The world is quickly running out of effective antibiotics to treat fast-evolving bacteria. Even routine dental work or knee replacements could soon result in many more deadly infections because of drug resistance. Recently, scientists have identified a promising new source of antibiotics: the genetic remains of our extinct hominid cousins. 

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

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

There are few noises as guaranteed to chill the blood as that of a group of chimpanzees attacking another group of chimps. Wild chimps are notoriously savage. But they are also our closest relatives. And their behaviour can tell us a lot about our own nature. But while humans can be skilled killers, aggression is in fact rare among homo sapiens. So why is that? One answer to the question may be that we homo sapiens are in fact a domesticated species. 

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

Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications

Contact us: [email protected]

This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

Humans have been fascinated by elephants since forever. But until a few decades ago, we didn’t know the most basic things about them, like how they choose a mate, or how their society is organized. In this episode, Ilya meets Cynthia Moss, a former magazine journalist who has contributed more than anyone else to our knowledge of the largest land mammals.

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

Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications

Contact us: [email protected]

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.

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.

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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]