"So synanthropes are animals that have adapted to human-modified environments, and the Greek translation essentially is together with humans, so synanthrope. And they're a fascinating subset of wild animals that they're all around us, but we don't really notice them. And so in this new book, I was excited about writing something that had to do with the natural world. I was excited about writing something that touched on climate change. These are not just insects and earthworms and things like that. These are very large predators that have nevertheless found a way to survive among us. And that in and of itself I think is just an amazing story and what I explore in this book."
If you live in a city, you’ve probably had that moment in the middle of the night. You hear a scratching in the walls, or you catch the glowing eyes of a raccoon peering out from a dumpster, and for a second, the concrete world feels a lot less 'controlled' than we like to pretend. We’ve been taught to think of cities as 'biological deserts'—places where nature goes to die. But my guest today, Dan Werb, says that’s a myth we tell ourselves to feel safe. Dan is an award-winning epidemiologist and a musician, and in his new book, Our Wild Familiars, he explores the 'synanthropes'—the wild creatures that aren't our pets, but aren't quite strangers either. They are the coyotes, the bats, and even the octopuses that are learning to use our cities as laboratories for their own rapid evolution. He’s also the author of The Invisible Siege and City of Omens.
(0:02) The unexpected biodiversity of urban areas and wild familiars
(2:32) What are synanthropes?
(6:04) Why cities are becoming magnets for wildlife and natural biodiversity
(14:32) How our discarded garbage acts as a reliable nutrition source
(18:01) The raccoon city and highly adaptable urban mesopredators
(21:49) Redesigning cities as crucial sites for wildlife conservation and containerisation
(26:31) The impact of highways on mountain lion migration in Los Angeles
(31:03) The ancestral spiritual bond between early humans, ravens, and foxes
(38:24) Facial recognition, grudges, and the intense intelligence of urban crows
(42:40) Discovering giant Pacific octopuses living in discarded garbage near Seattle
(49:04) How translucent boardwalks helped save baby salmon afraid of the dark
(52:42) Building green corridors and ecological stepping stones in the concrete
(1:01:07) Cultural shifts in pods of orcas sinking boats off the Iberian coast
(1:05:23) Social epidemiology, vulnerable populations, and insights from City of Omens
(1:08:29) The epidemiological triangle and the environmental causes of novel viruses
(1:16:08) The rhythm shift required to observe wild animals in urban spaces
(1:25:26) Why we need more cosmological humility when studying animal biology
(1:31:06) The illusion of AI connection and why engaging with nature expands the mind
(1:34:46) Memories, Laughter, and Animal Connection
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