Evolution

Human fathers put more time and energy into rearing their offspring than most other mammalian dads. Dr Lee Gettler is an anthropologist who focuses on fathering and the biology of fatherhood. He's… Audio

We humans have been evolving for millions of years, so why do we still have dodgy knees, crooked teeth and need glasses? Alex Bezzerides looks to answer those questions with his debut book. Audio

Author Simon Garfield's latest book, Dog's Best Friend, draws upon history, science art and the writer's own personal experiences with his black Labrador retriever Ludo, to dissect the enduring… Audio

When you take the escalator, instead of the stairs, don't be too hard on yourself. We are hard wired to choose the easy way says Daniel Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard. Audio

The Man-the-Hunter hypothesis looks to have been well and truly debunked, with research suggesting the early big-game hunters of the Americas were female. Dr Randy Haas joins the show to discuss his… Audio

Wasps are a plague every summer, the unwelcome harasser at your picnic or tramping rest stop. Kathryn talks to Gemma McLaughlin, a PhD candidate at Otago University, who's at the forefront of efforts… Audio

Nobel prize-winning geneticist Sir Paul Nurse's latest book, What Is Life?, explores the question of what we as humans share with all other living things on this planet.  Audio

Globally, falls are the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional deaths worldwide after traffic accidents. And modern lifestyles are making our balance worse, leaving us more vulnerable to… Audio

Australian scientists are calling it a micro-evolution in a new report that notes humans are being born with shorter faces and no wisdom teeth with extra bones. Audio

Stanford research shows that walking is not only good for our health, but it also helps boosts our creative output. Behavioural and learning scientist Dr. Marily Oppezzo explains the positive impact… Audio

Researchers have spent the last two decades studying the "cultural evolution" of the white-throated sparrow song. Audio

Feel like you're dreaming a lot more recently? You're not alone. Many people are reporting unusually vivid dreams during the Covid-19 lockdown. Professor Mark Blagrove, a sleep and dream researcher at… Audio

New research has revealed that music could be prescribed to help us focus, feel happier, relax and overcome sadness. Lyz Cooper is the founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy and conducted the… Audio

Kim Hill explores what life is, where it began and what conditions it needs with two astrobiologists, an expert in microbial evolution, and an expert in Matauranga Maori, at Auckland University. Audio

What if plants are smarter than we think - a lot smarter? That's the central premise for an essay, published in The Paris Review by New York-based writer and editor Cody Delistraty.  Audio

New Zealand stick insects have proved while they can't move fast, they can move far.Three native species travelled to the other side of the world and are now living wild in southwest Britain.  Audio, Gallery

Research has found that people spending nine and a half hours or more each day sedentary are associated with a significant increased risk of death. Professor Ulf Ekelund of the Norwegian School of… Audio

A discovery in Ethiopia is challenging ideas about how the first humans evolved from ape-like ancestors.

Archaeologists found a nearly-complete skull dating back 3.8 million years.

They have… Video, Audio

Kathryn Ryan talks to the acclaimed author A.N Wilson on his radical reappraisal of one of the great Victorians, Charles Darwin. Audio

Fossils are the words and strata are the pages of our planet's diary, says palaeontologist James Crampton. He's joining local iwi Ngai Tuhoe on a hunt for evidence of dinosaur fossils in Te Urewera. Audio, Gallery