Is deception a uniquely human trait, or is the natural world built on a foundation of fraud? When a cuttlefish shifts its skin to mimic a female and sneak past a rival male, this may be deceptive but is it telling a lie?

Professor Hannah Fry and VSauce's Michael Stevens explore the evolutionary biology of dishonesty across the animal kingdom. What is the neurological difference between a biological reflex and a calculated bluff? What kind of cognitive processing is needed for true artifice, and are human beings the only creatures on earth who possess it?

Moving from tactical falsehoods by the Adélie Penguin, to the complex betrayals seen in Macaques and Great Apes, Hannah and Michael apply evolutionary game theory to the wild to evaluate the psychology of false signals and the battle between perception, manipulation, illusion and power.

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Video Producer: Oli Oakley

Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell

Researcher: Hannah Dodd-Vastiau

Assistant Producer: Imee Marriott

Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter

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