The Naked Mole Rat

In the late 19th century, a deadly illness spread across Asia and into Europe, infecting millions, and prompting what may have been the world’s first “infodemic” — with news (and rumors) about the infection traveling in realtime, via telegram. A teenaged Winston Churchill even wrote a poem about it. Sometimes called “Russian flu” or “American fever” the illness rarely affected children, but caused adults to lose their sense of taste and smell. Is it just possible that “Russian flu” was a coronavirus? The Naked Mole Rat is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/  Follow us and tap the bell for episode notificationsContact us: [email protected] episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

Ukraine is a country that produces a lot of talented math and programming students, and Yuliya Zdanovska was among the most promising. But it was the choices she made about how to live her life that really set her apart. After graduating university, Yuliya dedicated herself to teaching ordinary students at a rural school. Then, when Russia invaded Ukraine, she went to Kharkiv, close to the front-lines, to defend her hometown. That is where she died in 2022.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] episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko and Ilya Marritz.

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/  Follow us and tap the bell for episode notificationsContact us: [email protected] 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 notificationsContact us: [email protected] 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 notificationsContact us: [email protected] episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editors are Ildar Fattakhov and Alexei Vorobyov.