Strangely enough, we don’t quite know. Only a few mammals regularly shed their entire uterine lining. 

According to one hypothesis, menstruation evolved as a defence against an invasion by paternal genes. Host Ilya Kolmanovsky talks to evolutionary biologists David Haig and Deena Emera about how mother and fetus are made to compete for resources in pregnancy. 

The Naked Mole Rat is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/  

This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva, Kirill Sychev and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Alexei Vorobyov.

Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications

Contact us: [email protected] 

For decades, scientists believed that humans gradually evolved — more or less in a straight line — from knuckle-walking apes to upright-walking, sneaker-wearing humans. But it turns out the story is not so simple. In East Africa, researchers are discovering the fossilized bones of our ancient relatives, and revising their ideas about where humans come from.

The Naked Mole Rat is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/  

This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editors are Ildar Fattakhov and Alexei Vorobyov 

Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications

Contact us: [email protected] 

The Naked Mole Rat is where scientist-turned-storyteller Ilya Kolmanovsky explores what bizarre creatures and real scientists can teach us about ourselves. Once he studied animal evolution, now he tells stories about human nature, evolution, and the people behind discoveries. THE NAKED MOLE RAT reveals the unexpected connections between science and our lives.

This is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/ 

Contact us: [email protected]