BBC Earth Podcast

The difference between order and chaos can depend on your perspective. The systems and processes that drive the natural world might seem random in close-up, whether it’s an ant wandering around near its nest, or a wildebeest charging through the water. But if you zoom out, you can see how these small activities combine to form part of a bigger picture.The Darwin Tree Of Life project is an attempt to bring order to nature by sequencing the DNA of every living thing in the UK, a staggering 70,000 species. The research team explains how they’ll keep on target by doing a little light sequencing before their morning coffee.We fly high with one of nature’s most stunning visual displays of order, murmuration, learning from Professor Mario Pesendorfer how this magical movement comes together, and how birds move in perfect sync with no leader.And wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson – who has helped to create some of the BBC’s best-loved nature documentaries – takes us on a trip to Maasai Mara, where the annual rains bring a natural order to the migration patterns of wildebeest. Credits:The BBC Earth podcast is presented by Sebastian Echeverri and Rutendo Shackleton.This episode was produced by Rachel Byrne and Geoff Marsh.The researcher was Seb Masters.The Production Manager was Catherine Stringer and the Production Co-ordinator was Gemma Wootton.Podcast Theme Music was composed by Axel Kacoutié, with mixing and additional sound design by Peregrine Andrews.The Associate Producer is Cristen Caine and the Executive Producer is Deborah Dudgeon.Special thanks to:Caroline Howard, Liam Crowley and Mark Blaxter for the feature on the Darwin Tree of Life Project.Mario Pesendorfer for sharing his insights into murmurations.Chris Watson for providing the wildebeest soundscape.

Sebastian is not afraid to admit that he lacks natural rhythm. But Rutendo thinks he’s too hard on himself – perhaps the world is just out of sync with him. Besides, every living thing is built upon natural rhythms, from our response to night and day, to the beating of our hearts.Kristina Bolinder leads us on an exploration of a plant with a very unusual habit: it only flowers under the light of the full moon. The reason why connects a century of lunar records with the latest in botanical research.Deep in the Budongo Forest in Uganda, a team of researchers has been following a group of chimps for several years, and learning that they each have their own signature rhythm, expressed through drumming on the base of trees. What’s more, they can choose when to reveal their identities through their drumming, and when to keep them hidden.Frozen Planet II Producer Rachel Scott tells us about the rhythm of life in the Arctic, from the devastating effects of climate change, to a beautiful and unexpectedsequence featuring polar bears dancing on ice.We close with the friendly tap-tapping sounds of the Great Spotted Woodpecker – who reveals much within its rhythm.Credits:The BBC Earth podcast is presented by Sebastian Echeverri and Rutendo Shackleton.This episode was produced by Rachel Byrne and Geoff Marsh.The researcher was Seb Masters.The Production Manager was Catherine Stringer and the Production Co-ordinator was Gemma Wootton.Podcast Theme Music was composed by Axel Kacoutié, with mixing and additional sound design by Peregrine Andrews.The Associate Producer is Cristen Caine and the Executive Producer is Deborah Dudgeon.Special thanks to:Kristina Bolinder for sharing her discovery that connected plants to the lunar cycle.Vesta Eluteri, Viola Komedova, Catherine Hobaiter and Mugisha Stephen for the feature on chimpanzee drumming.Rachel Scott from the BBC Natural History Unit.Chris Hails of wildechoes.org for providing the woodpecker soundscape.

In an age of individualism, sometimes we are more connected than we think. And the same is true for everything on the planet. Rutendo and Sebastian explore the question of how and why we define an individual, a colony, or a group, across the animal kingdom.Lisa Kirkendale was astounded when she came across the longest organism ever discovered, a siphonophore off the coast of Australia. Composed of several semi-independent but constantly connected parts known as zooids, could it be seen as a colony of many creatures, or just one?Richard Youell, a beekeeper and sound recordist, uses innovative techniques to record directly inside a beehive, an almost impossible task because of bees’ natural inclination to protect themselves from a microphone, by covering it in wax. After a lot of time and patience, he has managed to record the unique captivating sounds of the battle between potential queens, a behaviour known as piping, where there can be only one victor.And we hear from Australian rockers King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, about their efforts to reduce the impact of their packed touring schedule on an increasingly fragile ecosystem.Credits:The BBC Earth podcast is presented by Sebastian Echeverri and Rutendo Shackleton.This episode was produced by Rachel Byrne and Geoff Marsh.The researcher was Seb Masters.The Production Manager was Catherine Stringer and the Production Co-ordinator was Gemma Wootton.Podcast Theme Music was composed by Axel Kacoutié, with mixing and additional sound design by Peregrine Andrews.The Associate Producer is Cristen Caine and the Executive Producer is Deborah Dudgeon.Special thanks to:Richard Youell for sharing his insight and sound recordings from within a beehive.Interviewee Lisa Kirkendale from the Western Australian Museum.