The Evolutionary Edge: A BBC Radio 4 nature series
About this audiobook
Lucy Cooke examines the survival strategies adopted by animals to gain an evolutionary advantage
Award-winning broadcaster, bestselling author and zoologist Lucy Cooke has produced and presented numerous natural history shows on TV and radio, and has been tipped by The Times as 'the next David Attenborough'. In this BBC Radio 4 series, first broadcast under the title The Power Of..., she delves into the animal kingdom, exploring what gives certain species the evolutionary edge over their rivals.
Over the course of 8 episodes, she probes the science behind our seeming obsession with all things cute; unleashes her inner sloth to discover the surprising benefits of being slow; learns that honesty isn't always the best policy, whether you're a chimp, a squid or even a human being; and finds out why being small can give you step up on the evolutionary ladder.
She also investigates the animal communities that thrive on co-operation and peaceful behaviour, and considers why it works for them; looks at the power of celibacy and meets nature's ultimate self-cloning sisters; discovers how some species make a success out of going solo; and asks why it can pay to stir once the sun goes down - and whether future survival for many diurnal animals may depend on a nightlife.
Production credits
Presented by Lucy Cooke
Produced by Alexandra Feachem, Beth Eastwood and Adrian Washbourne
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:
The Power of Cute 17 May 2016
The Power of Sloth 26 December 2017
Power of Deceit 6 August 2019
Power of Petite 13 August 2019
Power of Peace 20 August 2019
The Power of Celibacy 4 January 2021
The Power of One 11 January 2021
The Power of Night 18 January 2021
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.
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About the author
Lucy Cooke (Author, Reader)
Lucy Cooke is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning broadcaster and National Geographic Explorer with a master’s in zoology from New College, Oxford, where she studied under Richard Dawkins. She is a fellow of Durham University and a regular guest lecturer at universities including Harvard and Cambridge.
Lucy has written, directed and presented award-winning international television series for the BBC, National Geographic, Animal Planet and Discovery, and co-presented BBC Springwatch. On BBC Radio 4 she has hosted her own series, The Truth About... and Political Animals, and is a regular on The Infinite Monkey Cage and Sue Perkins’ Nature Table. She has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian and New Scientist, among others.
Her bestselling book Bitch: What Does It Mean to Be Female? challenges the sexist dogma embedded in evolutionary biology. A Telegraph and Guardian book of the year, it has been adopted onto university syllabuses around the world and is being developed as a stage musical and television series. Her earlier books include The Truth About Animals, shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize and translated into nineteen languages, and A Little Book of Sloth, which became a major Discovery series.
