Too Cute
Why do we find the babies of other species cute? And what's the science behind 'cute aggression': does pretending to nibble baby feet come from our hunter origins?!
Why do we find the young of other species cute?
Finding baby humans adorable makes evolutionary sense, ensuring that we care for them properly. But what about babies of other species? Hannah and Dara go down a fluffy rabbithole of cuteness: pondering the science behind things that make us go 'ahhhh'; exploring the phenomenon of 'cute aggression'; and discovering there can be such a thing as cuteness overload.
We also discover what Dara would look like as an elf, and what happens when you make Hannah scientifically less cute. Brace yourselves...
If you have a scientific mystery for the team to investigate, contact them on curiouscases@bbc.co.uk.
Contributors:
Anthony Little – Reader in Psychology at the University of Bath
Daniel Mills – Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at the University of Lincoln
Chris Holliday – Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and Visual Cultures Education at King's College London
Producer: Lucy Taylor
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
On radio
Broadcasts
- Sat 31 Oct 202610:00BBC Radio 4
- Mon 2 Nov 202615:30BBC Radio 4
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Podcast
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Curious Cases
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain tackle listeners' conundrums with the power of science!
