Skip to content

How evolution made the strangest creatures on Earth

November 6, 2026 · 33 min

Show notes

Evolution by natural selection has given rise to a fascinating tapestry of living organisms, each occupying their own individual niche. The result is a world filled with a dizzying array of weird and wonderful creatures that won the battle for survival in bizarre and fascinating ways.

In this episode, we’re joined by evolutionary biologist and author Prof Richard Dawkins to talk about his latest book, 42 Tales from Life – A Modern Bestiary.

He tells us how the driving forces of natural selection have shaped the vast variety of the living things that populate the Earth, how different organisms cooperate in strange, unusual ways to win the race for survival, and the many things we can learn from investigating every branch of the tree of life.

Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Receive an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website).

https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All episodes of Instant Genius

Settings

Display

Language

Decides which stations you see first on the home page.

History

Recently played stations and episodes and your latest searches are only stored in this browser.

Notifications

A short notice when a podcast you follow has a new episode. Turn off single podcasts with the bell on their page.

Account

Save favorites – in the app and on the website.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Open search
Space
Play or pause
← →
In the player: back 15 s, forward 30 s (episodes) · in a row: next tile
↑ ↓
In a row: target within the tile
Home / End
In a row: first or last tile
Esc
Close window or menu
?
This overview
Now playing

Go to station page

Play next

    Add episodes with “Play next” – they play after the current episode.