While nature is full of beauty and wonder, it also has a deadly side. In this episode, we're getting a brush with death and exploring how nature can be both a source of comfort and a source of danger.

Prosanta Chakrabarty spends his time studying different species of fish in some of the world's most hostile spots. He leads us into a deep, dark cave in Madagascar where he and his team didn't just discover a new species, but also discovered a new illness.

We’ll be introduced to the unlikely ‘assassins of the sea’: cone snails. Mande Holford explains how these extraordinary creatures can both kill and cure us.

And finally, we hear how a lioness chose to share her most intimate moments of life and death with African wildlife expert, Gareth Patterson.

Thank you for listening to another series of the BBC Earth podcast.

As ever, we love hearing from you on social media, so do share with us your favourite episode so far or a story that amazed, surprised or moved you…

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