Futureproof Extra: What Makes a Mammal a Mammal?

The sheer scale and diversity of life on this planet is absolutely staggering. From the smallest micro-organisms to the largest animals, life always seems to find a way to adapt in order to give it the best chance of surviving. And the way we, or other creatures, come into this world is just one example of this. While most of the animal kingdom lays eggs, we and almost all other mammals, have taken a different route. But why? Dr Elsa Panciroli, Research Fellow at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History & author of ‘Beasts Before Us: The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution’ joined Jonathan to disuss the evolution of mammalian life and what makes a mammal a mammal in the first place. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.