We tend to think of animals like snakes, rats and even cockroaches as pests, but in her new book, biologist Marlene Zuk says there's a lot we can learn from these less than desirable creatures, if we just give them a chance.

PLUS:

• A case of mistaken identity: The truth about the world's 'oldest' octopus fossil
• From the archives: Carl Sagan on the worlds beyond our solar system
• The evolutionary cost of our relationship with fire
• We're not speaking as much as we used to — and scientists are concerned