New Podcast Episode featuring Dirk Brockmann: “Survival of the Nettest” – Why Nature Thrives on Cooperation

We usually associate evolution with fierce competition: the strong overpower the weak, the fast outrun the slow, and only the best make it to the finish line. “Survival of the fittest” – that’s how the story goes.

But what if that’s a fundamental misunderstanding?

In the newest episode of Down the Rabbit Hole – Der TU Dresden Biologie Podcast, Prof. Dirk Brockmann joins hosts Oliver Zierau, and biology students Leonie and Cosima to unpack the deeper meaning behind one of the most quoted — and misinterpreted — phrases in science.

Because when Darwin wrote “fittest,” he didn’t mean the strongest or the most aggressive. He meant the most adapted, and often, the most cooperative.

In this lively and insightful conversation, Dirk talks about how this realization led him to write his latest book, “Survival of the Nettest: Wie die Natur durch Kooperation unsere Welt gestaltet.” Drawing on ideas from network science, evolutionary biology, and complex systems, he paints a compelling picture of how connection, not isolation, is the real driver of survival and resilience — in ecosystems, in human societies, and in our digital world.

🎧 The episode is in German.
👉 Tune in on Spotify