The Naked Mole Rat

Либо/Либо
Либо/Либо
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Natural Sciences
  • Updated Biweekly

Ilya Kolmanovsky is a scientist-turned-storyteller. Once he studied animal evolution, now he makes a podcast about what science can teach us — human beings — about ourselves. From strange creatures that mirror human nature to the real people behind discoveries, THE NAKED MOLE RAT uncovers the unexpected connections between science and our lives. This is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/ Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me This podcast is produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

Episodes

  1. Jan 21

    Mole Rats and War

    This story is about a creature with a head like a furry shovel, and a body about the size of a sneaker. By rodent standards, the sandy blind mole rat is huge. But it’s special for another reason too. The sandy blind mole rat is found only in a small area of Ukraine, near the front-lines of Russia’s war against its neighbor. And we wouldn’t know of its existence but for the efforts of a small number of zoologists who, over decades of war and repression, risked their lives working to establish the sandy blind mole rat as a distinct species recognized by science. 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: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me  This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

    Mole Rats and War

  2. Jan 7

    Borrowed vision

    People who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa lose their vision as the light-sensitive cells in their eyes start to break down. But what if they could be implanted with light-sensitive cells taken from other organisms, such as algae or coral? A few years ago, a French ophthalmologist was nearly laughed out of a scientific conference when he proposed this idea. But he didn’t lose heart, and his hunch led to a very important breakthrough. Link to the video, in which the patient takes a bottle of hand sanitizer out of his pocket: https://youtu.be/J7a6-46M4qk 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: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me  This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

    Borrowed vision

  3. 12/24/2025

    Your Brain on Holidays

    Caution! The holiday season is upon us. Terrible holiday jingles blast out of every speaker and get stuck in your head, there’s so much to do before the end of the year, and then we’ll be stress-eating and washing it all down with alcohol. All that while promising ourselves that we’ll definitely change things in the new year (though we likely won’t). In this special episode, we explore the science of what makes this time of year so…special. Use the internet without restrictions to websites and services — get Paper VPN. Get 10% off any plan with the promo code RAT Connect here: https://papervpn.fun/?promocode=RAT&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=pin&utm_campaign=podcast_nakedrat_24.12.2025 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: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

    Your Brain on Holidays

  4. 12/10/2025

    Russian Flu aka American Fever

    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 notifications Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

    Russian Flu aka American Fever

  5. 11/27/2025

    To Teach and Die for Ukraine: The Story of Yulia Zdanovska

    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: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko and Ilya Marritz.

    To Teach and Die for Ukraine: The Story of Yulia Zdanovska

  6. 11/12/2025

    The Neanderthals’ Last Gift

    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 notifications Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editors are Alexei Vorobyov and Ildar Fattakhov.

    The Neanderthals’ Last Gift

  7. 10/29/2025

    The Friendliest and the Most Ruthless Species on the Planet

    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 notifications Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

    The Friendliest and the Most Ruthless Species on the Planet

  8. 10/15/2025

    How Feminism Helps to Understand Elephants

    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 notifications Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editors are Ildar Fattakhov and Alexei Vorobyov.

    How Feminism Helps to Understand Elephants

  9. 10/01/2025

    What is menstruation for?

    Strangely enough, we don’t quite know. Only a few mammals regularly shed their entire uterine lining.  According to one hypothesis, menstruation evolved as a defence against an invasion by paternal genes. Host Ilya Kolmanovsky talks to evolutionary biologists David Haig and Deena Emera about how mother and fetus are made to compete for resources in pregnancy.  The Naked Mole Rat is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/   This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva, Kirill Sychev and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Alexei Vorobyov. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me

    What is menstruation for?

  10. 09/17/2025

    The Leakey Family and the Human Family

    For decades, scientists believed that humans gradually evolved — more or less in a straight line — from knuckle-walking apes to upright-walking, sneaker-wearing humans. But it turns out the story is not so simple. In East Africa, researchers are discovering the fossilized bones of our ancient relatives, and revising their ideas about where humans come from. The Naked Mole Rat is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/   This episode was produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editors are Ildar Fattakhov and Alexei Vorobyov  Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me

    The Leakey Family and the Human Family

  11. 09/09/2025

    The Naked Mole Rat: Trailer

    The Naked Mole Rat is where scientist-turned-storyteller Ilya Kolmanovsky explores what bizarre creatures and real scientists can teach us about ourselves. Once he studied animal evolution, now he tells stories about human nature, evolution, and the people behind discoveries. THE NAKED MOLE RAT reveals the unexpected connections between science and our lives. This is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/  Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me

    The Naked Mole Rat: Trailer
  • 1 Trailer
    10 Episodes

Trailer

Shows with Subscription Benefits

ЛИБО/ЛИБО+ APPLE PODCASTS

😲-35% на годовую подписку! Ранний доступ, бонусы

$5.99/mo or $39.99/yr after trial

View Subscription FAQs

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Ilya Kolmanovsky is a scientist-turned-storyteller. Once he studied animal evolution, now he makes a podcast about what science can teach us — human beings — about ourselves. From strange creatures that mirror human nature to the real people behind discoveries, THE NAKED MOLE RAT uncovers the unexpected connections between science and our lives. This is a podcast by Libo/Libo. Visit our website: https://libolibo.me/ Contact us: nakedmolerat@libolibo.me This podcast is produced by Andrey Borzenko, Ilya Marritz, Danil Astapov, Anastasia Medvedeva and Lika Kremer. Our sound editor is Ildar Fattakhov.

Information

  • Channel
    Либо/Либо
  • Creator
    libo/libo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © libo/libo
  • Provider
    SIA Libo Libo

More From Либо/Либо

You Might Also Like