Think of a platypus: they lay eggs (that hatch into so-called platypups), they produce milk without nipples and venom without fangs and they can detect electricity. Or a wombat: their teeth never stop growing, they poo cubes and they defend themselves with reinforced rears. Platypuses, possums, wombats, echidnas, devils, kangaroos, quolls, dibblers, dunnarts ... Show More
Nov 20
Ludovic Orlando, "Horses: A 4,000-Year Genetic Journey Across the World" (Princeton UP, 2025)
In 2016, Ludovic Orlando, a genetics researcher, embarked on the Pegasus Project, an ambitious endeavor to use genetics to discover the origin of the modern horse. There were plenty of theories as to who domesticated horses first–but Ludovic’s team came up with their answer: They ... Show More
53m 11s
Nov 11
Eduardo Mercado III, "Why Whales Sing" (JHU Press, 2025)
With breathtaking complexity and haunting beauty, the songs of whales have long fascinated scientists. Whales are the only mammals that can sing continuously for ten hours or more, changing the unique songs they sing every year. In Why Whales Sing (JHU Press, 2025), bioacoustic ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 9
Thomas Fleischman, "Communist Pigs: An Animal History of East Germany's Rise and Fall" (U Washington Press, 2020)
The pig played a fundamental role in the German Democratic Republic's attempts to create and sustain a modern, industrial food system built on communist principles. By the mid-1980s, East Germany produced more pork per capita than West Germany and the UK, while also suffering myr ... Show More
1 h
Apr 2021
Saving the world's rarest marine mammal
In this episode, we’re delving into the topic of extinction. We'll be finding out about some of the animals who are critically endangered, meeting the people trying to rescue them, and exploring species who may be able to make miraculous comebacks.Perhaps one of the most endanger ... Show More
32m 7s
Dec 2022
Tooth and Claw: African Wild Dog
As a great African predator and a hot-spot on safari, it is hard to believe that only last century, the African wild dog was considered vermin. It's beautiful coat of painted strokes makes it undeniably distinctive. Yet out in the field, this animal is hard to find. Yes, it camou ... Show More
28m 3s
May 2021
Réintroduction d’une espèce animale : le diable de Tasmanie renait en Australie
Depuis sa ferme pédagogique installée à Boisset en Haute-Loire, Fanny Agostini met à l'honneur l'alimentation, la santé et l'agriculture. Ce mercredi, elle s'intéresse à l’exemple réussi de la réintroduction d’une espèce animale. Des diables de Tasmanie, une espèce qui avait disp ... Show More
2m 54s