Season one of the hugely successful BBC radio series about the natural world and the awesome ways it has inspired us.

Over billions of years, animals have evolved and adapted, learning through trial and error the best strategies for surviving and thriving. So who better to help us humans when it comes to solving our own challenges? In this fascinating series, biologist and wildlife filmmaker Patrick Aryee tells the incredible stories of some remarkable animals and the surprising ways they have enabled us to make technological and scientific breakthroughs.

From the kingfisher whose beak led to a redesign of the bullet train, to the spider's web that may help us detect the earth's vibrations and turn them into electricity, the animals in these 30 episodes all have extraordinary abilities that could revolutionise our world. There's the bloodsucking mosquito whose mouthparts might hold the key to a future of painless injections; the woodpecker whose hard head has given us ideas for better bicycle helmets and black box recorders; the shark whose scaly skin could show us how to fight superbugs, the tenacious mussel that could make risky foetal surgery safer and save lives - and many more. 

And in the final, live show, we dig deeper into the world of biomimicry, and hear from listeners about other creatures who could spark innovation - including scorpions, tarantulas and hibernating bears....

Full of brilliant, bingeable tales and astonishing revelations, this mind-blowing natural history series will thrill animal lovers, science fans and anyone who's curious about our wonderful natural world.

Production credits

Presented by Patrick Aryee

Series producer: Sarah Blunt

Produced by Amelia Butterly

Live show produced by Mark Ward

Series and live show editor: James Cook

Music and sound design by Dan Pollard

Sound recordist: Chris Watson

First broadcast on the BBC World Service on the following dates:

Track List

Kingfisher and bullet train 25 March 2019

Octopus and camouflage 1 April 2019

Mosquito and surgical needle 8 April 2019

Woodpecker and black box 15 April 2019

Bat and visual aid 22 April 2019

Tardigrade and vaccine transport 29 April 2019

Firefly and lightbulb 6 May 2019

Mussel and plywood 13 May 2019

Termite and ventilation system 20 May 2019

Cod and antifreeze 27 May 2019

Desert spider and Mars robot 3 June 2019

Sea otter and wetsuit 10 June 2019

Stenocara beetle and water collector 17 June 2019

Albatross and drone 24 June 2019

Shark and hospital surfaces 1 July 2019

Spider and rescue robot 8 July 2019

Gecko and adhesives 15 July 2019

Whale and wind turbine 22 July 2019

Spider and window glass 29 July 2019

Bat and unassisted flight 5 August 2019

Bombardier beetle and fuel injection 12 August 2019

Fish schools and windfarm 19 August 2019

Bat and robot 26 August 2019

Dolphin and tsunami detector 2 September 2019

Butterfly and butterfly house 9 September 2019

Mussel and foetal surgery 16 September 2019

Ant and networks 23 September 2019

Peacock and computer screen 30 September 2019

Butterfly and paints 7 October 2019

Spider and remote sensing 14 October 2019

30 Animals LIVE 21 October 2019