solve our most complex problems?

• 14 mins

Dragon Lizards and the Gender Spectrum

Animals can be male, female... or LOADS of other things. What are they? And what about us?

• 15 mins

Octopuses and the Mind-Body Problem

What can an octopus teach us about our relationship between the mind and the body?

• 14 mins

Bull Elephants and the Importance of Dads

A herd of elephants, a murder mystery, and a lesson on the importance of fatherhood.

• 15 mins

Cockatoos and the Power of the Beat

What is it about our brains - and the brains of some birds - that makes us want to groove?

• 14 mins

Cuckoo Chicks and the Supernormal Stimulus

Lessons from a cuckoo on why we want what we want, and why our desires can't be trusted.

• 15 mins

Mongooses and the Magic of Trust

How dwarf mongooses can help us figure out who to trust and how to make friends.

• 14 mins

Screaming Marmots and the Sound of Fear

What are the evolutionary origins of the sounds that frighten us the most?

• 14 mins

Rivers and the Rights of Nature

Does giving rights to rivers and forests change how we think about the world around us?

• 14 mins

Lazy Ants and the Power of Doing Nothing

Should we be doing a whole lot more... nothing?

• 14 mins

Great Tits and Group Think

What can we learn about culture and creativity from a forest full of great tits?

• 15 mins

Frozen Frogs and Preserved People

Can we freeze ourselves and return to a future world, like a frozen wood frog over winter?

• 14 mins

Chuckling Chimps and the Evolution of Laughter

What do the giggles and guffaws of the animal world tell us about our own use of laughter?

• 14 mins

Killer Whales and the Mystery of the Menopause

Why do we - and a few species of whale - have a menopause?

• 14 mins

Buff Geese and Gym Rats

How do animals maintain fitness? And do I really have to go to the gym?

• 14 mins

Zebra Finches and Learning a Language

How to birds learn to sing? How do we learn to talk? And what happens when it goes wrong?

• 14 mins

Drunk Moose and the Drive to Get Loose

What can a drunken moose, stuck in a tree, tell us about our drive to get intoxicated?

• 14 mins

Rainbowfish and the Mysteries of Memory

Are fish memories as bad as we think they are? And are human memories as good as we think?

• 14 mins

Dr Orangutan and the Evolution of Medicine

What makes us sick? What makes us well again? And do animals medicate like we do?

• 14 mins

Burying Beetles and the Politics of Parenting

How should we raise our kids? Is there such a thing as too much love?

• 14 mins

Crafty Cuttlefish and Theory of Mind

Can we know what others know? And how do we figure out if they're telling fibs?

• 14 mins

Underground Fungi and the Market Economy

How do the underground trade deals between fungi and plants mirror our own market economy?

• 14 mins