BBC Radio Podcasts from Naturebang

Underground Fungi and the Market Economy

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

Crafty Cuttlefish and Theory of Mind

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

Burying Beetles and the Politics of Parenting

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

Dr Orangutan and the Evolution of Medicine

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

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?

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?

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?

Buff Geese and Gym Rats

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

Killer Whales and the Mystery of the Menopause

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

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?

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?

Frozen Frogs and Preserved People

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

Great Tits and Group Think

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

Lazy Ants and the Power of Doing Nothing

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

Rivers and the Rights of Nature

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

Screaming Marmots and the Sound of Fear

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

Mongooses and the Magic of Trust

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

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.

Bull Elephants and the Importance of Dads

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

Octopuses and the Mind-Body Problem

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

Dragon Lizards and the Gender Spectrum

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

Slime Mould and Problem Solving

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

Naked Mole Rats and Life Extension

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

Ants and Social Distancing

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

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?

Vole-love and Fidelity

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

Parasites and Personality

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

The Portuguese Man O'War and the Individual

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

Sea-Sponges and the Illusion of Self

Breaking down the illusion of self, with help from the humble sea sponge

Starlings and Social Networks

What can the patterns in a starling murmuration tell us about the way our ideas spread?

Welcome to Naturebang

Becky Ripley and Emily Knight look to nature to answer some of life's big questions.